The Mold Survival Guide: For Your Home and for Your Health

by Jeffrey C. May, Connie L. May

Overview

The image was shocking: a couple wearing protective suits and masks in their own home! The accompanying USA Weekend story documented the mold-related headaches, fatigue, and respiratory problems that forced Melinda Ballard and Ron Allison to abandon their dream house, leaving all their possessions behind. Another family was so terrified that they had their mold-filled house torn down.

Mold growth threatens property managers and builders, as well as home owners and renters. Legal settlements in some mold cases have reached the millions, and home insurance rates are skyrocketing. Some people argue that mold concerns are exaggerated; others are convinced that mold growth is destroying their health.

In The Mold Survival Guide, a prominent indoor air quality professional teams up with a writing specialist to describe mold, to explain where and why it flourishes in homes, and to offer advice on how to eradicate mold while minimizing health risks. The book includes a chapter by two physicians who explain how exposure to mold can affect health.

With clear scientific explanations and expert advice, The Mold Survival Guide is a valuable resource for anyone worried about a common household problem that can have serious consequences.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801879388
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	05/14/2004
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.57(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jeffrey C. May is a building consultant, indoor air-quality (IAQ) professional, and the principal scientist of May Indoor Air Investigations LLC in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. He has conducted thousands of indoor environmental investigations including in homes, offices, and schools, and has personally analyzed over 40,000 air and dust samples. Widely published, May lectures nationally on IAQ topics.

Connie L. May is a certified indoor air quality technician at May Indoor Air Investigations LLC. Together, they are the coauthors of Jeff May's Healthy Home Tips: A Workbook for Detecting, Diagnosing, and Eliminating Pesky Pests, Stinky Stenches, Musty Mold, and Other Aggravating Home Problems and The Mold Survival Guide: For Your Home and for Your Health.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgements
Part I: The World of Mold
Chapter 1. The Indispensable Kingdom of Fungi
Chapter 2. Watering Mold and Spreading Spores
Chapter 3. How Mold Affects Our Health
Chapter 4. Mold Wages Battle: Then and Now
Part II: The Search For Mold
Chapter 5. What Lurks Below
Chapter 6. Mold in the Mechanicals
Chapter 7. The Spaces We Live In
Chapter 8. The Spaces We Don't Live In
Chapter 9. Testing for Mold
Part III: The Cleanup
Chapter 10. Small-Scale Cleanup Jobs
Chapter 11. Professional Remediation
Conclusion
Resource Guide
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

[May] brings real-world experience with the scientific understanding to match. That is a rare combination. The book is a good read for the lay individual concerned about mold, the parent with a child with asthma, chronic sinusitis, or chronic non-seasonal allergy. It is also a good read for mold professionals of limited experience and those planning to enter the profession.
—Thad Godish, PhD, C.I.H., Ball State University

Thad Godish

[May] brings real-world experience with the scientific understanding to match. That is a rare combination. The book is a good read for the lay individual concerned about mold, the parent with a child with asthma, chronic sinusitis, or chronic non-seasonal allergy. It is also a good read for mold professionals of limited experience and those planning to enter the profession.

Editorial Reviews

A good job on a subject most of us would find less than stimulating . . . Were I actively listing and selling homes, I would keep this book handy as a reference and I would take every opportunity to see how the issue is playing out at the local level. Home inspectors would obviously be a great source of information, both academic and practical.

Real Estate Professional - Dr. Kenneth W. Edwards

This is the best book I've read in years. I couldn't put it down . . . It painlessly educates the reader about problem houses.

The Mold Reporter

This book will help you make sensible decisions and cut through the 'fear factor' language in a lot of advertising.

— Holly Hayes

San Jose Mercury News

Recommended particularly for concerned homeowners and renovation architects, The Mold Survival Guide: For Your Home and for Your Health outlines the causes of moisture problems in old and new buildings... Leading you through his most tried-and-true forensic methodologies, Jeff May gives you the tools to root out the causes of the bedeviling musty odors that have forced homeowners to flee their homes.

— Courtney Miller

ArchitectureBoston

The Mold Survival Guide details mold problems and eradication methods and includes photographs—some in color—that show what water damage and mold infestation look like.

— Jim Watkins

Washington Times

A good job on a subject most of us would find less than stimulating... Were I actively listing and selling homes, I would keep this book handy as a reference and I would take every opportunity to see how the issue is playing out at the local level. Home inspectors would obviously be a great source of information, both academic and practical.

