Mold Remediation Corp, Inc.

You will be given a firm number for the cost of remediation and removal of the offending microbial infestation, BEFORE we accept your trust and agree to perform the necessary remediation. We will give you a signed contract reflecting this cost prior to starting remediation. If any uncertainty as to final cost is found on our initial inspection to be inherent in any project, we will so inform you prior to offering our services for an agreed cost. We will also explain whatever the circumstance may be that causes any uncertainty to be present. For example, if in removing any part of a contaminated area not already removed prior to our inspection, we find hidden mold that is confirmed on a tape or swab sample under a microscope, we will inform you and allow you to inspect the area yourself, should you so desire. We expect ONLY satisfied customers, and we will do whatever it takes to make this the result of your trust in Mold Remediation Corp.

Please remember that, to our knowledge at this time, MRC has the ONLY process for mold remediation that has a Patent Pending. Therefore, we do not and cannot promise to be the cheapest alternative you can find. We can promise that the MRC process is the ONLY one that offers you reliable ongoing protection against recurrent mold infestation after application. As well, to our knowledge at this time, MRC has the ONLY process which effectively removes the mycotoxins responsible for most allergic responses to mold exposures. Remember, like your mother told you, “YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR”.

MRC TIP: To save you money, MRC advises that you wrap in plastic sheeting all furniture and personal belongings that have been exposed to a contaminated area, before moving these items through an uncontaminated part of your interior space. This is recommended in order to prevent contamination of clean spaces by mold spores floating off the exposed items. Also, if you have contaminated furniture and clothing still in the affected areas, it will save you money to prepare such items in this manner prior to our arrival.

With regard to other microbes, contamination of interior environments with dangerous bacteria like Legionella, Anthrax and MRSA (or Methacillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a potentially deadly infection in humans and pets that is highly contagious, reasons to get rid of them are pretty obvious. The same is true for other microbes like Leptospira which causes an ugly disease in humans and pets. MRC is ready to work with county, state, or federal health departments to effectively remediate such contaminations. This would be appropriate in the event that someone in the environment is suffering from such a disease.

MEDICAL INFORMATION (by Dr. Franklin M. Rivers, Jr. MD, Allergy and Asthma specialist)

The most common problems that protracted mold exposure causes in humans and pets are those related to allergic reactions. These vary in severity, depending on the length of exposure, the intensity of exposure, and the exposed individual’s susceptibility to allergic problems like asthma, sinus trouble, hay fever, and the like. This susceptibility is extremely common, affecting roughly 25% of the world’s population, and is genetic in nature. However, with prolonged exposure to molds, mold allergy is inducible even in individuals without any other history of known allergic problems in the past.

So what are Mycotoxins? They are substances on the surfaces of the cell membrane, or “skin”, of mold spores which are, in turn, produced by living molds in reproduction. These mycotoxins are essentially “poisons” that injure any other living organism, including other mold species, that might present a threat to molds’ ability to live and reproduce freely. They are defenses similar in some ways to such things as poison ivy allergens, snake venom, cactus thorns, the poisonous skin of some toads, a porcupine’s quills, etc. Myotoxins can be very dangerous. For example, Stachybotris mycotoxins have been confirmed to have caused permanent human brain damage, lung hemorrhages, that is bleeding from the lungs, and in small infants even deaths. Mycotoxins have been implicated as well as one of the possible causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and some Autoimmune conditions. The relationship of mold Mycotoxins to these latter conditions has not yet been firmly established, but this is certainly an exciting research possibility.

Perhaps the most frequent cause of patient visits to Allergists and Ear/Nose/Throat specialists is that of sinus infections, often chronic or frequently relapsing in nature, and their many complications. Many such patients previously have had numerous visits to their primary care physicians for treatment of “colds” on a recurring basis. Often, these are treated with various antibiotics or symptom-control medications with very limited or no success in terms of achievement of a sustained freedom from typical symptoms: facial pressure, headaches, halitosis, diminished or absent senses of smell or taste, fatigue, lack of energy, nosebleeds, diminished mental acuity, short term memory decrease, irritability, snoring, poor sleep quality, hoarseness, or chronic ear problems like diminished hearing and infections. Any time chronic sinusitis is present, you can be sure that asthma in affected individuals is much more likely to be symptomatic. It’s pretty unlikely that many people have all these symptoms, but lots of patients have several of them together.

