Office of Environmental Risk Assessment

Indoor Air Quality

Mold, Mildew, Fungus &
Other Indoor Air Quality Problems

Damp or flooded basements, bathrooms with inadequate ventilation, ceilings after roof leaks and other areas of a home damaged by moisture can all create indoor air quality problems. Mold, mildew and fungus can grow in a damp environment, and release spores and other allergens that impact indoor air quality. People living or working in moldy environments can suffer hay fever-like symptoms or other more serious health problems.

Below are several websites that provide information on maintaining good indoor air quality and eliminating problems associated with mold and mildew.  As well, some additional links to the EPA and USA Today websites where additional documentation can be found are listed below

MOLD/MILDEW - GENERAL INFORMATION

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: 
  Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings
  
• Moisture, Mold and Mildew1 [PDF format] 
  CDC/NIOSH 
  
• Fact Sheet: Household Mold and Mildews 
  Oregon Department of Human Services 
  
• Facts About Mold 
  New York City Department of Health and Occupational Disease Prevention 

GETTING RID OF MOLD/MILDEW- GENERAL

• Health Hazards and Remediation of Mold and Mildew in Basements 
  The University of Iowa - Institute for Rural and Environmental Health
  
• How to Remove Mold and Mildew 
  University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service 
  
• How to Prevent and Remove Mildew - Home Methods 
  University of Missouri-Columbia 
  
• Cleaning Mildew From Mattresses, Rugs, Upholstery 
  Michigan State University Extension  
  
• How to Make Your Home Mold-Free and Keep It That Way [PDF format] 
  Kansas Department of Health and Environment 
  
• Prevent Mildew in Your Home 
  University of Illinois Extension 
  
• Controlling Mold Growth in the Home [PDF format] 
  Kansas State University-Sedgwick County Extension Service 
  

GETTING RID OF MOLD/MILDEW- WATER/FLOOD DAMAGE

• Tips for Drying Out a Water-Damaged Building 
  North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources 
  
• Water/Flood Clean-up: How to Eradicate the Mold 
  Case Western Reserve University & University Hospitals of Cleveland 
  
• Flood Cleanup: Avoiding Indoor Air Quality Problems 
  US Environmental Protection Agency 
  
• Tips on Mold 
  University of Virginia Library   
  
• Flood Clean-Up: General Guides for Clothes and Household Textiles 
  Cooperative Extension - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign  
  
• Care of Flood-Damaged Upholstered Furniture 
  University of Missouri System - Lincoln University 
  
• Tips for Salvaging Water Damaged Valuables 
  National Task Force on Emergency Response 
  
• Tips for the Care of Water-Damaged Family Heirlooms and Other Valuables 
  American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works 
  
• Salvage at a Glance [Summary of Salvage Procedures for Various Flood-Damaged Media] 
  Western Association for Art Conservation 
  
• Emergency Salvage of Flood Damaged Family Papers 
  National Archives & Records Administration
  
• Emergency Salvage of Moldy Books and Paper 
  Northeast Document Conservation Center 
  
• Emergency Salvage of Wet Photographs 
  Northeast Document Conservation Center 
  
• Emergency Salvage of Wet Books and Records 
  Northeast Document Conservation Center  

ADDITIONAL LINKS:

Website

• Employers Face Mold Problems — By Stephanie Armour, USA TODAY

After moving into a new office building in New Orleans, Sherry Watters and her co-workers began complaining of odd ailments. Rashes. Runny noses. Breathing problems so severe that some employees carted oxygen to meetings.

• USA Weekend - Mold: Is your apartment building infected? — By Arnold Mann 

When mold takes hold Renters from arid Arizona to tony Manhattan attribute sinus infections, seizures and worse to the toxins lurking in the apartments they know they should flee --but often can't.

	Children's Health Initiative: Toxic Mold Outbreaks of the fungi Stachybotrys chartarum (S. chartarum) are under investigation for an association with the deaths of infants in Cleveland, Ohio, and serious health problems in other areas of the U.S. Although not widely found, Stachybotrys chartarum has been studied for the last 20 years. The following is documented.
EPA Website

Desert Dry Waterproofing Contractors (DDWC) has provided the above links to is clientele, as a source of education, on the subjects of mold, mildew and fungus.  There are growing concerns in the work place as well as in the home environment concerning fungus related illness.  Some estimates put indoor air pollution at up to five (5) times that of outdoor air pollution.  Waterproofing your basement is one of the best efforts you can make in the war against mold.  Because the links above are not on DDWC's website we have no control over there status.  If a page is not viewable there is nothing we can do to make it available.  It is under the control of that organization's website.

For those that have standing water in their yards and are concerned about mosquitoes, click HERE to read more about the actual danger to our health.  These little predators kill more people in one day than sharks do in an entire year.  This year nine people have died in the US from West Nile Disease alone

DDWC is dedicated to making your life more comfortable and safer by providing you with first class waterproofing services for the inside as well as the outside of your home and living areas.  Call today to find out how we can help you!  1-800-238-8805