[unable to retrieve full-text content]Bio Clean Of Utah Provides Mold Removal Services In Centerville, Utah  StreetInsider.com

source https://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Advantage/Bio+Clean+Of+Utah+Provides+Mold+Removal+Services+In+Centerville%2C+Utah/16600438.html

This article originally titled, Recognizing Clandestine Indoor Marijuana Grow Operations for Property Insurance Claims and Property Management Professionals – Part Two of Three Parts, was originally posted on LinkedIn.

Part one of this article presented a real-life case study involving the landlord of an apartment complex who was sued for negligence and personal injury by a former tenant who claimed that water damage and mold in his apartment had exposed the tenant to toxic mold.

It was only after the vacant apartment was inspected by his defense attorney’s expert, a Certified Industrial Hygienist with a Master of Science in Public Health, who was an exposure scientist with expertise in moisture intrusion and mold issues in buildings, that the landlord learned that all of the extensive water damage, mold, and insect infestation in the apartment had been caused by a clandestine indoor marijuana grow operation. The expert had run into this type of situation many times before and knew how to recognize the telltale signs of a clandestine indoor marijuana grow operation, even when the operators tried to cover them up.

After the plaintiff’s attorney was told what the defense expert was going to say on the witness stand, the plaintiff’s attorney immediately dropped the case.

Clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations are an epidemic and they cause extensive damage to the buildings they are carried out in. In the words of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in their report entitled, Residential Grows in Colorado, the New Meth Houses?, “Marijuana grows often cause extensive damage to the houses where they are maintained and are increasingly the causes of house fires, blown electrical transformers, and environmental damage. Much like the ‘meth houses’ of the 1990s, many of these homes may ultimately be rendered uninhabitable.”

Clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations are most often carried out in leased properties, including commercial spaces, residential homes, and apartments. Who would want to cause that kind of damage to their own property?

Clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations are proliferating for a number of reasons. It is not only because medical and/or recreational use has been made legal in some states. Clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations are prevalent across the United States and Canada as well.

Operators of clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations tend to ignore laws regarding indoor marijuana growing anyway. For example, while California and Colorado legally limit the number of marijuana plants that can be grown for recreational use to six per person, clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations usually exceed that number by far, and in some cases may contain hundreds of marijuana plants. The more plants they contain, the more property damage they cause.

One reason clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations are proliferating is that growing and selling marijuana is a profitable business. In 2019, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local authorities raided hundreds of black-market clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations across Colorado that were growing tens of thousands of plants and selling the marijuana out of state. More than 80,000 marijuana plants were seized after authorities raided 247 residences and eight commercial spaces.

Clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations are also proliferating because marijuana seeds and clones (young plants started from the leaves of mature marijuana plants with desirable strain qualities, such as high tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] concentration) are readily available commercially, even by home delivery in states where medical and recreational marijuana have been made legal.

A third reason that clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations are proliferating is that the information on how to efficiently grow marijuana indoors, and commercially-available equipment and supplies for doing, so have flourished on the internet (Google “grow marijuana indoors” and see what comes up!).

I categorize clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations into two types:

• Type 1 – those that, once discovered, have obvious telltale signs that marijuana was being grown indoors (for example, a lot of marijuana plants still present)
•  Type 2 – those that, once discovered, while having a lot of property damage, do not have obvious telltale signs that marijuana was being grown indoors (unless you know how to look for them) because the operators tried to conceal the evidence; it is the operators of Type 2s that, in my experience, may try to sue their landlords for negligence and personal injury for exposure to toxic mold

By the way, there is no such thing as “toxic mold” from an airborne exposure standpoint. Sure, there are case studies in the public health science literature where people who ate grain contaminated with certain species of mold became sick and died. Similar to what some species of mushrooms can do (ergo, “poison mushrooms”). But airborne mold spores cannot give you a “toxic” exposure. This has been well-established by public health science. Nevertheless, toxic mold is a myth that has reached urban legend status. I will be publishing another article on LinkedIn in the near future that will include a discussion on the origins of the toxic mold myth, and why “toxic mold” is a misnomer.

