Tag:

ERMI

Are Mold Plates Helpful Testing Tools?

by Catherine 7:21 pm

Using Mold Plates (The Right Way) to Monitor Indoor Fungal Load and Protect Your Health

Every since I started this blog, I have been sharing the many ways I use inexpensive mold plates to test the air and different pieces of furniture and/or belongings in our home for mold. I use these plates to keep a constant eye on mold levels and to make sure our exposure is not increasing unchecked. I also like to use the plates when I am experimenting with different ways of cleaning things to make sure I am bringing spore levels down. I like having some way to measure BEFORE and AFTER and some barometer of what is there at a specific snapshot in time to rule environmental mold out as the cause for any inflammatory symptoms or autoimmune flares (I acquired ulcerative colitis during my battle with mold toxicity) that I sometimes still experience. There is always a strong correlation for me with my health status and the fungal load in our home now that my body has become sensitized to mold. My threshold for all environmental toxins is now much lower and even a little mold exposure can be a LOT for my body these days if you know what I mean.

7:21 pm 16 comments

Healthy Home Mold Prevention Mold Remediation

Which is Better, the ERMI or the EMMA?

by Catherine 10:42 pm

The Pros and Cons of Using ERMI and EMMA Tests to Assess Mold Exposure Risk Inside a Home

(Note: This article was originally posted on Sinusitis Wellness. I have added some additional content for this post.)

It is likely that you are reading this article because you are exploring options for testing for mold in your home or perhaps in a home that you are intending to purchase or rent. Maybe you are looking to test because you know that you are mold sensitive and want to be careful, or maybe you want to test because someone in the home is experiencing health symptoms, and you suspect mold to be the causative factor. Whatever the reason, I realize that making heads or tails of testing options that assess the potential health risk that a home may pose is difficult, to put it mildly. And, while no single testing method is perfect, and nothing beats professional, extensive visual and mechanical inspections, I am a fan of not guessing when it comes to mold and mycotoxins. Thus, in this article, I am going to attempt to simplify, explain, and compare two of the most popular, analysis-based testing options for mold, the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI), and the Environmental Mold and Mycotoxin Assessment (EMMA).

10:42 pm 23 comments

Cleaning Tips Healthy Home Interviews Mold Prevention Q & A's

My Interview With Indoor Air Quality Extraordinaire, Author, and Scientist Jeff May

by Catherine 6:04 pm

How to Know If Your House is Killing You With Jeff May

When you are looking for someone to trust on all matters concerning indoor air quality, hidden leaks, mold problems, weird or unpleasant odors, contaminated mechanical systems, and the overall “health” of your home, Jeff May should be at the top of your list. I know he is at the top of mine. As a matter of fact, I learned about Jeff and became acquainted with his expertise in the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and home inspections fields when my family was going through our mold nightmare. At the time, I was desperate to find information on how to fix our home, and found one of Jeff’s popular books, My House is Killing Me! The Home Guide for Families with Allergies and Asthma, at our local public library. It was the most comprehensive and helpful guide on the myriad things that can cause a home to get “sick” I had ever seen. Needless to say, I couldn’t put it down and later ordered his book, The Mold Survival Guide: For Your Home and for Your Health on Amazon—I can’t recommend it enough to others navigating the confusing world of mold in their home or anyone suspecting that something in their home is making them sick. To this day, I find myself referencing sections of the book when I am working on articles about below-grade spaces, like basements or crawlspaces, or wanting to understand more about proper attic ventilation or ice damming and mold growth. If it has anything to do with mold in a home, believe me, that book covers it!

6:04 pm 2 comments

Healthy Home Mold Prevention Mold Remediation Personal Stories Q & A's Wellness

Reader Q & A: We are Reacting to EVERYTHING—Is it Mold Cross Contamination or Our Environment in General?

by Catherine 3:57 pm

When You Seem to be Sick Outside as Much as Inside….

My ultimate goal with this blog is to attempt to make this whole “mold thing” simpler. The concept of mold cross contamination happens to be one of the more confusing and debated pieces of the mold puzzle. I am going to try to tackle some of the difficult to understand, confusing, and conflicting information on that topic today and to break it down and present it to you in a way that makes some sense. In doing so, I hope each of you will feel empowered to use some of the tools and protocols I write about (that actually work, might I add) to take control of your situations and environments, so that you can get better and get on with your lives. That is also the main reason why I like sharing reader Q & A’s so much. I believe that by sharing some of my one-on-one correspondence, I can help others who have the same or similar questions–if there is one thing I’ve learned, it is that many people have questions, but very few actually take the time to ask.

That being said, not all personal advice is universally viable, because each of us is unique and should tweak and omit things according to what works best for our lives and bodies. Overall, though, I believe our goals are the same and hinge on adopting a “new normal” that

1) works to attain and keep wellness, and

2) doesn’t create fear or anxiety in the process.

To achieve those goals, you have to

1) learn as much information as possible about mold and why it makes you sick, and

2) learn as much information as possible about products and treatments that work for mold-related illness.

There is no magic cure, obviously, but there are some things that have, over time, proven to be more efficacious than others. That is where today’s reader Q & A comes in. It is a discussion that starts with a question about cross contamination, but that spans much more than that. It gets into the topic of cumulative body burden from previous mold exposures, how much your surroundings and outdoor environment matter to your recovery, and how using what you already know about your body’s reaction to mold helps you to make informed choices about your future.

To bring you up to speed with exactly what this reader is dealing with, I will share some portions of her email:

3:57 pm 0 comment

Healthy Home Mold Prevention

My Take on Professional Mold Testing: Test and Method Comparisons and Best Practices

by Catherine 8:33 pm

Let’s talk professional mold testing. I get so many questions on the blog about it—almost daily questions. Thus, this post is for you! It is a brief rundown of my take on professional mold testing in your home. I will go over various tests and test methods and compare some of the most popular ways that professionals test the air and surfaces in your home for mold. I will also discuss best practices for sample collection. This is by no means an exhaustive list of all of the options. It is just an overview.

(Note: These are all just my insights and opinions given from my perspective and my experience. I am not a mold remediation professional, nor am I a doctor or licensed building biologist. Take all of this information at face value and consult a professional prior to any mold testing you decide to do on your home.)

First and foremost, I cannot launch into this post without mentioning the EC3 Mold Testing Plates. These plates are the simplest, most cost-effective way for you to take the reins and test the air and surfaces to see if you have a mold issue in your home or office. These plates are not a laboratory diagnostic test; however, they are the most trustworthy source to determine if mold is present and whether it is at unmanageable levels. These plates enable you to test and to also keep testing your environment and things on a regular basis to see if you have a mold issue, if what you are doing to clean for mold in your home is working, if something you are bringing into your home has mold, etc. The list can go on. The most important takeaway for you is to know that the EC3 Mold Test Plates put you in the driver’s seat, so that you do not have to wait or rely on a professional to confirm that your home or office has a mold problem. That is what makes these DIY test plates invaluable.

8:33 pm 1 comment