Typically, a patient with chronic smoldering sinusitis will flare into another episode of Acute Sinusitis after a period of allergic symptoms like those above that are sustained for more than a couple of weeks or so. Allergy and it’s complications represent one of the most frequent causes of health-related absenteeism for workers of all types, costing the American economy billions of dollars annually and harming our nation’s productivity. Of course, not all such allergy problems are secondary to mold exposure, but a significant fraction of the total are. Chronic Allergic Rhinosinusitis( AR ) is, by far, the most common reason for persistent or frequently relapsing sinusitis, although structural problems in the sinuses related to congenital defects, chronic sinus polyps, or trauma may also be implicated not infrequently. Polyps are usually benign masses that obstruct nasal and sinus passages. They, themselves, are very frequently due to chronic allergies, although less often they may be of non-allergic origin.

Unfortunately, an accurate diagnosis of chronic sinusitis is fairly infrequently made by most Primary Care doctors, whether they are Family Physicians, Emergency Physicians, Internal Medicine Physicians, or Pediatricians. The diagnosis often falls to Allergists or ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) doctors. Most patients simply put up with the misery and cost of the problem, because neither they, nor their doctors realize that the real culprit is ongoing AR which is often due to mold exposure in the home or the workplace. Obviously there are many other environmental exposures that can and do cause AR, commonly known as “hay fever”, when its occurrence is clearly only seasonal. The majority of my patients, however, have a year-round problem, albeit often worse in some seasons.

Some types of mold, such as Aspergillus, are capable of causing invasive diseases like pneumonias and severe sinus infections that are very difficult to treat. Such treatment requires the use of prolonged, often multi-week, courses of antifungal agents that have significant potential for major adverse reactions in patients. These diseases can be fatal and are frequently life-altering. Thus, early treatment is clearly preferable. Other molds, like Stachybotrys, have particularly potent Mycotoxins and cause major toxic reactions in humans and pets. They also may be implicated in invasive disease in immune-deficient individuals and otherwise healthy people. Stachybotrys is still being investigated in this regard and, at minimum, is capable of making humans and pets with normal immune systems miserable with toxic symptoms.

The above is quite a bit of information, representing some of what I have learned in my 35 years of practicing Medicine, primarily in the field of Allergy & Asthma. None of it represents “medical advice” or specific medical instructions for which readers should look to your own physicians. The “take-home message” is simple, though: if you have unexplained symptoms like those discussed above, it would seem prudent to me for you to see your physician to discuss the information above and possibly to seek an evaluation for AR and its many complications. Logically, this would include an examination of your home and work environments for potential mold contamination by means of evaluation of air, tape, and/or swab samples of any suspicious areas within those environments. Your physician should know how to arrange this. If not, he or she may contact MRC on the link provided for resources in your area. You may also click on the Home Mold Test Kit link on our home page to order one to do preliminary testing.

Persistent musty odor of mildew means that some areas of mold still remain in the interior of your home or workplace. It means that an inferior method was used, no matter how long it took. It means that all the mold was NOT removed. You can’t smell mold unless mold is still present. Many companies will tell you “Don’t worry about that smell. It’s just the normal musty odor of carpet drying.” Don’t believe it ! Insist that mold testing be done by someone trained to do real laboratory identification of molds in air samples and in direct tape and/or swab sample testing of surfaces in question.

MRC TIP: If you smell mildew/mold, insist that any mold inspector use an ANDERSON IMPACTOR to more effectively collect air samples after lifting up at least a substantial corner of any carpet in the area with the odor. As well, insist on direct tape samples from the carpet pad and any other suspicious areas. You can bet they will be positive, no matter what somebody told you.