I have been retained many times now to provide forensic/expert witness support for property insurance claims/litigation involving both types of clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations. I encountered my first one about 10 years ago, a Type 1 in a 3,500 square foot, two-story residential home that had been leased by the operator for three years. The landlord didn’t have any idea what was happening in his property and had thought his tenant was great! The tenant was quiet, never complained, and always paid his rent on time and in cash.

Unbeknownst to the landlord, however, his tenant had been growing hundreds of marijuana plants inside of his property, using extensive equipment and supplies to so. The tenant had also made major alterations to the interior of the property, such as bypassing the electrical company meter to avoid paying for electricity, and cutting many round holes in ceilings and walls throughout the house to accommodate flex ducting used to exhaust heat from the many grow lights. Who knows how much longer it could have gone on for, but a grow light exploded and started a fire in the second-floor master bedroom.

It was a newer home with fire sprinklers in the ceilings and an alarm system linked directly to the fire station. The fire department arrived within minutes of the alarm, so the fire was quickly extinguished and contained to a corner of the master bedroom. The damage caused by the fire was, however, dwarfed by the extensive water damage and mold, and other property damage and safety/health hazards created throughout the house by indoor marijuana growing.

The operator had fled the scene before the fire department arrived and, as far as I know, was never seen again. He had used a false identity when he established the lease.

My assignment by the property insurance company to was to document all of the property damage so they could determine whether any of it was covered by the landlord’s insurance policy (which I understand turned out be $10,000 for water damage related to the fire, another blow to the landlord – it would cost many times that amount to remediate and repair the extensive property damage). When I arrived at the property, the police had removed the many grow lights as well as the top portions of the marijuana plants by cutting the plants at the base of their stems, leaving behind hundreds of one-gallon pots filled with soil.

The photo accompanying part one of this article is from that project. You can see several of the telltale signs of a clandestine indoor marijuana grow operation in the photo. While developing the report for that project, I did a lot of research on the growing of marijuana indoors and was quite fascinated on the art and science it had become. I also began to learn the many possible telltale signs, which helped me diagnose my first Type 2 as a clandestine indoor marijuana grow operation. Then I ran into another Type 2 on a lawsuit I was retained on to provide forensic/expert witness support. Then another…then another…and so on. It makes me wonder how many settled lawsuits there are out there involving Type 2s in leased properties where the defense never realized they were dealing with a clandestine indoor marijuana grow operation because the plaintiff-tenant successfully concealed what they had been doing.

So, the key to recognizing you are dealing with a Type 2 is to know the many possible telltale signs of a clandestine indoor marijuana grow operation. It is like solving a mystery. There will be an “ah ha” moment when you diagnose one. The more telltale signs you find, the more likely you are dealing with a Type 2. Clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations have become so common, I recommend that property insurance companies always consider the possibility when they receive claims involving water damage and mold, especially if there is no obvious source of the moisture intrusion.

I have found telltale signs of Type 2s in all of the various parts of lawsuit discovery. The inspection of the property by the defense expert is, of course, critical. What the inspection should include is described in part one of this article. At the site, the telltale signs of equipment and supplies used for growing marijuana may be found on the back patio or put away in closets, the garage or the attic, so be sure to check all spaces in the building and all areas of the yard as well. I have also found telltale signs in discovery casefile documents, photos, and depositions.

If you are fairly certain that you are dealing with a Type 2, but want more evidence to prove your case, you can also have your Certified Industrial Hygienist perform environmental sampling at the property. The Certified Industrial Hygienist can use collection media to wipe residue off smooth floors or vacuum dust from carpeted floors. Both types of samples can be analyzed in the laboratory for the presence of THC. The dust samples can be also analyzed in the laboratory by light microscopy. Under the microscope, marijuana plant particles found in the dust have a distinct appearance that can be definitively identified by the analyst.

