cnn saturday morning news - hepa air cleaner

October 4, 2003 broadcast
ETTHIS is a hurried transcript.
This copy may not be in final form and may be updated.
CNN host Martin Savage: home visit with doctor on weekends
Sanjay Gupta is starting now. DR.
Sanjay Gupta, cnn reporter: Good morning.
Welcome to the weekend conference call.
Today we are talking about the mold.
Well, it's been on the headlines a lot lately.
Ed McMahon, you know him, he won $7.
2 million, not on the publisher's bill exchange, but in the mould action.
In California, the bigg dog is sniffing mold, and the spore panic is evacuating the school.
Is this something you should care about?
That's what you asked yourself?
Or more hype than danger? (Start Video)GUPTA (voice-over)
: When Gloria Green (ph)
The basement was flooded and her problem was just beginning.
Gloria Green: The moment I walk into the house, I usually carry paper towels or paper towels with me and my eyes start watering.
Gupta: mold is everywhere and there are tiny fungi in every yard and every family.
Unidentified male: You can enter any home, any wall, any cabinet and wipe area, and you will have mold because it is part of the environment.
Gupta: as the Greens have learned, mold spores that have been dormant for many years can germinate under proper conditions, making some people feel sick. Dr.
Atlanta allergy expert Stanley Fenman has heard a lot about mold from his patients, but he is concerned that recent lawsuits and media reports about toxic mold have contributed to excessive hysteria. DR.
Stanley Fenman, an allergic scientist: we see a lot of patients reading articles or talking to others who are really afraid of getting sick when they come into contact with mold.
Gupta: The EPA also downplayed the hype.
Unidentified women: I think it is indeed exaggerated that this is a popular claim in the United States.
Gupta: But everyone agrees that prolonged exposure can be a problem, especially for people with allergies, asthma, respiratory diseases, allergies, or weakened immune systems.
For them, mold can produce symptoms such as nasal congestion, cough, breathing, breathing difficulties, sore throat, skin and eye irritation or upper respiratory tract infection.
Louis Prestigiacomo is not allergic and he is not worried.
He is cleaning up a house flooded with mold and is planning to move in.
I know there's mold everywhere.
It exists in the home of nature and everyone.
It's just a higher level here.
GUPTA: according to EPA, if you have more than 10 square feet of visible molds, it's time to call professionals.
But in some mild cases, the answer may be as simple as a plumber calling and a little soapy water. (END VIDEOTAPE)
Gupta: I learned that a dry house is safe.
It is the key to keeping the mold in the Bay.
Mold likes to be wet, so you remove most of the mold if you remove it.
Now, if the mold is a problem in your home, please clean it up in time.
This is the key.
Solve the problem of water source.
It is important to dry the damaged areas of water and all these items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent additional mold growth.
Buy a dehumidifier
It can also reduce moisture in your home.
Here are a few tips if you want to prevent mold growth.
Most likely to grow in the basement and bathroom. -
Remember these two Bs.
So try to ventilate, especially in these areas.
Also, try to make sure your whole house is well ventilated elsewhere.
Open a fan while taking a shower
This is a very important point.
Try to keep the humidity in your home below 50%.
Many people Electronic
Email on this topic
A lot of interest.
We have a lot of emails. mails.
We also want to hear from you on the phone, so call us. Our number, 1-800-807-2620. Our e-
Homecall @ cnn sends the email address again. com.
Glen felmann of the indoor air quality Association will join us from Chicago, I just--
I learned all about TV this morning.
I heard that the bird came down and there was no one in the transmission station.
So he's not on TV right now, at least not now.
He joined us by phone.
Welcome, Mr. Fellman.
How are you?
Glen felmann of the indoor air quality Association: I did a great job, thank you very much.
Gupta: OK, we will. I hope we can see you on TV.
It will be a bit of a radio for you for a while, but still, the information will be just as good.
Give you a simple question before we start.
We have a lot of emails. mails.
Toxic mold and black mold, which I seem to read all the time in the newspaper.
What exactly is this, how common is this problem?
Felmann: toxic mold is a term, actually a media term, and it's not just a technical term we have in the industry.
Mold can grow anywhere in the home, with a variety of different species that look like mold.
Neither black nor Green nor White is the problem.
You just don't want to put the mold indoors.
There may be black mold, which may be harmless or harmful.
GUPTA: OK.
As I mentioned, a lot of emailsmail questions.
