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Stachybotrys Mould
Stachybotrys is a greenish and solid black mold that grows on material with a high cellulose content or such as hay, straw, wicker, and wood chips, as well as building materials such as ceiling tile, drywall, paper vapor barriers, wallpaper, insulation backing, cardboard boxes, paper files, fiberboard, the paper covering of gypsum wallboard, particleboard, jute, dust, and wood when these items become water damaged. This mold requires very wet or high humidity and condensation conditions for days or weeks in order to grow. Most mold spores can begin growing after just 24 hours of wetness, whereas Stachybotrys spores take at least 48 hours of sustained wetness to begin growth, Stachybotrys can look black, shiny, and slimy. (Enviro Test Laboratories) In
1986, Croft et al. reported an outbreak of trichothecene toxicosis in a Chicago
home. Over a 5-year period, the family complained of headaches, sore
throats, flu-like symptoms, recurring colds, diarrhea, fatigue, dermatitis and
general malaise. Air sampling of this home revealed spores of Stachybotrys.
The fungus was found growing on moist organic debris in an uninsulated cold air
duct and on some wood fibber ceiling material. The home had a chronic moisture
problem that favored mold growth. Extracts from the duct debris and contaminated
building materials were toxic to test animals and several macro cyclic
trichothecenes were identified in the extracts. When the mold problem was
corrected, these symptoms associated with trichothecene toxicosis disappeared. Aspergillus mould
Aspergillus mould is prevalent
under a variety of moisture conditions as a contaminant on almost any outdoor or
indoor surface. Aspergillus
colonies are downy to powdery in texture. The surface color may vary depending
on the species. The reverse is uncolored to pale yellow in most of the isolates.
However, reverse color may be purple to olive in some strains of Aspergillus
nidulans and orange to purple in Aspergillus versicolor Based
on the research conducted by the National Center for
Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Aspergillus fumigatus can
also cause allergic bronchopulmonary and sinus infections. Patients with asthma
and cystic fibrosis can frequently develop allergic broncho-pulmonary
aspergillosis (ABPA), a hypersensitivity reaction to the fungus Aspergillus
fumigatus, which frequently leads to a progressive loss in lung function.(Enviro
Test Laboratories)
Colonies are usually fast
growing, in shades of green, sometimes white, mostly consisting of a dense felt
of conidiophores. The colonies of Penicillium
other than Penicillium marneffei
are rapid growing, flat, filamentous, and velvety, woolly, or cottony in
texture. The colonies are initially white and become blue green, gray green,
olive gray, yellow or pinkish in time. The plate reverse is usually pale to
yellowish. Other sources of information
are Workplace Safety and Health Division guidelines for mould in the workplace. Environmental Science & Engineering Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. We can take care of any mould problems you may have. We're just a phone call away. Toll Free 1-877-433-3473 (Fire) Phone 384-4375
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