This whole toxic mold scare is bull

[Dis]

I don't believe in it.

This is what I was getting at yesterday when I said lawyers are ruining our country. They are blowing this out of proportion. They get a few doctors or say it exists (to increase their profits by having more doctor visits).

I've heard enough doctors who don't believe in it, and I'm convinced toxic mold does not cause health problems.


Theres a word called hypochondria. And I think more and more americans are affected by it. There has already been links that when people see commercials listing these symptoms, people believe they have these same symptoms. People also trick themselves into getting sick.

I believe I will never get sick, and guess what? I never get sick. The mind is indeed more powerful that the body. I haven't been sick in many, many years since I started this attitude *for good measure dissident knocks on wood*.

This is in contrast to people who go through life fearing they will get sick. The media perpetuates this problem with constant bombardment about diseases. Going through life fearing disease is no way to live.

The weird thing is I don't consider myself a brave person, but yet it seems to me that americans are a bunch of pussies. Going through life fearing things like toxic mold. pathetic.

Here's the thing. There is some big stink about school in a New England state having toxic mold. It will cost millions of dollars to fix it all. This is money not going to the children to educate them. This is what I mean by lawyers ruining our country. We don't have the money for this bullshit.

[Verres]

Toxic mould?

Sorry, but that really does sound a bit pathetic. As for the whole hyperchondria thing...well, i do believe this is on the increase, and people can certainly convince their bodies they are sick to the extent where they start to display the symptoms. However, a popsitive mental attitude wont keep you healthy on its own! I dont believe I will get sick, but i still do. I am constantly maintaining there is nothing wrong with me even if i am quite ill, and it is probably only thanks to other people forcing me to take it easy for a few days or see a doctor that i have recovered!

So beware...a positive mental attitude may be your downfall!

[MichaeltheGreat]

"Valley fever" is common in the lower San Joaquin valley, caused by a sporozoan (mold relative) in the soil, and rather nasty. When I got it, other than the skin rash, I didn't have many problems except for coughing my guts out for six months. I'd never heard of it until after I got it.

I don't think hypochondria is as much of a problem in the US as the large portion of the population that's physically inactive and has a crap diet. General poor health makes people susceptible to just about anything, but we don't have those people die off anymore. Back in the bad ol' days, sickly weak kids usually didn't make it to being sickly weak adults. Now, survival rates for most everything are very high (cancers and terminal diseases obviously excepted, but they're not statistically common), and we have vaccines for a lot of old gene pool filters like cholera and diphtheria.

[Dis]

That's the thing. This toxic mold is unheard of in other countries. And we live in a relatively dry country compared to africa, central america, se asia.

[Gatekeeper]

Well, Dissident, I just did a fairly general search on Google using "Black Mold" and Europe/Asia and came up with quite a few hits. Now what's this about it being "unheard" of in other countries?

Gatekeeper

[OldWarrior_42]

Diss.... If you could see what the black or green molds or yellow molds do to sheetrock, treated or untreated wood, plywood, insulation, fiberglass, plaster, vinyl, blah blah ... You can figure it will be much worse on the human body.

And it is all over the place. Poor ventilation in homes , leading to moisture in the attic... a drip under the home in the crawl space... maybe a poor drained area of the property next to the house... you get the picture.

Doesn't have to be a very wet environment to get mold.

No one heard of ALS either until Lou Gehrig got it. But it is out there.

I know about the molds in the house. Had a hell of a time clearing it up in my one section of the basement.

[Richelieu]

Mods are toxic. That's a fact.

[Arrian]

All I know is that it's the latest "hot new lawsuit generator" that the insurance industry is scambling to deal with.

-Arrian

[Ecthy]

unlike us krauts the french eat camembert without that mold hull thing

[Harry Seldon]

I have a horrible mold problem in my apartment. I know it affects my health because I feel like crap all the time but when I leave my apartment for long periods of time I feel less tired and rundown. That doesn't mean I'm going to sue my landlady for not fixing it. The way I see it, I could always move. I'll just never find an apartment for as cheap as I have in the location I have (or anywhere for that matter).

[Imran Siddiqui]

This is what I was getting at yesterday when I said lawyers are ruining our country.

$10 says he'll be the first one running to a lawyer when he is a victim of negligence

[mrmitchell]

Mold has bacteria in it, and depending upon the type of bacteria you've got, you can get some really bad ****.

But it's indeed been hyped, but guess what? It's just a flavour-of-the-month "This disease will kill you and all your friends and your great uncle Larry" thing, like West Nile was last summer.

On the other extreme, you would be in the depths of sucktitude if you ignored mold at all.

