Molds and Health: A Quick Look at
a Do-It-Yourself Sampling Program
Some feel that the 100,000 different species of mold are all the same. Wrong. Since the time of Leviticus we have writings about the danger of "colored" moldy stones and the need to remove them and their "unclean" plaster from the town. Presently, research is increasing on the trouble with having the combination of poor air circulation, wood or paper products and humidity over 50-60% inside a living space. In this environment, you can have some molds crowd out or even kill other common molds.
While large numbers of any mold can bother some people. Other molds are actively dangerous by toxins they make or other features of the mold.
According to QMSLab, who will identify mold forms and also grow out samples for more exact analysis for you, some of the most potentially toxic molds are:
- Stachybotrys -- the famous black mold
- Aspergillus
- Penicillium
- Chaetomium
- Rhizopus
Below is a sample report for you to look over. What does it show?
First, yeast and sterile fungi are not too much of a concern.
Second, the mold are grown on three culture media. Some believe that the more plates the mold is aggressively growing on, the more serious is the risk. Sample 3 has Penicillium on all three media.
Third, the colony count and the concentration matters. In this house a few spores of Stachybotrys was found on a tape test, where for $60.00 dollars you tape a spot of mold and tape to the inside of zip-lock bag, and this black mold was found -- but only a few spores. But on further analysis, which is below, we see none of this potentially toxic black mold. In samples 2, 3, and 6 we see that there is both significant colonies of growth and a high concentration of Aspergillus or Penicillium.
| Fungal Analysis (Culture Method) | |||||||||
| Bulk Samples | |||||||||
| Sample ID | Area (inch2) | Medium Used | Dilution factor | Fungal/Bacterial ID | Colony Counts | Conc. (CFU/in2)** | Percentage* | ||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| #1 † | 4.0 | MEA | 50 | Alternaria | 1 | 13 | 2% | ||
| Penicillium | 3 | 38 | 7% | ||||||
| yeast | 37 | 463 | 86% | ||||||
| sterile fungi | 2 | 25 | 5% | ||||||
| Total: | 538 | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| 4.0 | DG-18 | 50 | Penicillium | 1 | 96 | 1% | |||
| yeast | 10 | 963 | 11% | ||||||
| sterile fungi | 4 | 385 | 4% | ||||||
| Total: | "1,445" | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| 4.0 | Cellulose | 50 | none | 0 | 0 | 0% | |||
| Total: | 0‡ | ||||||||
| Sample ID | Area (grams) | Medium Used | Dilution factor | Fungal/Bacterial ID | Colony Counts | Conc. (CFU/g)** | Percentage* | ||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| #2 | 0.519 | MEA | 50 | Aspergillus ochraceus | 45 | "4,335" | 49% | ||
| Aureobasidium pullulans | 2 | 193 | 2% | ||||||
| Mucor | 1 | 96 | 1% | ||||||
| Penicillium | 10 | 963 | 11% | ||||||
| Rhizopus stolonifer | 2 | 193 | 2% | ||||||
| Rhodotorula | 7 | 674 | 8% | ||||||
| yeast | 24 | "2,312" | 26% | ||||||
| Total: | "8,767" | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| 0.519 | DG-18 | 50 | Aspergillus ochraceus | 15 | "1,445" | 50% | |||
| Mucor | 5 | 482 | 17% | ||||||
| Penicillium | 4 | 385 | 13% | ||||||
| Rhizopus stolonifer | 1 | 96 | 3% | ||||||
| yeast | 2 | 193 | 7% | ||||||
| sterile fungi | 3 | 289 | 10% | ||||||
| Total: | "2,890" | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| 0.519 | Cellulose | 50 | none | 0 | 0 | 0% | |||
| Total: | 0‡ | ||||||||
| Sample ID | Area (inch2) | Medium Used | Dilution factor | Fungal/Bacterial ID | Colony Counts | Conc. (CFU/in2)** | Percentage* | ||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| #3 † | 4.0 | MEA | 100 | Aureobasidium pullulans | 2 | 50 | 4% | ||
| Cladosporium | 1 | 25 | 2% | ||||||
| Penicillium | 23 | 575 | 47% | ||||||
| yeast | 16 | 400 | 33% | ||||||
| sterile fungi | 7 | 175 | 14% | ||||||
| Total: | "1,225" | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| 4.0 | DG-18 | 100 | Aspergillus ochraceus | 9 | 225 | 6% | |||
| Cladosporium | 78 | "1,950" | 49% | ||||||
| Penicillium | 66 | "1,650" | 42% | ||||||
| yeast | 2 | 50 | 1% | ||||||
| sterile fungi | 3 | 75 | 2% | ||||||
| Total: | "3,950" | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| 4.0 | Cellulose | 100 | Alternaria | 10 | 250 | 30% | |||
| Aspergillus ochraceus | 16 | 400 | 48% | ||||||
| Penicillium | 7 | 175 | 21% | ||||||
| Total: | 825 | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| #4 | 4.0 | MEA | 50 | Aureobasidium pullulans | 3 | 38 | 11% | ||
| Mucor | 3 | 38 | 11% | ||||||
| Penicillium | 1 | 13 | 4% | ||||||
| yeast | 16 | 200 | 57% | ||||||
| sterile fungi | 5 | 63 | 18% | ||||||
