Is Mold Damaging Your Home, Hotel, and Your Good Health? Is there a non-toxic solution to toxic mold? Yes!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) December 23, 2009 -- Recent climate changes have produced a very wide area of concern about mold due to heavy rains and flooding. It is not uncommon to view news reports of houses being completely flooded from a flash flood. Of course we only have to say Katrina & Rita to be reminded of the dangers that water can bring about!
How widespread is the health concern? Is toxic mold really a threat? First let us define Mold and narrow down what is meant by “toxic mold”

What is Mold? All known types of mold are members of a very large family called Fungi. Mold can be green, black, brown, white, pink, yellow, and practically any shade there of. Because we are so surrounded with mold most don’t give it much thought.

What is Toxic Mold? Surprisingly the term has no scientific meaning, since the mold itself is not toxic. The metabolic byproducts of some molds may be toxic. The correct word for those toxins is Mycotoxin - Compounds produced by “Toxigenic fungi” that are toxic to humans and animals. The names of these toxins are long and hard to pronounce but many have been identified. Aspergillus & Stachybotrys are two such toxic producing molds! When toxic mold is mentioned you will know it is the Mycotoxins produced by mold that is the concern- toxic mold is just easier to relate to for a term.
How Widespread are the health concerns? Please click on the links below for just a very small sampling you can find on the internet. Try typing in Mold Exposure Health Risks and you will see how big a problem it is becoming.

How to Clean Your Home of “Toxic Mold”?
From The American Industrial Hygiene Association comes this comment (AIHA)

“Are biocides useful or required in remediation projects? Biocides are disinfectant chemicals used to kill germs. In most mold remediation projects, biocides are not a substitute for thorough cleaning. Biocides are of limited use in remediation of indoor mold contamination for two main reasons:
1) Biocides do not remove allergens that can lead to allergies in sensitive individuals nor do they remove other metabolites from mold that can cause adverse reactions in some people. Even though the application of biocides may kill mold spores, the only way to remove the allergens and other metabolites is through the physical elimination of mold and moldy materials by thorough cleaning or removal.

2) Commonly used biocides do not effectively kill molds. For example, active fungal growth on a surface may produce a spore density of 1 million spores per square inch. Treating this site with a biocide that has an effectiveness of 99.999% would still leave an estimated 10 viable spores per square inch. As such, mold growth may recur if the underlying moisture problem is not resolved.
Biocidal treatments are indicated only when the contaminant is one of the few fungi that are known to cause human infection. This is particularly important in health-care facilities or other places with occupants who have impaired immune systems or who may be more susceptible to infections”
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – USE Bleach? Maybe Not!

In the past, even the EPA recommended cleaning mold infested areas with bleach and water, and you can still find this advice on some websites dealing with mold. On their website is an article entitled “A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home”, the EPA now says:
“The use of a chemical or biocide that kills organisms such as mold (chlorine bleach, for example) is not recommended as a routine practice during mold remediation.”

Household bleach contains only 3% to 6% sodium hypochlorite (active ingredient). The remaining 94% to 97% is Water. Using bleach adds water/dampness that is the enemy of stopping mold growth in the first place- Moisture! The active ingredient quickly vaporizes as chlorine gas and thus provides no surface stability to prevent re-growth. It must be remembered that many of the spores are airborne as well, so when they land they can quickly re-grow on the cleaned surface- often in just as little as 24 hours later. So there is little or no surface stability to provide further protection! Bleach can be used on non-porous surface but is not effective on porous surfaces and may even make matters worse by adding the moisture back into the surfaces.
The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)
In answer to the question of whether bleach should be used in mold remediation, the AIHA says: “Biocides like bleach do not remove allergens that can lead to allergies in sensitive individuals nor do they remove other metabolites from mold that can cause adverse reactions in some people.

Commonly used chemicals do not effectively kill molds. For example, active fungal growth on a surface may produce a spore density of 1 million spores per square inch. Treating this site with a biocide that has an effectiveness of 99.999% would still leave an estimated 10 viable spores per square inch. As such, mold growth may recur if the underlying moisture problem is not resolved.”
The California Department of Health Services evaluated ozone and had this to say:
“Ozone is a strong oxidizing agent that is used as a disinfectant in water and sometimes to eliminate odors. However, ozone is a known lung irritant.