MRC TIP: The MRC Home Mold Test Kit contains instructions on how to take a direct tape sample yourself to submit to an independent laboratory for analysis. Many so-called mold remediation outfits refuse to give owners a direct result, sending it instead straight to the insurance company payer. This often takes weeks during which you simply have to wait. By using the MRC Home Mold Test Kit you will receive detailed results in only a few days, and MRC will contact you with more information about the particular mold infestation involved, if your test is positive

MRC TIP: As explained in the MRC Home Mold Test Kit instructions, to obtain a tape sample, just press a piece of transparent tape, sticky side down, to the area in question. Any loose particles including mold will stick to the tape. Then put the tape, again sticky side down, on a glass microscope slide. You can get one at any hospital, at most high schools, and at most doctors’ offices. Usually, it’s best to get at least 4 or 5 representative samples to be sure you’ve got what’s really there.

MRC will provide our certified General Contractor (GC), or alternatively, you may choose your own General Contractor to take over the project at that point. However, if you choose to use a GC who has not been trained by MRC, your selected GC must agree to use only MRC-APPROVED mold-free building materials treated under MRC's guidance in order to assure that no re-introduction of mold into the remediated environment from uninspected building materials occurs. In that event, for the reconstruction phase you would incur only a moderate charge from MRC for mold-proofing those construction materials. Additionally, if you choose to use your own GC, MRC reserves the right to inspect all ongoing and completed reconstruction work performed in the MRC-remediated area of your home.

Should your GC fail to comply with these precautions by using non-MRC treated building materials, please be aware that the reintroduction of mold into the reconstruction area would be very possible and would render such areas again susceptible to further mold growth. For that reason the use of such unprotected materials would void the MRC guarantee. Given the significant adverse health implications, property damage and the financial impact of such a mold re-infestation, all of our customers to date have chosen to use only MRC-treated reconstruction materials.

MRC TIP: Don’t use wallpaper in bathrooms, because mold can get behind it and cause mold to grow in this happy hunting ground. Avoid plastic shower curtains which readily get moldy. Instead, try fiberglass or hemp shower curtains that naturally resist mildew. Or, you can install glass shower doors.

MRC TIP: If possible, tackle painting projects during mild, dry weather, when you can open windows. This will prevent exposure to high humidity for your interior spaces. Moderate temperatures, good airflow, and low humidity will speed the drying process, shortening the period of greatest paint outgassing as well.

Roughly 80% of people who purchase air cleaners / air filters from stores or online have allergies. Many of them have allergies severe enough to include asthma. Although there are some cases of asthma that are not allergic in origin, a significant majority are related to allergy. These people frequently receive recommendations from their physicians to obtain air cleaners of some type. As reported in the May 2005 issue of Consumer Reports, many “ionizing” air cleaners do a poor job of removing particles from the air. As well, these ionizing cleaners usually produce Ozone which can materially exacerbate asthma and other lung diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ( COPD ) or Emphysema.

MRC TIP: Dr. Rivers recommends that people with allergies, especially those with asthma, avoid “ionizing” type air cleaners. Instead, he recommends filtration type air cleaners for such people. Filtration air cleaners are generally less expensive, but they do require regular filter changes or filter cleaning. Forgetting to do this results in having essentially no filter at all.

MRC TIP: Dr. Rivers also recommends that, if you want to get the most out of your air filters, you should use them mainly in your bedroom, where you spend about 1/3 of your life. He also suggests that you keep your bedroom windows closed, because, otherwise, your filters will be attempting to filter all the outdoor air that comes in through the windows, and that is basically impossible for any filter. If you live in a hot or very humid place, this likely will mean you need to purchase a window unit air conditioner, if you don’t have central air conditioning. Please see Dr. Rivers’ comments on the health effects of prolonged indoor mold exposure on the MEDICAL INFORMATION (FAQ #4 dangerous microbes) link as well.