Mold can imperil your home and your health

Servpro of Alachua County West employee Robert Harrison holds up mold-covered drywall while working at a Gainesville, Fla. home removing a mold infestation, Thursday, August 28, 2014.

Among the consequences of this summers frequent rains and intense humidity, besides thriving yards and weeds, is the increased chance of mold growth, threatening residents homes and health.

While the rainfall this year in and around Alachua County generally has been a normal amount, mold growth is rampant. Mark Raymond, the owner of SERVPRO, a mold remediation company serving Alachua County, said his company has seen a 10 percent increase in mold cleanup calls this year over past seasons.

By the time most people realize there is a problem, Raymond said, they have tried everything they can to get rid of it. Trying to resolve the problem yourself can be a mistake, he said.

Even though most people think they can see the problem, mold spores by themselves are microscopic, so people actually cant see where theyre supposed to clean, he said. They could cross-contaminate their homes or kick spores up into the air that were dormant.

The best advice, he said, is to call a state-licensed mold assessor who will look at the structure from a mold and air quality perspective, then do swab tests and air samplings to determine the extent of the problem.

Once the source and the intensity are determined, remediators can remove the mold and spores.

The weather does play a role in mold growth, but rainfall and mold are not necessarily correlated, according to Ben Nelson of the National Weather Service. Just because there is limited rain does not mean there is low humidity, which can spur mold growth.

Mold needs time to develop, he said, so a wet spring can turn into a bloom later in the year.

Mold is not only hard to discern and difficult to clean, it can also cause severe allergies, leading to prolonged illness, according to officials at Gainesville Medical Centers, a company at 805 NW 13th St. that specializes in dealing with such allergens.

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Mold can imperil your home and your health