Before I list out and describe the many possible telltale signs of clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations, let’s discuss remediation of properties impacted by indoor marijuana growing.

Two important authoritative references on the assessment and remediation of clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations are:

• American Industrial Hygiene Association – Clandestine Indoor Marijuana Grow Operations: Recognition, Assessment and Remediation (2010)
•  Canadian National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health – Recommendations for Safe Re-occupancy of Marijuana Grow Operations (2009)

The former authoritative reference is available for purchase at the American Industrial Hygiene Association website:

• http://www.aiha.org.

The latter authoritative reference is available at no cost as a pdf at:

• https://ift.tt/2vNpZVz

Both authoritative references describe the same approach for remediation of clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations. General steps for remediation include:

1. First control any safety and health hazards that are immediately dangerous to life and health. Two such hazards can include combustion gases and electrical hazards. To increase carbon dioxide levels indoors, which promotes photosynthesis and the growth of marijuana plants, operators may disconnect the flues/exhausts of natural gas/propane gas appliances, such as hot water heaters, ranges, HVAC system furnaces and dryers, so they vent indoors. Natural gas and propane gas combustion products consist mainly of carbon dioxide gas and water vapor. But they also contain carbon monoxide gas, a deadly asphyxiant. Operators may also bypass the power company meters in buildings in a “jury-rigged” and possibly hazardous fashion to avoid paying for electricity, which is rapidly consumed by grow lights, axial fans used to promote marijuana plant stem health and ventilation systems used to exhaust heat from grow lights.
2. Inventory any containers of fertilizers and insecticides and dispose of properly.
3. Remediate water-damaged building materials and mold following applicable authoritative references (Environmental Protection Agency, Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, etc.). This generally involves using a qualified remediation contractor to remove, under controlled conditions (HEPA-filtered negative pressure containment and remediation workers wearing personal protective equipment) porous moisture/mold-impacted building materials (drywall, insulation, carpeting, etc.) and cleaning and sanitizing remaining non- or semi-porous building materials (wood framing, concrete slabs, etc.) that are structurally sound. A thorough clearance inspection, including moisture meter testing of remaining building materials and air sampling for mold spores should be performed at the end of the remediation by a Certified Industrial Hygienist to ensure that all mold has been removed, airborne mold spores are within typical background levels and remaining building materials are dry enough for reconstruction. Some local public health agencies are now also requiring that clearance include surface sampling for THC to verify THC has been reduced to non-detectable concentrations.

Part three of this article will list out and describe the many possible telltale signs of clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations.

Make sure to keep an eye out for the final article of this series! Have any comments or would you like to submit content of your own? Email comments@appraisalbuzz.com.

source https://www.appraisalbuzz.com/illegal-indoor-marijuana-grow-operations-part-two/

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Cuomo, de Blasio slammed in homeless report  New York Daily News

source https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-coalition-for-the-homeless-de-blasio-cuomo-20200311-4kezxwuav5afdd4bzeaoscd3ii-story.html

Pete Lehnertz had an extensive career at Northrup Grumman starting in 1990 that included mechanics, research and development of military aircraft. As senior flight line quality manager, Lehnertz developed an eye for quality work and safety.

Launching Eagle Eye Inspection Services full-time after retiring in 2018, he shares the importance of home inspections in a busy real estate market and coastal community.

Why is having a home inspection important?

Buying a home is one of the largest investments a person will make in his or her lifetime. It is important to have comprehensive knowledge about the house going into the purchase. The inspection is to identify all unsafe and costly repairs for the buyer so there will not be any surprises after closing. In addition to peace of mind, it also gives the buyer bargaining power.

A home inspection gives the buyer leverage in the deal. Once the home inspector completes a report, the buyer can negotiate with the seller. The buyer might want to have certain items repaired, or could seek to have the cost of the home reduced.

When should people have home inspections done?

