Toxic mold can be found in almost all environments, however, the more common” toxic” mold is Stachybotrys chartarum.
Stachybotrys chartarum is considered the worst of the worst, and in some instances is thought to be responsible for ” infant crib death.” Most people throughout the world respond to even small quantities of stachybotrys with allergic reactions. Some allergic reactions can be quite profound and permanently damaging, affecting human pulmonary function, and even a loss of memory and other serious disorders.
The required abatement/remediation of this toxic mold should involve the same protocol as any mold, as all molds are capable of creating an allergic reaction in some people. It’s recommended by professionals in the field that toxic mold be removed entirely, but not painted over or killed.
Toxic mold sickened 27 infants and possibly caused one death in the Cleveland area in 1993. An infant in the Cleveland, OH area, the first of 27, suffered acute pulmonary hemorrhaging. The children bled from their airways, their lungs infected with some unknown illness, and one child died. The children shared one commonality, in that they all lived in homes that had serious water damage and it appeared the children’s conditions were caused by toxic mold. The Cayuga County Coroner examined all of the infants in the area who had died between 1993 and 1995, including those thought to have died from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome.) Tests show they found lung issue showing signs of pulmonary hemorrhage. It has yet to be proven definitely that mold caused the death of the infant, but the question looms large enough that medical and health professionals around the world would normally take exhaustive precautions to prevent infant exposure to mold.
It is not the mold itself that generates the toxin, it’s the spores that the fungi produce which can become airborne easily and be inhaled by mammals. These spores can also be absorbed through the skin, or ingested causing problems with the intestines. These toxic spores produce gasses which are referred to as mycotoxins.
Beware of toxic mold, Montgomery Sansome LP offers a mold testing service for $299 that includes site inspection reports with field samples and identification of mold species counts through laboratory testing. We are a mold company serving the entire San Francisco Bay Area.