We could likely all use some relief from the glut of disinformation, wrong information, and just plain hype about mold—-however well intentioned it might be.
In 2004 the Institute of Medicine’s mold study group concluded that there was “insufficient” evidence to find a causal association between the presence of mold and ANY of the claimed adverse health effects. In a July 2009 position paper of the World Heath Organization on indoor molds and indoor air quality similar conclusions were drawn.
What comes out of WHO’s position paper is that the association between “damp” living spaces and “some” slight increase in adverse health effects, has less to do with mold and more to do with a wide variety of factors associated with “damp places.” The entire backdrop of the damp environment has to be talen into account—along with a host of other factors that are just as likely to be a part of any damp environment.
Here is a partial list of co-conspirators of, “THE DAMP”—-dust mites, bacteria, termites, protozoans, endotoxins, volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, pesticides, viral survival, and poor ventilation.
With this information it becomes not an issue of “mold remediation” but instead an issue of “correcting the damp.”
Don’t you just hate it when things just turn out to be logical and common sense after all?
As agents,
As brokers,
As inspectors,
As mortgage brokers,
As appraisers,
As stagers
As real estate attorneys—-
—-we all have to, almost daily, deal with the hysteria that has “grown” around mold. (In fact it is a kind of fungus all its own.) This information should counter some of the hype, and I suspect the only ones that will be disappointed are those geared up to make money off of the hysteria.
Please don’t take my word for it though. You can read the well documented story here at:
Health Effects of Moulds (Molds): State of Knowledge
Charles Buell, Real Estate Inspections in Seattle
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