[chequita guevara]

The problem is two fold. On the one hand you have buildings that are basically hermetically sealed for enegery efficiency. Side effect of this is, stale air doesn't get replaced without outside air. Inside contaminents don't get dispersed, including moisture.

On the other hand, there's a lot of shoddy construction which leads to moisture being places it should. So you've got an ideal habitat for mold to grow, and no fresh air to blow away the spores.

It doesn't take much. Theben once had a leaky radiator in his room. He opened his window to vent the steam while we were away for Xmas, and our roommate came and closed the window and the door to his room, not knowing about the leak. We came back to find his room covered in mold (as well as the paint sliding down the walls). Poor Theben had to bleach his whole room.

[Dis]

another problem with lazy americans if they have their air condition on all the time!

open a window and the toxic mold problem is nil.

No one opens windows any more in our society. I have my windows open all the time in fall and spring. Though in summer and winter it is a little too hot and too cold to do that. But sometimes having an innefficient insulation and weather stripping can be good because it brings in fresh outside air- though it increases heating and cooling costs.

[chequita guevara]

I don't believe dissident exists.

[Dis]

This is a conspiracy by lawyers to make more money.

lawyers are ruining our country.

And even if toxic mold health problems exist, which they don't, it is mostly their own fault for being ignorant and fixing their plumbing. Dumbasses see water dripping on untreated wood and think nothing of it.

[Harry Seldon]

"Do Skittles cause VD? Tonight at ten!"

[chequita guevara]

Let's see, someone who lives in a desert doesn't believe mold exists . . .

Why don't you spend a few years here in Florida and see how you change your tune. We are the mold capital of the US.

[Harry Seldon]

Are you sure? I checked the other day and the house my apartment is in was first on the list.

[Oerdin]

I believe it can but only in very specific circumstances. If you open up your windows at all the fresh air will help. This is another example of an industry portraying an extremely rare event as common because they benefit from the mass hysteria.

[chequita guevara]

It's actually quite common in Florida these days.

[Oerdin]

Almost never happens her in California, at least not that I've heard. Even in the northern part of the state where it rains all the time people still rutinely open the windows to let fresh air in. In the south I doubt there is enough moisture in the air for mold to grow.

(Of course I say that as I look out the window into thick coastal fog)

[Japher]

Mold in the Central Valley is quite common, Oerdin. Especially in the areas with lots of Ag in the form of vines.

[OldWarrior_42]

Mold is common all over the world. Just that in many cases you cannot see it initially if you aren't looking for the signs.

I guarantee you if you looked into all the bathrooms in the US, 90% of them will have mold somewhere. Whether it is a large amount or small amount is due to what people do to clean bathrooms. Mold is definitely growing beneath the sheetrock above your shower insert or behind the faucet handles , shower head blah blah.

After a shower, you should always wipe dry the walls of the shower and your bathroom walls. Have a vented ceiling fan on while showering, and clean it once a month.

Basements are also highly susceptible to mold. Usually the basement is much cooler and has a higher humidity than the upstairs living quarters. It is a good idea to keep a dehumidifier on , in the basement.

Mold can be controlled, and you definitely want to keep it out of getting into your air duct system... heating and air vents.... so as to not constantly spit the spores back out into the air that you are breathing.

Mold is everywhere.... North South East West... humid dry..... don't be fooled.

But it is not the end of the world either... it just can screw your home up and get you sick... like many other things around in life.

Dissident is my AE. :P

[Lefty Scaevola]

The actually toxic balck mold, stachio-botrys (sp?) is somewhat rare. Most balck mold infestations are actually aspergelus (sp?) which is not toxic, but is a common allergen.

[Oerdin]

Originally posted by Japher
Mold in the Central Valley is quite common, Oerdin. Especially in the areas with lots of Ag in the form of vines.

I didn't know that. Is it caused by the constant watering the Ag industry does?

[Japher]

Watering/Irrigation causes a lot of mold and mildew especially when irrigating with stagnant water in 100+ temperatures. It's why they have to dust the crops (Sulfur)... My father-in-law has a vineyard (only about 40 acres) and my brother-in-law is allergic to mold and reacts whenever he vists, he pretty much grew up with a head cold from living their.

[mindseye]

(...) in the US as the large portion of the population that's physically inactive and has a crap diet. General poor health makes people susceptible to just about anything, but we don't have those people die off anymore.

Thank heavens, or OT would be a mighty quiet place.

[Dis]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Let's see, someone who lives in a desert doesn't believe mold exists . . .

Why don't you spend a few years here in Florida and see how you change your tune. We are the mold capital of the US.

I lived in Mississippi.

That puts your puny Florida humidity to shame. Move to a real state

[Imran Siddiqui]

If you wanted him to move to a real state why did you offer Mississippi?