— Dr. Kenneth W. Edwards

Real Estate Professional

This book will help you make sensible decisions and cut through the 'fear factor' language in a lot of advertising.

San Jose Mercury News - Holly Hayes

Recommended particularly for concerned homeowners and renovation architects, The Mold Survival Guide: For Your Home and for Your Health outlines the causes of moisture problems in old and new buildings... Leading you through his most tried-and-true forensic methodologies, Jeff May gives you the tools to root out the causes of the bedeviling musty odors that have forced homeowners to flee their homes.

ArchitectureBoston - Courtney Miller

The Mold Survival Guide details mold problems and eradication methods and includes photographs—some in color—that show what water damage and mold infestation look like.

Washington Times - Jim Watkins

A timely, helpful—and even entertaining—contribution to a field that demands attention.

Architecture Boston

Very helpful for finding the factors which worsen your asthma. Five out of five stars for this book.

WebMD

Their handbook delivers both scientific explanations and expert advice. The most common problems can be headed off or corrected once the homeowner understands the life cycle of mold. That alone is worth the price of the book.

Boston Globe Magazine

Mold is a hot issue today, but the problem dates back to biblical times. Jeffrey May, author of My House is Killing Me, is a recognized authority on indoor pollution who focuses here on mold—how it prospers, how it affects one's health, and how it can be remediated.

Science News

Mold. It's a scary, mystifying and shudder inducing word... The Mays explore what mold is, where and why it grows, how it flourishes, and how it may or may not cause health problems. Readers learn how to identify mold, how to prevent it from spreading and when to call an expert.

Baltimore Sun

A problem facing homeowners everywhere, mold can form in basements, attics, living rooms, bedrooms, walls, ceilings, floors, and heating and cooling systems, both inside and outside of the house. The resulting discoloration and musty odor can not only lower property values and destroy a home's ambience but also cause serious illness, allergy, and headaches. May, a certified indoor air-quality professional (see his excellent book on indoor allergens, My House Is Killing Me!), and wife Connie explain what molds are, why and where they grow, and how to rid our living spaces of these dangerous fungal microorganisms. The authors furnish clear explanations, examples from actual situations, and valuable advice gleaned from May's 15 years' experience. A guest chapter by two physicians reveals how prolonged exposure to molds affects our health. A storehouse of knowledge presented in a readable style, this will appeal to homeowners, apartment dwellers, and real estate agents alike.-Irwin Weintraub, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., New York Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

What molds are, why and where they grow, and how to rid our living spaces of these dangerous fungal microorganisms. The authors furnish clear explanations, examples from actual situations, and valuable advice . . . A storehouse of knowledge presented in a readable style.
—Library Journal

Mold is a hot issue today, but the problem dates back to biblical times. Jeffrey May, author of My House is Killing Me, is a recognized authority on indoor pollution who focuses here on mold—how it prospers, how it affects one's health, and how it can be remediated.
—Science News

Their handbook delivers both scientific explanations and expert advice. The most common problems can be headed off or corrected once the homeowner understands the life cycle of mold. That alone is worth the price of the book.
—Boston Globe Magazine

A good job on a subject most of us would find less than stimulating . . . Were I actively listing and selling homes, I would keep this book handy as a reference and I would take every opportunity to see how the issue is playing out at the local level. Home inspectors would obviously be a great source of information, both academic and practical.
—Dr. Kenneth W. Edwards, Real Estate Professional

The Mold Survival Guide details mold problems and eradication methods and includes photographs—some in color—that show what water damage and mold infestation look like.
—Jim Watkins, Washington Times

Mold. It's a scary, mystifying and shudder inducing word . . . The Mays explore what mold is, where and why it grows, how it flourishes, and how it may or may not cause health problems. Readers learn how to identify mold, how to prevent it from spreading and when to call an expert.
—Baltimore Sun

Recommended particularly for concerned homeowners and renovation architects, The Mold Survival Guide: For Your Home and for Your Health outlines the causes of moisture problems in old and new buildings . . . Leading you through his most tried-and-true forensic methodologies, Jeff May gives you the tools to root out the causes of the bedeviling musty odors that have forced homeowners to flee their homes.
—Courtney Miller, ArchitectureBoston

This book will help you make sensible decisions and cut through the 'fear factor' language in a lot of advertising.
—Holly Hayes, San Jose Mercury News

From the Publisher