The correct time for an inspection as a buyer is after your offer has been accepted. There is normally a 10-to-15-day window to schedule the inspection and use the inspection as a negotiating tool.

Also, when selling your home it is a good idea to get your home pre-inspected. A pre-inspection gives you, the seller, a heads-up if there are problems that a potential buyer will likely want repaired. Once you know what’s wrong, you can have those issues fixed before you list. The cleaner and more problem-free you can make your home, the faster it’s likely to sell.

What are some of the major issues you notice in a coastal community?

Living in a coastal community with many storms and the salt air, some of the major issues that I have come across are shingle damage causing leaks and eventually mold. Stucco cracking and settling are other common finds, along with hazing windows due to bad seals. The salt air also hinders electrical systems, air-conditioning units and plumbing, which directly affects the life expectancy.

How can not having an inspection be more costly with insurance companies?

As far as insurance goes, you should have a wind mitigation completed. This ranks the house for hurricane coverage and can save you from 20-60% on your homeowner’s insurance. Your other option is having a 4-point inspection done after any upgrades are completed such as new roof, electrical, plumbing and air conditioning.

source https://www.staugustine.com/news/20200311/on-spot-importance-of-home-inspections

March 10, 2020

SIU’s Morris Library hosts annual ‘big book’ sale April 17-18

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. — A massive public book sale is coming to Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Morris Library on  April 17-18 and everyone is welcome.

Sponsored by the Friends of Morris Library, the sale will run from 4 to 8 p.m. on April 17 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 18 in the lower level of the library. Admission is free both days. Proceeds of the sale go to purchase materials and  support the library’s mission.

Diverse books available

A wide assortment of hardback and paperback books, children’s reading materials and other media will be available. One of the highlights this year will be numerous books from the Trovillion Private Press a Herrin publishing company operated by the late Hal and Violet De Mars Trovillion. The sale will also feature varied books including:

• Fictional works.
• Classics. 
• Biographies. 
• Cooking. 
• History. 
• Mysteries. 
• Science. 
• Religion. 

Donate books now

People can now donate new or gently used books with no damage, mold, or tears at  Ace Hardware in Carbondale and at SIU Credit Union locations.

Textbooks, outdated technology books and magazines will not be accepted.

For more information about the book sale, contact Morris Library at 618/453-2522.

source https://news.siu.edu/2020/03/031020-morris-library-hosts-annual-big-book-sale.php

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The Flood Co. Performs Water Damage Cleanup in Salt Lake City  StreetInsider.com

source https://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Advantage/The+Flood+Co.+Performs+Water+Damage+Cleanup+in+Salt+Lake+City/16593926.html

[unable to retrieve full-text content]7 tips for fixing your winter-ravaged, ripped up and gravel-filled lawn  WGME

source http://wgme.com/news/local/7-tips-for-fixing-your-winter-ravaged-ripped-up-and-gravel-filled-lawn

source https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2020/03/09/insurance-expert-prepare-spring-weather-thunderstorms-property-damage/4977452002/

This article originally titled, Recognizing Clandestine Indoor Marijuana Grow Operations for Property Insurance Claims and Property Management Professionals – Part One of Three Parts, was originally posted on LinkedIn. Parts two and three of this article will also be reprinted at another time.

Based on a true story…

The elderly landlord couldn’t feel much worse as he stood outside of his apartment complex in Jacksonville, Florida. He was waiting for his defense attorney and the expert she was bringing with her to inspect apartment 257.

The landlord took great pride in the apartment complex that he and his wife had owned and operated for more than 30 years. It was not only their pride and joy…it was also their nest egg for retirement and the inheritance they wanted to leave for their children. Now all was in limbo. At his age, he would not have time to make it up.

The former tenant of apartment 257 was suing them for an incredible amount of money, claiming that the landlord was negligent and that the tenant had been personally injured by exposure to toxic mold. The landlord’s insurance policy would not cover the amount the former tenant was asking for. He and his wife stood to lose everything.