| Total: | 350 | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| 4.0 | DG-18 | 300 | Penicillium | 3 | 225 | 8% | |||
| yeast | 29 | "2,175" | 76% | ||||||
| sterile fungi | 6 | 450 | 16% | ||||||
| Total: | "2,850" | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| 4.0 | Cellulose | 300 | none | 0 | 0 | 0% | |||
| Total: | 0‡ | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| #5 | 4.0 | MEA | 100 | Penicillium | 8 | 200 | 47% | ||
| Rhodotorula | 6 | 150 | 35% | ||||||
| yeast | 1 | 25 | 6% | ||||||
| sterile fungi | 2 | 50 | 12% | ||||||
| Total: | 425 | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| 4.0 | DG-18 | 50 | Aspergillus ochraceus | 1 | 13 | 3% | |||
| Mucor | 2 | 25 | 6% | ||||||
| Penicillium | 10 | 125 | 28% | ||||||
| yeast | 20 | 250 | 56% | ||||||
| sterile fungi | 3 | 38 | 8% | ||||||
| Total: | 450 | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| 4.0 | Cellulose | 50 | Alternaria | 2 | 25 | 11% | |||
| Aspergillus ochraceus | 10 | 125 | 53% | ||||||
| Aureobasidium pullulans | 1 | 13 | 5% | ||||||
| Penicillium | 6 | 75 | 32% | ||||||
| Total: | 238 | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| #6 | 4.0 | MEA | 100 | Aspergillus ochraceus | 1 | 25 | 2% | ||
| Aspergillus sydowii | 2 | 50 | 5% | ||||||
| Mucor | 3 | 75 | 7% | ||||||
| Penicillium | 24 | 600 | 59% | ||||||
| Total: | 750 | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| 4.0 | DG-18 | 50 | Mucor | 16 | 200 | 23% | |||
| Penicillium | 43 | 538 | 62% | ||||||
| yeast | 6 | 75 | 9% | ||||||
| sterile fungi | 4 | 50 | 6% | ||||||
| Total: | 863 | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| 4.0 | Cellulose | 50 | Aspergillus ochraceus | 2 | 25 | 13% | |||
| Cladosporium | 2 | 25 | 13% | ||||||
| Penicillium | 12 | 150 | 75% | ||||||
| Total: | 200 | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| #7 | 4.0 | MEA | 100 | Aspergillus ochraceus | 2 | 50 | 4% | ||
| Aureobasidium pullulans | 3 | 75 | 5% | ||||||
| Cladosporium | 1 | 25 | 2% | ||||||
| Penicillium | 3 | 75 | 5% | ||||||
| Rhodotorula | 7 | 175 | 13% | ||||||
| yeast | 36 | 900 | 64% | ||||||
| sterile fungi | 4 | 100 | 7% | ||||||
| Total: | "1,400" | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| 4.0 | DG-18 | 50 | Alternaria | 3 | 38 | 8% | |||
| Aspergillus ochraceus | 1 | 13 | 3% | ||||||
| Aureobasidium pullulans | 8 | 100 | 21% | ||||||
| Penicillium | 22 | 275 | 58% | ||||||
| Rhodotorula | 1 | 13 | 3% | ||||||
| yeast | 2 | 25 | 5% | ||||||
| sterile fungi | 1 | 13 | 3% | ||||||
| Total: | 475 | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| 4.0 | Cellulose | 50 | Aspergillus ochraceus | 2 | 25 | 8% | |||
| Cladosporium | 4 | 50 | 17% | ||||||
| Curvularia | 1 | 13 | 4% | ||||||
| Fusarium | 1 | 13 | 4% | ||||||
| Penicillium | 16 | 200 | 67% | ||||||
| Total: | 300 | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| #8 | 4.0 | MEA | 100 | Rhizopus stolonifer | 8 | 200 | 47% | ||
| yeast | 5 | 125 | 29% | ||||||
| sterile fungi | 4 | 100 | 24% | ||||||
| Total: | 425 | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| 4.0 | DG-18 | 100 | Aureobasidium pullulans | 1 | 25 | 2% | |||
| Cladosporium | 1 | 25 | 2% | ||||||
| Penicillium | 11 | 275 | 27% | ||||||
| yeast | 19 | 475 | 46% | ||||||
| sterile fungi | 9 | 225 | 22% | ||||||
| Total: | "1,025" | ||||||||
| Fungi | |||||||||
| 4.0 | Cellulose | 100 | none | 0 | 0 | 0% | |||
| Total: | 0‡ | ||||||||
* Note: Dilution factors were 50X to 300x on all samples.
For help on sampling your home, business, or school, you will need to decide what type of sampling you want done.
If you want a short and simple fungi identification, it is a mere $60.00 dollars a sample, and done with wide clear tape.
Or you can actually grow the samples out for detailed species identification. Samples can came from your vacuum dust, pieces of the moldy surface or loose, larger non-taped samples of the mold source. The cost depends on your goals and income.
Discuss with:
Quality Microbiology Services, Inc.
18017 Sky Park Circle
Suite G
Irvine, CA 92614
Tel: 949 660 0698
Fax: 949 660 0697
Email: info@qmslab.com
Website: www.qmslab.com
We have been very pleased with their work.
NEW MOLD BOOK COMING WITH DR. RITCHIE SHOEMAKER
Look for our book on mold and a wide range of biotoxins and how to test and treat these problems. It is being aggressively finalized.
Dr. Shoemaker is one of the most respected expert physicians in the United States in this broad area. Ritchie Shoemaker, MD, has had years of experience finding many types of biotoxins, including ones from mold, all over the country. He is always about 2-10 years ahead of even the smartest doctors. I will be second author on his new book, Mold Warriors, and can promise you he will be revealing some major new, creative and important clinical findings.
