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Gulf Coast Now Wades Through a Moldy Mess

Now that the flood waters have begun to recede in the Gulf Coast, the few returning families are being greeted by a sign of life they definitely didn't want to find—bluish-black mold everywhere.

Coastal residents are no strangers to mold. Because of the heat and high humidity levels in the region, the fungus is often found in damp basements and bathrooms.

But without the help of air conditioning to cool off homes and dehumidifiers to dry out rooms—not to mention the floodwaters that saturated everything—mold is now festering everywhere: on the walls, on the floors, inside furniture, on top of roofs and even in the clothing left behind.

"The mold is going to be extensive," said Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum, director of the Center for Medical Mycology in Cleveland. "The region has the right combination of heat and humidity."

Mold spores, a type of fungus, can normally be found in small amounts in the air we breathe and on almost any household surface. It isn't until the conditions are just right that they "wake up" and begin to grow and multiply, leaving surfaces with a dark coating and filling homes with a foul stench. Some types of mold even feed on wood, which means they may be eating away support beams in already-weakened buildings.

Breaking the Mold
Possibly worse than the aesthetic and structural damage that mold can cause are the health concerns that are associated with mold-filled homes.

As mold cells grow, they release tiny spores into the air. In healthy people, these spores can safely be inhaled without a problem, but, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) some people with preexisting respiratory conditions are especially sensitive to them. Making matters worse, in homes in the Gulf Coast, the amount of spores in the air may be many times that of normal levels.

Allergies and asthma can be triggered by inhaling the spores, which irritate the lining of the lungs, causing wheezing and difficulty breathing. People with obstructive lung disease and other chronic lung problems may even get infections from breathing in the mold spores.

While Ghannoum explains that a healthy individual shouldn't worry about returning to the devastated region, those with compromised immune systems should try to avoid their homes until atleast the living surface mold is removed. To do this, the CDC recommends throwing out everything that has been wet for more than 48 hours, especially carpets, wallpaper, insulation and floor and ceiling tiles.

For surfaces that are non-porous or cannot be thrown out, a thorough scrubbing with a solution of one cup bleach for every gallon of water should kill the surface mold and prevent further growth.

But this solution won't kill the mold that is living under the surface and inside walls. There, the mold is only going to continue to spread and contaminate homes.

"The only solution in a lot of cases is demolition," said Ghannoum.