New Sheriff is playing politics

[Willy]

I think the new sheriff is playing politics. I read in the LDN that, OMG, there's mold in the jail. I know we've talked about this before but now the Sheriff's got the newspaper involved. He's definitely trying to drum up support for his need to have the County fork over tax dollars to clean up the jail. I don't think the Sheriff realizes that mold has been around for a billion years and that it's one of the easiest creations of nature to control. Mr. Sheriff, do some housecleaning once in a while and your mold problems will go away and if it comes back, do a some more cleaning and add a dehumidifier. I can see that the new Sheriff will have no remorse at spending as much of our money as he can get a hold of.

http://ludingtondailynews.com/news/70057-mold-found-in-jail-building

[Jane]

There are other sites that tell of the extreme dangers of 'black mold'. I was working on the follow up while you posted.

Here is one from MSU ::: MSU info 2003-a bit older

Some molds that propagate indoors may, under
some conditions, produce mycotoxins that can
adversely affect living cells and organisms by a
variety of mechanisms. Adverse effects of molds
and mycotoxins have been recognized for
“Toxic Mold”
centuries following ingestion of contaminated
foods. Occupational diseases are also
recognized in association with inhalation
exposure to fungi, bacteria, and other organic
matter, usually in industrial or agricultural
settings. Molds growing indoors are believed by
some to cause building-related symptoms.
Despite a voluminous literature on the subject,
the causal association remains weak and
unproven, particularly with respect to
causation by mycotoxins. One mold in
particular, Stachybotrys chartarum, is blamed
for a diverse array of maladies when it is found
indoors. Despite its well-known ability to
produce mycotoxins under appropriate growth
conditions, years of intensive study have failed
to establish exposure to S. chartarum in home,
school, or office environments as a cause of
adverse human health effects. Levels of
exposure in the indoor environment, doseresponse
data in animals, and dose-rate
considerations suggest that delivery by the
inhalation route of a toxic dose of mycotoxins
in the indoor environment is highly unlikely at
best, even for the hypothetically most
vulnerable subpopulations.
Mold spores are present in all indoor
environments and cannot be eliminated from
them. Normal building materials and
furnishings provide ample nutrition for many
species of molds, but they can grow and amplify
indoors only when there is an adequate supply
of moisture. Where mold grows indoors there is
an inappropriate source of water that must be
corrected before remediation of the mold
colonization can succeed. Mold growth in the
home, school, or office environment should not
be tolerated because mold physically destroys
the building materials on which it grows, mold
growth is unsightly and may produce offensive
odors, and mold is likely to sensitize and
produce allergic
responses in
a l l e r g i c
i n d i v i d u a l s .
E x c e p t f o r
persons with
severely impaired
immune systems,
indoor mold is
not a source of
fungal infections.
Current scientific evidence does not support the
proposition that human health has been
adversely affected by inhaled mycotoxins in
home, school, or office environments.

From Missouri: mold indoor air from MO dept health and senior services.

What about Black Mold or Stachybotrys?

Recently, there has been heightened concern regarding exposure to a specific type of mold commonly referred to as black or toxic mold.  The Internet abounds with individual reports of illness attributed to “toxic black mold.”  However, currently there is no conclusive scientific evidence linking the inhalation of black mold spores or any type of mold in the indoor environment to any illness other than the previously described allergy symptoms.  The term “toxic” is an inaccurate description of this mold.  There are many common molds that are black in color.

[Jane]

So, it appears that most government sites are saying it is no more dangerous for the general population than any other mold. Where we find immuno-compromised individuals or those with respiratory or asthma issues is where we find that mold has an effect.

It very definitely appears that it depends on who you ask whether black mold is the super dangerous child rapist of the mold family or just the civil infraction traffic ticket mold.

Those who wish to sue and become rich along with their ambulance chasing lawyers, call it TOXIC black mold. Everyone else who have done scientific(repeatable) studies call it mold.

[Jane]

personally, I would stay away from it and keep others away from it due to the possibility of a lawsuit. It is one of those things like fibromyalgia, is it real or is it imagined as a causation of this or that. It depends if you ask the defendant or the plaintiff.

[XLFD]

It becomes toxic black mold, Jane, when an environmental hygiene company wants to charge $18,000 for cleaning the ducts on a building.  What next, $34,000 for renovations on a men's room?

[Willy]

Good job on research Jane.

[Mary Lucas]

By the way Sheriff Cole did not shut the jail down on his own. It was the company who came in and investigated for themold informed the Sheriff it needs to be shut down for safety and health reasons.

[Willy]

Mary

The company can't shut a building down. The Sheriff shut it down on their recommendation. The worse the company can convince someone of how dangerous it is the more money they make to clean it up. Any drywall or carpeting should be replaced because it is water damaged. This whole clean up from what I have seen on the news video could be done in a very short period of time. This is no different then someone having a bit of water damage in their basement. This happens all the time in houses and commercial buildings. This is not big deal but the Sheriff sure wants to make it one.

[Mary Lucas]

Ummmm yeah did you not read I said they told the Sheriff it needs to be shut down. Sheriff Cole didn't just say Oh OK we are going to shut the cells down. They told him what they found and said for safety reasons it needs to be shut down. So his responsible duty was just that. He shut down the rooms that needed to be shut down. Everyone here is saying its not a big deal. But everyone on this forum is making it a big deal.

[Willy]

Mary

I was going by what you posted. You stated "By the way Sheriff Cole did not shut the jail down on his own". That statement would imply that others shared the responsibility of shutting down portions of the building when in fact it was the Sheriffs decision and his alone. I'm only making a big deal about those on here that think a little bit of mold is likened to an epidemic and a sheriff that is playing politics to garner publicity. Mold in a building is no big deal but the Sheriff and some of you posting here think otherwise.

[XLFD]

I second the motion that it's no big deal, until the sheriff made it a big deal, and a news story for local coverage, TV 9& 10 and the Muskegon Chronicle.  Think of all those tourist dollars fluttering away from Mason County because we have aggressive, toxic, virulent, infectious, carcinogenic molds in our county, even in the most secure of places. 

We didn't have such mold until that wind farm went up.  Coincidence?