Sure, the landlord had water damage and mold problems from time to time. All apartment complexes do. Sometimes it was due to some kind of leak or plumbing backup. Sometimes it was the tenant’s fault. Some were not the greatest housekeepers in the world. But the landlord had always responded to reports of water damage and mold from tenants by immediately bringing in qualified contractors to repair whatever was causing the water damage and remove any mold in a safe manner. The apartment complex was his baby, after all. He did things by the book.

But the water and mold damage in apartment 257 was incredible, to say the least! Sure, this tenant seemed to have a history of toilet and sink backups, but the landlord always brought in plumbers right away to clear the lines.

Water damage and mold were everywhere in the now-vacated apartment 257. The walls and floor of the bathroom; the floor in front of the kitchen sink; the cabinet floors of the sinks in the bathroom and kitchen; and the walls below all the windows were saturated with moisture and covered with black mold. The carpeting was soiled with black splotches everywhere, and in some places, saturated with water as well. The wood-paneled ceilings were covered with termite boroughs and crawling with termites; and there were dead cockroaches everywhere. The stench in apartment 257 was horrendous. How did this happen on his watch?

A car pulled up to the curb and his attorney got out along with her expert. His attorney had told him her expert was a Certified Industrial Hygienist with a Master of Science in Public Health, and that he was an exposure scientist with expertise in moisture intrusion and mold issues in buildings.

They all shook hands and said their hellos. The expert interviewed the landlord for a while and then described what he would be doing when he inspected apartment 257.

The expert then got to work. He started on the outside of the building apartment 257 was in, and inspected the building’s exterior and surrounding landscaping, taking photos of everything as he went along. He then grabbed a tool bag full of equipment from their car and headed inside. The landlord and attorney followed him in, but they stayed near the open entrance door where the air was fresher.

Boy, was this guy thorough! He took out a flashlight and inspected every room and closet from ceiling to floor. He inspected all of the windows from header to sill. He inspected all of the water utilities and looked under the kitchen and bathroom sinks. He opened up and examined the apartment’s HVAC unit. All the while documenting his observations with copious photos. He then opened his satchel and started taking readings with instruments. The landlord later learned that the expert had used a temperature and relative humidity meter, an infrared camera and two different moisture meters. The landlord and attorney couldn’t take the stench anymore and headed outside to wait while the expert finished his inspection.

The expert finally emerged from apartment 257. He interviewed the landlord for a while longer and then said, “I think I know what’s happened here. But let me review the case file when I get back to my office. I always want to review all of the information and data before I give my opinions.” They all shook hands and said their goodbyes.

The next day, the landlord’s attorney called him at his office with the news. “Are you sitting down, John?” she asked. “Yes, yes…” the landlord replied. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He never felt so horrible in all of his life.

“Well, it’s good news, John!” the attorney exclaimed. “My expert can testify with scientific certainty that all of the water damage, mold and insect infestation in apartment 257 was caused by a clandestine indoor marijuana grow operation. He has run into this type of situation many times and knows how to recognize the telltale signs, even when the operators try to cover them up. Your tenant was using apartment 257 like a greenhouse to grow pot. All of the damages were self-inflicted!”

The landlord’s eyes opened wide. He couldn’t believe his ears. So that’s why the tenant would never let him into the apartment to check things out for himself! It all made sense!

“So…what’s the next step?” the landlord asked tentatively, afraid to get his hopes up.

“It’s over, John,” his attorney replied. “I called the plaintiff’s attorney this morning to tell him what my expert was going to say on the witness stand, and he dropped the case like a hot potato! I would recommend that you sue the plaintiff for the damage he caused to your apartment. It would also be nice for your insurance company to recover its expenses for the case. But the plaintiff doesn’t have any net worth. It would be like trying to get blood out of a turnip.

The landlord and his attorney said their goodbyes and the landlord immediately called his wife to give her the news. The nightmare was over. It was going to be a great day!

Clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations are an epidemic and they cause extensive damage to the buildings they are carried out in. In the words of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in their report entitled Residential Grows in Colorado, the New Meth Houses, “Marijuana grows often cause extensive damage to the houses where they are maintained and are increasingly the causes of house fires, blown electrical transformers and environmental damage. Much like the ‘meth houses’ of the 1990s, many of these homes may ultimately be rendered uninhabitable.”

Larger (and the larger they are, the more property damage they cause) clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations are most often carried out in leased properties, including commercial spaces, residential homes and apartments. Who would want to cause that kind of damage to their own property?

Parts two and three of this article will discuss the following about clandestine indoor marijuana grow operations:

• Why they are proliferating
• The types of property damage and safety/health hazards they cause
• How property insurance claims and property management professionals can recognize them (the telltale signs)
• Recommended assessment methods and remediation measures

Make sure to keep an eye out for the continuation of this article series! Have any comments or would you like to submit content of your own? Email comments@appraisalbuzz.com.

source https://www.appraisalbuzz.com/illegal-indoor-marijuana-grow-operations-part-one/

Pretty much everyone can agree that mold looks disgusting, or worse than disgusting. It lays claim to hummus tubs and shower curtains with what feels like intent—it looks alive, possibly because it is. But does this colonizing fungus, beyond its surface-level repellence, actually mean us harm? If you just bit into the refrigerated remains of a sandwich, and came away with a mouthful of mold, should you head to the ER or just vigorously brush your teeth? With instances of mold-linked deaths reported recently at Seattle’s Children Hospital, it’s apparent that how, when, and what kind of mold you encounter (and who you are) matters. For this week’s Giz Asks, we reached out to a number of experts for clarity.

---

Ronald E. Gots

Principal, International Center for Toxicology and Medicine (ICTM)

Is mold dangerous? A far too simplistic question. It’s like asking: are airplanes dangerous? Is bacteria dangerous? Trillions of bacteria live in our intestines and they are essential for our normal function, but if they get into the blood stream, they can be fatal. Molds account for almost 25% of the world’s biomass. They are essential for breaking down plants and trees, returning their vital constituents to the soil. We live in a virtual aerosol of molds which are all around us all of the time. For the most part they are benign. For those who are allergic, they may produce allergy symptoms, no different from dog and cat dander. On occasion they may cause infections which can be quite serious. Histoplasmosis and coccidiomycosis, which occur from outdoor molds in the Ohio and California areas respectively, infect about 1000 individuals per year and cause moderately severe respiratory infections. So, in response to the question: On rare occasions certain molds can produce illness. Overwhelmingly our experience with molds is mostly beneficial and rarely harmful.

Robert L. Buchanan

Director, Center for Food Safety and Security Systems, University of Maryland

Most molds aren’t dangerous, just as every snake isn’t poisonous. But some are.

The kinds of molds that develop in food—the kinds that make your food look green and fuzzy, or white and fuzzy, etc.—are common in products that are a little bit too moist and and left at room temperature, or left too long in the fridge. These molds might affect taste, and don’t look very appetizing, but most of them aren’t particularly important. I wouldn’t recommend eating them, but if you had a bit by accident it wouldn’t be a problem.

However, there are molds associated with foods that really can be quite dangerous. These are molds that produce a variety of different toxins known collectively as mycotoxins. Probably the most important of these, in terms of public health around the world, is a group of toxins known as aflatoxins. These are quite potent hepatic toxins—liver toxins—and they’re also the most carcinogenic biological agent produced by another biological entity. They’re typically associated with dry products that have been stored with a little too much moisture, and they tend to like warm environments, though they will grow on even a slightly warm day. Corn and peanuts are two of the classic foods that wind up being contaminated like this. There are a lot of requirements and controls put on these kinds of commodities to make sure they’re stored properly and that contaminated products do not enter into the marketplace.

Theoretically, you could take enough of an aflatoxin to kill you within 24 hours. But in reality, to directly damage your liver would require consuming about a milligram a day over the course of a month. This is typically seen in developing countries.

