Many of us feel safe in our homes. They are the places where we raise our families, entertain our friends and grow old. But what if your home wasn’t really as safe as you thought it was?

This was the case for Trinity Reese, a former California native who moved to Saratoga Spring in mid-July of last year and started renting a home in Geyser Crest. She had arranged to rent the home while she was still living in California, but little did she know that when she arrived at the house it was going to be infested with mold.

“When I first moved in, the mold was not visible. If I had noticed it, I would never have moved in,” Reese said.

An appraiser was the first person to bring the problem to her attention by showing her how mold had started to accumulate on the outside of the house in the living room and in the basement. She informed the owners and was moved into another one of the landlord’s apartments in the city.

After moving, Reese thought the problem had been solved, that was until a roofer, working on the home, informed her that he had found mold in the ceiling, kitchen and basement. She had not known that mold was present, but she does admit realizing something was wrong because she had to stop going into the basement when she started getting bad headaches, spells of faintness and her allergies started acting up.

She eventually found herself at the doctors, who could not confirm that the mold caused her health problems. She was tested for lupis, which are lesions of the skin, but the test came back negative. The doctor would later diagnose her with acute dermatitis, which could be a symptom for a person exposed to mold.

“Since I moved out of the place, the blemishes are gone,” Reese said. “So whether or not it’s related I don’t know, but I feel 100 percent better since moving out of the house.”

After the second findings, Reese decided to contact the Department of Health and code enforcement, but both agencies told her there was not much they could do about the situation.

She was referred to the Environmental Health and Mold Detectors, who she employed to test the house for mold. However, she could not afford the testing needed to accurately prove the presence of mold, but the worker told her that mold was definitely present.

Reese moved out of the home in mid-December. She got a home mold test and collected samples before she left. In February, she sent the tests out to Florida-based lab PRO-LAB/SSPTM INC. 

When the tests came back, they showed that the contaminants sent out were in fact mold. Three types existed in the samples. They were Aspergillus, Penicillium and Satchybotrys. Aspergillus is considered the most common mold type worldwide and it is basically harmless. However, Penicillium can cause lung problems which can lead to pulmonary emphysema, while Satchybotrys causes symptoms like headaches, fatigue and itching and burning sensations in the eyes and the nose, much like the problems Reese faced while living in the home.

Stan Liebert, Managing Director of Air Quality for CMT Laboratories in Ballston Lake, said that there are all different types of mold and some are more harmful than others like Satchybotrys. He said that people who have compromised immune systems or people who suffer from asthma or bad allergies are more likely to have health problems than a person with a strong immune system.

Jeff Gerber, of Nu-Life Resources, a company that specializes in mold removal said that it depends on whether mold is toxic or not to understand the health hazards it can present to individuals. He said that black mold is typically associated with toxic mold, but that black mold does not necessarily mean that it is toxic. He said that many people think that just because there is black mold present in their home they have to move out and this is just not the case. He said it is important to have the mold tested in order for people to know the health threats that could be associated with the type of mold present in their home.

Rich Martin, of Northern Dean Construction, who is also a professional Home Inspector, said that during the energy crisis of the 1970s many people started tightening up their homes in order to conserve energy. When homes were tightened, air quality went down and people started using humidifiers to add comfort to air quality in the home. According to Martin, mold can not grow without heat and water, and if one wants to eliminate mold while maintaining a comfortable heat level, then they must locate the source of water in order to stop mold from spreading.

Gerber said that mold needs something organic to live off in order for it to survive. Mold that starts to grow on tile in bathrooms can be treated through the use of bleach and water because tile does not contain the spores necessary for mold to grow. However, if mold starts to accumulate on organic material like walls or ceilings then bleach and water will only temporarily eliminate the sight of mold and it will continue to grow underneath the surface. Gerber said that it is important to have a certified mold inspector examine a house for mold, so they can decide the necessary steps to rid the house of the mold and its source.

It can often be hard for a homeowner to locate where mold is growing due to the fact that mold can manifest itself in people’s attacks or air ducks. Company’s like Gerber’s, Nu-Life Resources, use fusion infrared cameras to see through walls and moisture meters to determine the levels of humidity in a home. This is important because although you might not be able to see mold, it may be growing underneath surfaces and can often times go doormat, which according to Gerber can be as bad as when it is active.

Gerber said that many people can eliminate small areas of mold from their home, however, when mold starts to spread across larger areas then it is important to contact a professional to ensure that all signs of mold are eliminated from the house.

“Mold is like an iceberg,” Gerber said. “It could be bigger underneath the surface than it is on the outside.”

If you are concerned about mold in your own home or would like to learn more about the affects that mold can have on your health visit: http://www.epa.gov/