Ozone generators have been shown to sometimes produce indoor levels above the safe limit. Furthermore, it has been shown that ozone is not effective in controlling molds and other microbial contamination, even at concentrations far above safe health levels. Also, ozone may damage materials in the home, for example, cause rubber items to become brittle.”
For these reasons, the California Department of Health Services strongly recommends that you NOT use an ozone air cleaner in any occupied space.”
Reference: The CDHS IAQ Info Sheet: Health Hazards of Ozone-generating Air Cleaning Devices (January 1998), available on the CDHS-IAQS web site.
Some companies are being forced to give refunds because they don’t clean the air as well as their advertisements claim!
HEPA FILTERS?

According to HEPA Filter Specifications found at www.americansaferoom.com/hepa-filter-specifications.asp, HEPA filters are designed to remove particulate matter down to .3 micron (three-tenths of a micron). They are not designed to remove toxins produced by mold spores, and not designed to remove the VOC’s produced by mold spores. Therefore, HEPA filters offer no protection against toxins, VOCs, viruses or bacteria, except those that are attached to mold spores that move through the filtering unit. They are helpful and useful in helping remove the spores but cannot touch many of the “toxins.”
The Clean Up- How to do so Safely
My best recommendation is for me to save my limited writing skills and to tell you to read this book – Nature’s Mold Rx the Non-Toxic Solution to Toxic Mold by Edward R Close, PhD & Jacquelyn Close RA. This book is a must read for ones who want to protect their home and best of all their health! Edward Close is a recognized expert in environmental science. With over 30 years of experience, his career has turn toward the direction of finding a non-toxic way to deal with Mold Remediation.

Many of the cleaning chemicals carry such warnings as “If inhaled – move person to fresh air, if person is not breathing call 911 If swallowed: call Poison control center or doctor immediately In on skin or clothing: take off contaminated clothing, rinse skin immediately with plenty of water for 15-20 minutes” He also knows that these chemicals are mixed with water and that brings more moisture to the surfaces treated and that the chemicals have little or no surface stability providing little or no protection for re-growth!
Dr. Close was called to a job that had been professionally cleaned using many types of strong chemical cleaning agents. He did mold air sampling and was shocked to find high levels still in the rooms. After 24 hours of diffusing essential oils the levels dropped dramatically. He then retested 2 weeks later and even though construction workers were going in and out of the house Stachybotrys levels were even lower-ZERO!
The book brings together all facets of a mold remediation job. Some of the subjects covered are
• HEALTH Impacts of Mold Exposure

• Mold & Property Careful! It could be a money pit
• Show Me the Science (scientific studies on effectiveness of essential oils
• Case Studies – 20 of them in full detail how essential oils were better than caustic chemicals in 100% removal of toxic mold spores and how their health improved!
• Questions, Answer and Conclusion -technical data is gone over again
• Practical Safety with Essential Oils
• The Close Protocol – his 10 Steps to Eliminate Toxic Mold practical how to tips on removing damaged materials and how to prevent re-growth. I can send the 10 Steps if you email me a request.

Why is the Oil Blend called Thieves?

It was created based on the historical account of four thieves in France who protected themselves from the black plague with cloves, rosemary, and other essential oils while robbing victims of the contagious plague. (wouldn’t it be nice if hospitals and doctors offices diffused this blend to protect themselves and their patients from contracting diseases while being treated!) When they were found out, they were offered a lighter sentence in exchange for their secret recipe. Thieves has been university tested and found to be highly effective against airborne bacteria. The same blend is put into a surfactant based cleaner that is used to remediate/ clean mold/fungal infestations.
I hope this short article will encourage you to order the Oil Blend Thieves™, get a diffuser, Thieves™ Household Cleaner and start cleaning up where maybe the other methods have fallen short in cleaning your property of Mold and their toxins.
If you’re a contractor please consider using this Protocol as the “Final Polishing of the Air”, leave the owners with a

More information can be found online at http://www.wellnesswaterandsalt.com

essential oils     MOLD DAMAGE     toxic mold