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Close encounters of the fungal kind

Mold is everywhere. But don’t panic. We’ve all seen it. Maybe in the kitchen on day-old bread or on some languishing lemons. Maybe in a dark closet or the AC vent. No matter, most of us see mold and think “yuck!” When on food it’s one issue, but finding mold in homes, offices, and other indoors spaces can be concerning. But, most fuzzy discoveries shouldn’t cause to much distress. Let’s check out some fungal facts. What are molds, mildews, and fungi? Is there a difference? Well, not much. Mildew is a generic name for mold or fungal growth.

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Featured

 A Mold with a Grudge

It started with a messy lab and a mysterious mold. But turning “mold juice” into the world’s first antibiotic would take a sick policeman, a market cantaloupe, and an extraordinary wartime collaboration between scientists, governments, and industry. This is the story of how penicillin changed the world.

Articles of Interest

Is It Safe To Eat Moldy Bread?

For food safety experts, the answer is clear: Moldy bread is bad news. "We don't recommend cutting mold off of bread, because it's a soft food," says Marianne Gravely, a senior technical information specialist for the United States Department of Agriculture. "With soft food, it's very easy for the roots [of the mold], or the tentacles, or whatever creepy word you want to use, to penetrate" deeper into the food.

Molds in the Environment

A mold is a microscopic fungus that grows and lives on plant or animal matter or on nonorganic objects. Most molds are made up of filaments and reproduce through the production of spores. Spores spread by air, water, or insects. There are many thousands of species of fungi.

A Brief History of Mold

Mold is old. As Mother Nature’s great recycler, mold and fungi are a critical component of our natural environment. Simply said, we need mold to turn dead things back into dirt, but when it starts trying to do that to our home, it becomes a problem, in many ways.

Beyond Bleach: Mold Is a Long-Term Problem after Flood and Disasters

Mold grows on almost any material that stays wet more than about two days. The longer the mold and wetness remain, the faster it spreads. And it is a survivor. It can grow even in dry spaces with humidity levels between 25 percent and 70 percent.

Black Mold Symptoms

“Black mold,” or stachbotrys as his mycologist friends like to call him, is actually a dark green mold, but not only did “Dark Green Mold” fail miserably at striking fear in the hearts of the public, Penicillium mold pretty much held the copyright to all-things-green. “Killer Mold,” too, fell short of fear-mongering. And “The Notorious B.M.” didn’t quite have the effect mycologists were going for, which could be why a dark green mold was given the nickname “black mold.” Or, more specifically, “toxic black mold.” But, what causes black mold? And why is it considered so toxic?

Here’s What Actually Happens If You Eat Moldy Food, According To Doctors

But don't worry: In his 30 years of practice, Dr. Bedford says he has never seen anyone die or require more intense treatment due to mold (though that doesn't mean it's impossible). Just take mold as a sign that your food’s gone bad and move on.

Slime Molds Are Smarter Than You Think

Not a high bar, admittedly, but they're still pretty amazing creatures...or...whatever.

Slime Molds Remember—But Do They Learn?

SLIME MOLDS ARE among the world’s strangest organisms. Long mistaken for fungi, they are now classed as a type of amoeba.

The Man Who Studies The Fungus Among Us

"As a biologist, there's so much to revel in, when we really study the fungi," he tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. "This is a fantastic kingdom of microorganisms, and far more interesting than the animals and the plants."

The Truth About Toxic Black Mold: It’s Probably Not What You Think

Few topics get us more upset than seeing misinformation publicized about Black Mold, and mold in general, by unscrupulous companies and zealous media articles who seem more interested in sensationalism than fact-based reporting. To put it bluntly, our industry is full of scare tactics and misinformation about mold—especially regarding black mold. The term Black Mold and its typical health effects are commonly misunderstood. If you have visible mold or a suspected mold problem, our advice is always the same regardless of the color of the mold: Get rid of the mold.

What to do when you see mold on your food

Mold is everywhere—on surfaces, in the air, in the soil. From the acidic brine of pickle juice to the grout between your bathroom tiles, mold can thrive in even the most inhospitable environments. A bit of mold growth can also be a useful signal, Lambertini adds, describing it as “the ‘canary in the mine’ of food safety.” In other words, where there’s mold, there’s likely to also be bacteria or a looming expiration date.

Why Does Mold Come In So Many Colors?

Short answer: Pigments offer protection.

Resources

Truth About Mold

If you are looking for accurate information about toxic mold, you have come to the right place. If someone tells you that toxic mold isn't harmful, they are not telling you the truth.

Mold Blogger

MoldBlogger is dedicated to providing a place to share and receive information that will better allow us to fight and conquer toxic mold and the consequences of mold exposure. MoldBlogger is the result of the creative genius of Jonathan Wold, and currently is the joint efforts of Brian and Krystle Reeves, and the many participants in our community who answer questions and share their stories.

Moldman

Since 2006, we have fixed mold problems in thousands of properties and provided clean air to all the countless people involved in the process. And we have done it by always following our mission: To educate and tell the truth about mold. This mission grows out of a sincere desire to correct the widespread misinformation and eliminate the unnecessary scare tactics that dominate the subject of mold. We’ve learned from every job and have refined our process as new techniques and technologies come available in this fast-growing industry.