The Mold Survival Guide: For Your Home and for Your Health

by May, Jeffrey C.

• ISBN13: 9780801879388
• ISBN10: 0801879388
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-04-01
• Publisher: JOHNS HOPKINS UNIV PRESS

Summary

The image was shocking: a couple wearing protective suits and masks in their own home! The accompanying USA Weekend story documented the mold-related headaches, fatigue, and respiratory problems that forced Melinda Ballard and Ron Allison to abandon their dream house, leaving all their possessions behind. Another family was so terrified that they had their mold-filled house torn down.Mold growth threatens property managers and builders, as well as home owners and renters. Legal settlements in some mold cases have reached the millions, and home insurance rates are skyrocketing. Some people argue that mold concerns are exaggerated; others are convinced that mold growth is destroying their health.In The Mold Survival Guide, a prominent indoor air quality professional teams up with a writing specialist to describe mold, to explain where and why it flourishes in homes, and to offer advice on how to eradicate mold while minimizing health risks. The book includes a chapter by two physicians who explain how exposure to mold can affect health.With clear scientific explanations and expert advice, The Mold Survival Guide is a valuable resource for anyone worried about a common household problem that can have serious consequences.

Author Biography

Jeffrey C. May's company May Indoor Air Investigations LLC, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, specializes in identifying the causes of mold, odor, and moisture problems in homes, schools, and offices. He lectures nationally on indoor air quality and is the author of My House Is Killing Me! The Home Guide for Families with Allergies and Asthma, and My Office is Killing Me! The Sick Building Survival Guide, both published by Johns Hopkins University Press. Connie L. May was an English teacher and school administrator before joining May Indoor Air Investigations, LLC. She is co-author of the textbook series From Thought to Action.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Acknowledgments	xiii
Part I The World of Mold	1	(60)
The Indispensable Kingdom of Fungi	3	(11)
Watering Mold and Spreading Spores	14	(17)
How Mold Affects Our Health	31	(11)
John J. Ouellette
Charles E. Reed
Mold Wages Battle: Then and Now	42	(19)
Part II The Search for Mold	61	(106)
What Lurks Below	65	(19)
Mold in the Mechanicals	84	(22)
The Spaces We Live In	106	(26)
The Spaces We Don't Live In	132	(22)
Testing for Mold	154	(13)
Part III The Cleanup	167	(32)
Small-Scale Cleanup Jobs	169	(19)
Professional Remediation	188	(11)
Conclusion	199	(2)
Resource Guide	201	(6)
Index	207