This is the worst of them, but there are literally hundreds of other toxic compounds produced by a small percentage of the molds. Conversely, some molds are actually used in food production—if you take a little bit of the blue part out of blue cheese and put it under a microscope, you’ll actually see the mold growing, and traditional soy sauce is fermented with a mold in order to get the proteins within the soybeans to break down. A lot of it depends on what the mold is growing on.

Nancy Keller

Professor, Bacteriology and Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

It depends which fungus you’re talking about. Mold is a common name of certain type of filamentous fungi; most people, when they use the word mold, are probably referring to fungi that they see growing on their shower curtains or on food in their refrigerator. But that’s only a tiny representation.

Some fungi produce toxins called mycotoxins in our food substrates, and one of them, for example aflatoxin, is very well-known. It is a liver carcinogen—in fact the most potent natural liver carcinogen known to humankind—and, especially in those countries where governments does not have enough money to monitor the food supply, it can lead to liver cancer.

Aflatoxin invades seed crops like peanuts or corn seed or tree-nuts. Harsh climate conditions—especially heat—can result in high production of it: there are some studies suggesting that climate change will lead to higher aflatoxin production in seed crops.

But there’s a yin-yang here. Aflatoxin is a natural product of fungi that we don’t like, but penicillin is a natural product of fungi that we do like. The accidental discovery, in 1928, of penicillin was utilized to a fantastic degree to keep our troops alive during World War II, and there are many beneficial natural products that come from mold fungi that have been very helpful in fighting disease. So it really depends on the context: where the mold is growing and what the product of the mold is.

Seri Robinson

Associate Professor, Anatomy of Renewable Materials, Oregon State University

Most molds are not dangerous, in any way. Many people mistake allergic reactions to some type of toxic response. If you dig into the scientific literature you’ll find that the jury is still out even on ‘black mold’ being an issue, with some studies saying it has no effect, and others describing the end of the world.

Fungi are a kingdom. To say molds are dangerous (when people use the word mold to mean fungi), is like saying because some species of spiders are venomous, we should avoid all dogs. Same kingdom… very different creatures.

Ginger L. Chew

Deputy Associate Director for Science in the Division of Environmental Health Science & Practice (DEHSP) at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Mold has been associated with several health effects. For some people, mold can cause a stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing or wheezing, burning eyes, or skin rash. People with asthma or who are allergic to mold may have severe reactions to mold exposure. Immune-compromised people and people with chronic lung disease may get infections in their lungs from mold.

Inhalation of mold spores, mycelia, fragments of spores and mycelia, and moldy odors (i.e., microbial volatile organic compounds, mVOCs) has been associated with irritant effects in humans regardless of underlying susceptibility. In high concentrations such as those in some farming environments, some fungi can lead to hypersensitivity pneumonitis (e.g., farmer’s lung). However, it is difficult to know what a high concentration is, so our recommendation is to control the moisture source and clean up the mold, regardless of type of mold

We do not use the term “mold poisoning,” but we do know that for people who are sensitive to molds, exposure can lead to symptoms such as stuffy nose, wheezing, and red or itchy eyes, or skin. People with allergies may be more sensitive to molds. Also, individuals with chronic respiratory disease (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, asthma) may experience difficulty breathing. Severe reactions to mold exposure may include fever and shortness of breath. People with immune suppression or underlying lung disease are more susceptible to fungal infections.

In 2004 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) found there was sufficient evidence to link indoor exposure to mold with upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, and wheeze in otherwise healthy people; with asthma symptoms in people with asthma; and with hypersensitivity pneumonitis in individuals susceptible to that immune-mediated condition. Other recent studies have suggested a potential link of early mold exposure to development of asthma in some children, particularly among children who may be genetically susceptible to asthma development.

Do you have a question for Giz Asks? Email us at tipbox@gizmodo.com.

source https://gizmodo.com/is-mold-dangerous-1841261629