Aspergillus

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Aspergillus doesn't belong in a healthy home, according to Dr. Chin Yang, a nationally-respected microbiologist.

Yet, I often find Aspergillus mold growing in the homes of my clients. Why?

There is food.
There is water.

Conditions are right, so Aspergillus grows. And so does Penicillium, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Stachybotrys, etc. - all molds that can cause allergic or other reactions in humans and pets.

Aspergillus is a common outdoor mold associated with decaying vegetative matter. It feeds on dead plants and breaks them down. The nutrients are returned to the soil, so that the cycle of life can start again.

Indoors, mold does the same thing. When moisture is present, it starts breaking down dead plants. What dead plants are there in your basement? Well, how about the wooden structures of studs and joists? Wooden shelves or work benches? What about materials made from dead plants - such as paper and cardboard or fabric?

Water can come from floods, leaks, water vapor passing through foundation walls, and even relative humidity of about 50% or more.

Mold is just doing its job. The only problem is that as it works, it gives off waste products just like any living organism. Some of those gaseous waste products are harmful to humans. Called "mycotoxins" (toxins from mold), they can cause neurological symptoms in susceptible persons.

Typical symptoms from mycotoxins include:

	Allergic responses, particularly respiratory symptoms
	Headaches
	Flu-like symptoms - like you have a low-level virus
	Fatigue and lethargy
	Asthmatic symptoms

Aspergillus is one mold that is commonly responsible for causing these symptoms. However, other molds are perfectly capable of producing them as well - such as Penicillium, Cladosporium, and Alternaria.

Other dangers from mold

	Suppose you started cleaning up a basement that had a ton of Aspergillus in it. Your lungs maybe could handle a reasonable amount of Aspergillus, but they could be overpowered by too much. Aspergillus could take hold, start to grow in that dark, warm, moist environment, and you would have a difficult-to-treat fungal infection of the lungs.
	Mold is not to be taken lightly.
	One woman called me to ask about a mold evaluation of her home. She was hoping that her daughter would be able to move back so that she could take care of the 30 year old woman. The daughter was on dialysis in another state, her kidneys destroyed by Aspergillus.
	Another man went to inspect the damage to his parents' condo. A flood had been cleaned up in the common area, but too late it was discovered that their condo was affected, too. In the process of inspecting the condo, the man got a lung infection, which was expected to be chronic for the rest of his life. A lawsuit was underway.

A cleanup protocol resources for mold

Because of concerns about mold clean-up, the New York City Department of Health worked with several other agencies to develop clean-up protocols, depending on the amount of mold present. You can do a search for this protocol:
Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments, available at www.nyc.gov/html/epi.moldrpt1.html.gov. The problem is that NYC Dept. of Health put a re-direct on this page. Here's how to find it: go to www.nyc.gov and choose City Agencies at the top of the page. Then click on the "Jump to" box at the top and choose Health. Finally, do a search on "aspergillus remediation." In the top choice, you should recognize the correct URL.

Another free source of information can be ordered from FEMA. See Free Info/Flood Clean-up. A second informative brochure is also found in Free Info -
Health effects of common indoor molds.

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© 2001 May E. Dooley - Enviro Health Environmental Home Inspections
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