Hey Scott. I’m really loving your work here. I’ll get all our national team to sign up and follow.
For point 8. The best way to kill mold, if you really need to, is “no water”. Dry it out. Let it starve. It will work with 100% of all molds and mold spores. No water - No growth. If there’s insufficient moisture, I understand some of the spores may become non-viable so in a way it does “kill” some of the mould. My understanding is that regardless of insufficient moisture, some of the spores will remain viable so therefore not killed or dead. Or is the reference here to killing off the growth only?
The idea of "killing" is of course complex and requires nuance.
The "best" way to kill is "no water". It does not mean "100%" of everything. And yes, for growth, active growth, no water is preferred to chemicals of any kind. Simple, free, effective.
The concern of "dormant" spores, or "spores that can grow in the future are remaining dry for a long long time" is of little value. There will always be a chance for some spore to show up some place! It's the "chicken or egg" dilemma - which showed up in the building first? the rando spore blowin' in the wind (thank you Bob!), or the spore left behind by some growth in the corner of a wet wall?
The real "concern" should be - "Why is this wet enough, moist enough, damp enough, to INITIATE (i.e., germinate) and SUSTAIN growth (i.e., vegatative growth; i.e., filament extension and creation of reproduction structures). It is critical to ALWAYs add "sustain growth" in our discussions. Why? Because most of our general information about "drying within so many hours or day" is based on GERMINATION - not actual vegatative growth large enough to be seen. This is critical - germination is literally "nothing", of no consequence to anyone or anything. So why worry? Stachybotrys is a great example of the need to consider time as a critical factor; not to mention, actual available water during that entire time. It germinates "in 10-20 days". This means >90% water availability for that many days! No breaks. Wet like a kitchen sponge 24/7 for 10 maybe even 20 days. THEN, we need to have the same amount of water available for many more days (more "time') for it to grow filaments, then we need time for the pigment to develop.
Have you ever seen pure white Stachy? Fluffy like cotton balls? I have cultured it! It's fun. As well as amazing - WHY would we tell people "look for slimy black mold" when the white fluffy stuff might be just as important to find?
Ok - for today, that's enough...
Questions Anyone? Feel Free to Pester Me! "It's my JOB"....
Thanks Scott. You’re a legend!!! Can you please come visit Australia to provide some talks to our restoration industry and “IEP” consultants?? Everyone needs to hear your message(s).
Hi - thank you for all the information. Referring to #17 - The use of standard oral detox compounds to rapidly remove poisons from the stomach and intestine (carbon, charcoal, spirulina, clay) will not pull toxins stored in other tissues. Just from the space inside the intestine - ie., from the bolus. This is just one reason why so few people respond rapidly, much less positively, to the use of common oral detox compounds. How does one heal from CIRS or mold exposure if these don't pull from the tissues?
A remediation protocol I rec’d says to damp wipe all surfaces with an EPA registered fungicide/disinfectant. Also, he proposes to encapsulate with mold resistant paint.
Is this NOT advisable? He is reputable & says he follows s-520 standards.
His estimate is quite high.
Also, should post testing always be done before encapsulation?
Two issuse: spores are quite different than toxins.
Mycotoxins are single moleculse. there are over 300 types.
The spores are large objects - their surface may be made of or contain molecules. Some of which are allergens or cell wall proteins. Some spores have been anayzed and show that mycotoxins "can" be attached but not always and not consistently. there are more allergens than mycotoxins on spores.
Spores are the seed so to speak. The spores can be breathed and get stuck like any airborne particle in the respiratory system depending on their size. Like other particulates, they will be expelled from nasal and lung passages in the sputum, mucous, when coughing or sneezing or swallowing. And some might get lodged somewhere for some time.
The mycotoxins are absorbed usually thru the digestive process from contaminated food. They will circulate thru the body, sometimes ending up in sotrage in fat or other tissue. When in the blood, they are filtered out by the liver and kidneys. The liver puts them in the bile, which is then put into the digestive track for elimination in the feces or perhaps getting re-absorbed thru the intestinal walls. The kidneys puts them in the urine. Some studies indicate about 7% of mycotoxins that are ingested are expelled in urine within a day or two.
Detox is comlicated. Most of the detox "products" work in the intestine. So if mycotoxins are stored somewhere like fat, the detox will not reach them. they need to be released from that storage location. This is purely unknown science - there is little known about this process of storage and release. Any treatment is expermental - hoping it works to improve symptoms - but none have been thoroughly and rigorously studied.
Hey Scott. I’m really loving your work here. I’ll get all our national team to sign up and follow.
