For buildings left standing, next major menace is mold
Spores awakened by Katrina's waters are multiplying
By BETH DALEY
Boston Globe
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When Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters poured into the Gulf Coast — saturating walls, shoes, sofas, floors and roofs — billions of dormant mold spores woke up.

Now, fueled by moisture and temperature, those spores are growing furiously.

For the buildings left standing by the winds and waters, for the houses that escaped serious damage from the toxic soup of bacteria and chemicals still sloshing in Katrina's wake, the next plague coming, experts say, is mold.

"These are the most successful organisms on the Earth. ... They have this amazing ability to survive," said Michael Rinaldi, director of the Fungus Testing Laboratory and professor of pathology and medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. "Many of those houses ... are going to have to be rebuilt."

Mold is a type of fungus that can weaken buildings, make people sick and streak walls.

While debate continues over how dangerous household molds may be, people with allergies, asthma or weakened immune systems can suffer severe respiratory problems when they breathe in spores. Some fungal organisms feed on wood for their growth, leaving a gooey, structurally unsound beam behind.


A boost in humidity
Residents in hot and humid New Orleans have long lived with the creep of mold and fungus everywhere from bathrooms to barroom walls, keeping it at bay with dehumidifiers, air conditioners and bleach.

But day-to-day humidity levels are not nearly as hospitable to mold growth as the past two weeks have been. Most air conditioners and dehumidifiers haven't been turned on since Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29 — and the mold has kept multiplying.

Mold had already begun to spawn in Sandy Guild's spacious Gulfport, Miss., home when she returned to it just days after the storm. In each spot, the mold started out gray then turned black and spread like a weed, she said. She and her family worked furiously to rip out all the wallboard and insulation on the flooded first floor of the house. She bleached her kitchen cabinets.

"I had to get it out," said Guild, who owns a gift shop. "I feel sorry for a lot of people who don't even have Sheetrock out by now," she added. "They are going to be in trouble."

After floods, federal agencies often urge homeowners to strip homes of wet carpets and furniture and dry the building out within 48 hours to stop mold infestation — but there are no guidelines for what to do with a house that has been partly submerged for weeks.

"The problem we are wrestling with is even if we eliminate the water ... there will still be moisture present because we don't have air conditioning or a way to dry it out," said Michael McGinnis, director of the Medical Mycology Research Center at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

"The mold will get into the cracks in the ceiling, behind the paint," McGinnis said. "It really creates difficulty because there is going to be lots and lots of mold growing."


Air currents carry spores
With enough moisture, mold spores can germinate in just hours and begin eating wood, wallboard, wallpaper glues and other organic material.

Within days, a few spores can produce millions more, which are then carried to other locations by air currents. By the time mold is visible — which can take from a day to several weeks after germination — it often has taken root in walls and may be impossible to get out.

Scientists worry many poor homeowners will spend tens of thousands of dollars attempting to get rid of mold, only to find that their efforts have failed.
_________________________
Jimmy McDonald
http://www.StartRemodeling.com
Jimmy@StartRemodeling.com

http://www.ToxicMoldUSA.com
McMoldMan@ToxicMoldUSA.com

Jimmy McDonald ( RemodelingGuy) specifically assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information or process disclosed. The above further expressly advises that any use of or reliance upon the information and or opinion disclosed is at your risk .