I sometimes have clients ask me if it matters (to their health) if mold in their house is not active. Sometimes the mold was treated by a mold remediator and the home owner is told the mold is dead (inactive). Sometimes people are not wanting to do mold remediation right away. It might be too expensive or they can’t do it for some time.
When they ask if mold is active or not, I believe they are asking if non-active mold can be a health problem – should they be worried about their health or is it OK to continue to live in the house because the mold is not active. I’ m not a doctor. I am an engineer and certified mold inspector. Let’s examine the question using logic.
There’s no such thing as active and not active mold in the text books and standards for doing mold inspections and mold remediation. Let’s consider the definitions of active and not-active, and what each means.
Active implies mold is actively (currently) growing. To be growing, mold must be wet. I’d therefore reframe the question: Is the building actively wet? If so, that’s a problem. If something is wet it’s only a matter of time before mold grows. Dry things out quickly, before mold grows. Mold may already be present.
I still would not use the word active. Rather, I’d use the word wet or damp – actively damp or actively wet enough for mold to be growing. Yes, mold is likely “active” in this case, actively growing. It does not mean the mold is actively producing mycotoxins. It does mean, as a result of growth, there are new metabolites and compounds present.
When mold grows it produces metabolites as a matter of the chemistry involved with digesting building materials and affected contents. Mold secrets enzymes to break materials down into food it can absorb. Enzymes and the resulting compounds differ depending on the type of mold and materials being digested.
The mold that is (actively) growing will be allergenic to some. The metabolites may be allergenic and may even be considered toxic depending a definition of toxic. How human health is affected may depend on personal sensitivities, length of exposure, pre-disposition to said allergens and irritants, and so forth. I’m just a mold inspector. If you want to know how mold might be affecting your health, ask your doctor.
Now let’s consider what “not active” mold might mean.
When the leak or source of moisture is fixed, and things dry out, the mold will still be there. If you try to kill it afterwards (hard to do), the chemicals compounds related to the allergens, metabolites, and so forth will still be present, stuck to the mold. At this point, it seems some consider the mold “not active.” I think what they mean is the mold is not actively growing. That seems logical.
I disagree, I can not make the conclusion, that because the mold is not actively growing, the allergens, irritants, and so forth have suddenly disappeared or are less active or non-active. It doesn’t seem logical to say a chemical compound is active or not active.
I believe what people as asking is this: if mold is non active, i.e, dry and not currently growing, is it OK to be in the house with the mold? Is my health now less threatened ? Is it OK to live in a house with non-active (non wet) mold?
To answer that question, consider is it OK to live with said compounds, irritants, allergens, personal sensitivity, length of exposure, the amount of mold, pre-disposition, and so forth, Ask your doctor. Logically, it seems it doesn’t matter if mold is active or not active. Mold contains allergens and irritants whether the mold is active or not active.
In some ways, dry mold growth might result in more of an exposure to mold than wet mold. Wet mold is sticky and does not become air-borne as easily. As mold dries it may desiccate into smaller fragments that aerosolize with gentler disturbances. These fragments contain said compounds, irritants, allergens, and so forth. Therefore, in regard to potential physical symptoms, I would say there is no relative significance between wet and dry mold – no difference between active and not active mold.
Save yourself the time and energy you might spend trying wondering. If you have mold, remove it. Do it the right way. Don’t try to treat it or kill it. If you have questions regarding your health, ask your doctor.
If you need assistance knowing what the best way to remove mold is or have an estimate for mold remediation and wonder if it will work, contact us. We can tell you what to do to ensure you find and get rid of all the mold.