For point 8. The best way to kill mold, if you really need to, is “no water”. Dry it out. Let it starve. It will work with 100% of all molds and mold spores. No water - No growth. If there’s insufficient moisture, I understand some of the spores may become non-viable so in a way it does “kill” some of the mould. My understanding is that regardless of insufficient moisture, some of the spores will remain viable so therefore not killed or dead. Or is the reference here to killing off the growth only?
Jeremy, thanks for the support!
The idea of "killing" is of course complex and requires nuance.
The "best" way to kill is "no water". It does not mean "100%" of everything. And yes, for growth, active growth, no water is preferred to chemicals of any kind. Simple, free, effective.
The concern of "dormant" spores, or "spores that can grow in the future are remaining dry for a long long time" is of little value. There will always be a chance for some spore to show up some place! It's the "chicken or egg" dilemma - which showed up in the building first? the rando spore blowin' in the wind (thank you Bob!), or the spore left behind by some growth in the corner of a wet wall?
The real "concern" should be - "Why is this wet enough, moist enough, damp enough, to INITIATE (i.e., germinate) and SUSTAIN growth (i.e., vegatative growth; i.e., filament extension and creation of reproduction structures). It is critical to ALWAYs add "sustain growth" in our discussions. Why? Because most of our general information about "drying within so many hours or day" is based on GERMINATION - not actual vegatative growth large enough to be seen. This is critical - germination is literally "nothing", of no consequence to anyone or anything. So why worry? Stachybotrys is a great example of the need to consider time as a critical factor; not to mention, actual available water during that entire time. It germinates "in 10-20 days". This means >90% water availability for that many days! No breaks. Wet like a kitchen sponge 24/7 for 10 maybe even 20 days. THEN, we need to have the same amount of water available for many more days (more "time') for it to grow filaments, then we need time for the pigment to develop.
Have you ever seen pure white Stachy? Fluffy like cotton balls? I have cultured it! It's fun. As well as amazing - WHY would we tell people "look for slimy black mold" when the white fluffy stuff might be just as important to find?
Ok - for today, that's enough...
Questions Anyone? Feel Free to Pester Me! "It's my JOB"....
Thanks Scott. You’re a legend!!! Can you please come visit Australia to provide some talks to our restoration industry and “IEP” consultants?? Everyone needs to hear your message(s).
Hi - thank you for all the information. Referring to #17 - The use of standard oral detox compounds to rapidly remove poisons from the stomach and intestine (carbon, charcoal, spirulina, clay) will not pull toxins stored in other tissues. Just from the space inside the intestine - ie., from the bolus. This is just one reason why so few people respond rapidly, much less positively, to the use of common oral detox compounds. How does one heal from CIRS or mold exposure if these don't pull from the tissues?
Hi Scott-
Very informative. Thank-you.
A remediation protocol I rec’d says to damp wipe all surfaces with an EPA registered fungicide/disinfectant. Also, he proposes to encapsulate with mold resistant paint.
Is this NOT advisable? He is reputable & says he follows s-520 standards.
His estimate is quite high.
Also, should post testing always be done before encapsulation?
Thank you for this list. Do you believe that mold spores or toxins can become stored in the body? If so, how does one support detox?
Two issuse: spores are quite different than toxins.
Mycotoxins are single moleculse. there are over 300 types.
The spores are large objects - their surface may be made of or contain molecules. Some of which are allergens or cell wall proteins. Some spores have been anayzed and show that mycotoxins "can" be attached but not always and not consistently. there are more allergens than mycotoxins on spores.
Spores are the seed so to speak. The spores can be breathed and get stuck like any airborne particle in the respiratory system depending on their size. Like other particulates, they will be expelled from nasal and lung passages in the sputum, mucous, when coughing or sneezing or swallowing. And some might get lodged somewhere for some time.
The mycotoxins are absorbed usually thru the digestive process from contaminated food. They will circulate thru the body, sometimes ending up in sotrage in fat or other tissue. When in the blood, they are filtered out by the liver and kidneys. The liver puts them in the bile, which is then put into the digestive track for elimination in the feces or perhaps getting re-absorbed thru the intestinal walls. The kidneys puts them in the urine. Some studies indicate about 7% of mycotoxins that are ingested are expelled in urine within a day or two.
Detox is comlicated. Most of the detox "products" work in the intestine. So if mycotoxins are stored somewhere like fat, the detox will not reach them. they need to be released from that storage location. This is purely unknown science - there is little known about this process of storage and release. Any treatment is expermental - hoping it works to improve symptoms - but none have been thoroughly and rigorously studied.
Please see my blogs on Mycotoxins:An Introduction for Everyone, and The 7 Health Effects of Mold. I think those will help answer your question also.