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Better Business Bureau - Holiday Shopping Tips
Better Business Bureau

Happy Holidays from Mold Solutions of Minnesota! The Better Business Bureau has put together some great Holiday Shopping Tips to make your Holiday Shopping less stressful. Click here for full story.

Steel is part of the Anti-Mold Solution
Larry Williams
September 22, 2008

The most recent statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau report there are more than 126 million housing units and roughly 4.7 million commercial buildings in the United States. At some point, almost all are likely to experience some form of excessive indoor dampness such as a water leak or flood. And when there is excessive moisture as well as a sufficient food source, mold can grow and lead to serious health problems. Click here for full story.

Company Fights Mold For Builders and Homeowners
By Randy Luvaas Managing Editor
Minnesota Aug 8 2008

Mold has been around as long as the planet, but it’s only in recent years that the tiny microbes have blossomed into a major problem for the construction industry. (click here for full story)

Federal Agencies start summit on healthy homes
Wendy Koch
USA Today

The U.S. government is ramping up efforts to promote the building of healthy homes free oflead, chemicals, mold, moisture and pests. (click here for full story)

The National Association of Home Builders Statement on Housing Industry
Jerry Howard, executive vice president and CEO of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
Washington - July 11 2008

Fundamental analysis and statements from top federal government officials point out that the hysteria in the markets regarding the viability of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is unfounded. (click here for full story)

Mold & Water Intrusion in Minnesota
Mold, mold laws, mold lawyers, mold issues, wet basement
Mold Solutions

Mold and water intrusion claims are a great source of litigation in today’s modern world. These are also known as construction claims involving wet basements. This litigation has become common with the discovery of the toxic effects and eradication complexities associated with mold, black mold and toxic mold issues. (click here for full story)

Mold found in "green" building
By Greg Giles - News Editor
Venice Gondolier

Sarasota County's "green" sustainability program took one on the chin this past week. The county's administrative Twin Lakes Green Building Complex has mold -- enough to require evacuation of the building, according to County Administrator Jim Ley. (click here for full story)

DuraBan Announces EPA Registration of Earth-Friendly Antimicrobial - Formula to Significantly Impact Green Building Materials and Other Markets
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE) - June 28, 2007

DuraBan’s unique surface bonding technology established as only permanent, water-based, non-leaching and non-VOC antimicrobial on the market. (click here for full story)

Microbe Guard protects against mold
By Ken Francis - Staff Writer
Clearwater, MN Tribune - April 20, 2007

Mold. Ask any home builder or insurance agent and they'll tell you that it's one of the biggest, most costly problems with new homes. A recent Harvard University study of 10,000 homes across the U.S. found half had mold damage. A 1999 Mayo Clinic study cited that mold as the cause for nearly all the chronic sinus infections afflicting 37 million Americans. The insurance industry paid more than $3 billion in mld claims in 2002 and more than $9 billion in 2003. Beginning in spring, 2004, the insurance industry nationwide began excluding mold coverage from all homeowner and builder general liability policies. Why is mold such a problem? "Building codes have changed. Houses used to be able to breathe, but now they're sealed up tight," says Luke Stewart. (click here for full story)

MOLD: A Health Alert
Arnold Mann
USA WEEKEND

It started with a series of leaks. Within a year, Melinda Ballard's 11,500-square-foot Texas dream home was quarantined; her 3-year-old son, Reese, was on daily medication to treat scarred, asthmatic lungs; her husband, Ron Allison, had lost his memory along with his job; and the family was living out of suitcases and locked in a seemingly endless battle with their insurance company. The problem? Household mold. (click here for full story)

Health Effects of Mold Exposure in Public Schools
John Santilli, MD

Over the past decade, there has been an increased awareness among clinicians and the general public that sensitivity to mold is a significant cause of allergic diseases. These diseases include allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergic fungal sinusitis, bronchopulmonary mycoses, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis [1•]. The publicity around “sick buildings” has made parents more aware of increased illness at the start of the school year, which has led to the identification of mold contamination in a number of public schools nationwide. Although there has been a dramatic increase in the awareness of the health problems caused by indoor mold exposure, as well as increased resources to remediate these problems, there is a notable lack of standardization for testing indoor air quality.

The extent of mold contamination in public schools has yet to be fully determined. (click here for full story)

Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments
New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene Bureau of Environmental & Occupational Disease Epidemiology

This document revises and expands the original guidelines to include all fungi (mold). It is based both on a review of the literature regarding fungi and on comments obtained by a review panel consisting of experts in the fields of microbiology and health sciences. It is intended for use by building engineers and management, but is available for general distribution to anyone concerned about fungal contamination, such as environmental consultants, health professionals, or the general public.

We are expanding the guidelines to be inclusive of all fungi for several reasons:

• Many fungi (e.g., species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Trichoderma, and Memnoniella) in addition to SC can produce potent mycotoxins, some of which are identical to compounds produced by SC. Mycotoxins are fungal metabolites that have been identified as toxic agents. For this reason, SC cannot be treated as uniquely toxic in indoor environments.

• People performing renovations/cleaning of widespread fungal contamination may be at risk for developing Organic Dust Toxic Syndrome (ODTS) or Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP). ODTS may occur after a single heavy exposure to dust contaminated with fungi and produces flu-like symptoms. It differs from HP in that it is not an immune-mediated disease and does not require repeated exposures to the same causative agent. A variety of biological agents may cause ODTS including common species of fungi. HP may occur after repeated exposures to an allergen and can result in permanent lung damage. (click here for full story)

Former ‘Parade’ home now family’s nightmare
Debbie Gebolys
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Saturday, March 04, 2006

A block away from New Albany Country Club in a Parade of Homes showplace house, something was wrong. Andrew and Michelle Hunt came down with asthma. Their two boys were getting sinus infections. Michelle felt burning in her sinuses. And for a year and a half or longer, she lost her voice. They couldn’t see anything but they could smell it — an odor so strong in an upstairs bedroom that Michelle said it brushed her back from the doorway. Then the dog died. (click here for full story)