Mold Explained
Mold is a type of fungi that utilized organic material to live and thrive. Mold is found in nearly every ecological niche known to man. There are over 1000 strains of mold that exist in the United States. Luckily, only a very small percentage pose a health risk to humans.
Mold relies on moisture and temperature to grow and survive. Mold therefore likes warm, moist locations. Stagnant water is a prime spot for mold growth. This is why there have been so many health problems associated with mold in homes that have had flooding in them. Water that sits in basements or walls without being detected can be very problematic. It is logical then to assume that if you remove the source of moisture that the mold is thriving on, you will stop or eliminate the mold.

Mold grows by digesting the organic material that it attaches to. Most often, they land on moist foods, where they germinate and branch out into networks called hyphae. Mold is not picky when it comes to what it needs to thrive on-food, paper, wood, and carpet are just a few of the items that mold will grow on. A particular danger for humans is water accumulation inside a home. This can turn from a relatively pesky problem into a health risk if the mold infestation goes undetected. This occurs most often in hidden corners of basements and inside walls where it is literally impossible to detect these infestations.

Common Places for Mold
Molds can be found nearly everywhere, indoors, outdoors, it doesn’t matter to the mold. As long as a location has those two ingredients, moisture and enough temperature, mold can and will grow if proper steps are not taken to keep it at bay. However, mold does enjoy certain conditions more than other.
Outdoors
· Shady, damp areas outside
· Spots with decomposing leaves or dirt
· Sides of wooden buildings
· Moist, untreated sheet rock
· Firewood
Indoors
· Basements
· Gypsum board
· Greenhouses
· Saunas
· Farms
· Mills
· Certain types of wall paper
· Wicker furniture
· Water soaked couches and other furniture
· Construction areas
· Flower shops
· Summer cottages
Some of the more common indoor molds include Mucor, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium Penicillium, and Alternaria.

Mold Spores
Mold uses spores to spread themselves. Spores are best thought of as tiny reproductive pods not unlike seeds. Mold spores or fragments are released into the air when the mold growth is disturbed. When mold dries up, it allows the spores to more easily be swept up into the air in order to try and land on another location where conditions exist so that it may once again grow. Mold spores may also travel via water or by insect. This is essentially how mold prevents itself from dying, by continuing to use different organic materials for its continued existence. Molds differ from one another in what types of conditions they need in order to grow and survive. The most important of these conditions include moisture levels, host materials, and temperature.

Contact with Humans

Humans can come into contact with mold spores either through skin contact or by swallowing and ingested the spores. The trouble begins if the mold has produced mycotoxins, which can cause reactions and illness in sensitized individuals. For a guideline to what these reactions and illnesses are, please refer to the “Toxic Mold” webpage.