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"Toxic Black Mold"

Seattle, WA - Environix

EnviroFACT

Black Mold : A media term used to refer to Stachybotrys chartarum (obsolete: Stachybotrys alternans and Stachybotrys atra). "Black mold" is a greenish-black mold that is commonly found outdoors and sometimes found in damp or flooded homes.

"toxic black mold" is a term often used to refer to stachybotrys. This mold is shown growing on drywall

What is Black Mold?

Black Mold is a term the media has generally used in reference to Stachybotrys. While Stachybotrys is black in color, many other types of mold can appear black. For this reason, the scientific community typically does not use the term black mold.

What other types of mold are black?

Many types of mold growth can appear black. Two of the most common types of mold growth, aspergillus and cladosporium, often appear black. These types of mold can also appear in other colors, while stachybotrys is almost universally black.

Black Mold Invades Home

This home was experienced extensive black mold growth on the sheetrock or drywall due to excessive water damage. This image shows a remediation contractor, or mold professional applying an antimicrobial treatment to the contaminated material.

Toxic Black Mold Information and Mold Testing

Black mold is commonly found in homes that have experience significant water damage. Commonly found on sheetrock and other rich cellulose substrates, black mold requires a significant amount of water to grow.

What is "Black Mold?"

"Black Mold" is simply a media term that is used to commonly refer to Stachybotrys chartarum or atra. This type of mold is know to produce some of the most potent toxins of any mold species. Health problems related to this mold have been documented in humans and animals since the 1930s (and it is even considered a likely candidate for the Biblical condition mistranslated as "leprosy", tzaraath). More recently, S. chartarum has been linked with so-called sick building syndrome. However, the link has not been firmly established in the scientific literature.

"Black Mold" was originally described from the wall of a house in Prague in 1837 by Czech mycologist August Carl Joseph Corda. It requires constant moisture in order to grow.

Black Mold Testing Kits?!

Most mold testing kits on the market are marketed in conjuction with the hype that surrounds "black mold" as conveyed by the media. If you are considering purchasing a mold testing kit to detect what type of mold you have in your home, there is a high likelihood that "black mold" will come back positive from testing results.

What are the health effects of black mold?

While many types of mold growths can cause an allergic reaction, stachybotrys has been blamed for much more severe health issues. The most well known case attempted to draw a correlation between stachybotrys and pulmonary hemosiderosis in a small number of infants. In conclusion the CDC (center for disease control) stated: “There are very few case reports that toxic molds (those containing certain mycotoxins) inside homes can cause unique or rare health conditions such as pulmonary hemorrhage or memory loss. These case reports are rare, and a causal link between the presence of the toxic mold and these conditions has not been proven.”

Black mold according to scientists.

Health professionals and scientists continue to study the relationship between black mold and human health. At this time, the majority of research indicates black mold is a health problem best understood as a trigger for allergies and asthma rather than the more severe ailments.