We want to get as many of these as we can, so we will do some quick sequences.
A quick e-
Email from Mark, Texas
He asked, "If your house is on the wall, how do you determine if it has mold problems?
"I was thinking about the same thing.
"Is there an identifiable smell outside the wall, or should there be some evidence as well?
"Felmann: it would be common to have a scent, Musk or moldy smell, and if there is a lot of mold growth behind the wall, in the end, this mold will enter the indoor space where you can see it.
Now, it's not easy for homeowners to do this for detecting mold behind the wall.
If they suspect that there is any indication that there may be mold in the home, they can invite an expert who can detect it.
GUPTA: OK.
There's also a caller.
Call from Hawaii.
I believe it's about six hours ahead of time, so she's either just waking up or just sleeping.
Carol, Hawaii. welcome.
Do you have any questions?
Yes, thank you.
I called. I have mold. -it's black --
In the bathroom and kitchen around the sink.
I use bleach and take it away for a while.
But I have a problem breathing.
Could you please tell me this could be the reason?
A lot of people are asking this kind of thing, Glen.
What do you say to people like Carol?
Felman: it may be, but this is something your doctor or an allergic scientist needs to determine by doing some tests to see if you are sensitive to mold.
As for the growth of mold in these areas, these areas are very humid places in the home.
They may have water or just part of the surface.
To clean a hard surface, a non-
The porous surface is a good idea the way you say it.
Bleach should be used in small quantities without complete works.
Gupta: does anyone have to wash it again and again with bleach?
Felman: Well, it should be cleaned frequently if it's a sink area or a bathroom area.
This is just a good hygiene habit.
Mold does not grow unless you have a stable source of moisture and food.
Therefore, the key to preventing mold from entering your home is to keep your home clean and dry.
Okay, good advice.
Like I said, a lot of emailsThe Mail came in.
Let's go straight to the next one.
Di of Philadelphia wrote, "I found mold in our linen closet and pantry.
The color of the mold is very dark, almost black.
I wiped it with pure ammonia.
I was told to apply polyurethane in moldy places and keep-
Or spray bleach continuously.
What is your suggestion?
Firman: First of all, the mold that grows in the food cabinet will make me very worried.
Obviously you don't want mold to grow anywhere in your home, but it's very worrying where you keep your food.
I don't like these two suggestions at all.
Neither of these methods is the one recommended by the United States. S.
Environmental Protection Bureau.
Whether you believe it or not, the mold can be cleaned very effectively with some detergent and water.
But ammonia should not be used, and mold should not be covered up under any circumstances.
It should not be applied to it and it should not be sealed with some kind of coating.
It should be removed.
Gupta: OK. Is there any mildew-proof paint?
Have you heard of this?
FELLMAN: Sure.
Anti-paint.
The built-in microbial chemicals are designed to resist mold growth.
But they should not be used to cover the mold.
After the surface is cleaned, it can be painted with such a product, so that it can resist the growth of mold within a certain period of time.
Gupta: Well, it can prevent mold, but it doesn't have to fight mold, so make sure the mold is clean first.
Let's go to another coast of this country now.
Don in Florida is on the phone with us.
Welcome, Don.
Please answer your question?
DON: Hi.
My wife, my daughter, and myself, have had the experience of upper respiratory and sinus infections, and we don't know why.
So I went to the store and bought a mold test kit and I took it out and it was growing.
I mean, I just put it in the living room for an hour, and like the instructions say, there are three or four different molds growing in this petri dish.
Gupta: Well, Glen, if anyone, you know, they bought these kits in the store.
If the result is positive, does that mean that is the reason for their respiratory problems?
Felman: No, no, consumers need to be very careful with these types of kits.
Molds are everywhere.
It's in the air we breathe, inside and outside.
If you take a plate out, you will get mold growth no matter what kind of environment you are in.
You need someone to come to your house and if your family is really sick and you suspect it's coming from mold, he can do more specific tests and different types of tests.
OK, there's some valuable information missing here.
There are many problems here.
We wanted to talk about Hurricane Isabel when we came back.
This puts thousands of families and businesses at risk of mold growth.
We have some tips on how to clean up after a major water damage occurred there.
Also, how do you know if you get a qualified clearance specialist?
You will see all kinds of advertisements for such things.
How do you know if you get the right thing?
All these answers when the weekend call continues.
OK, also, please call us about your question. Our number, 1-800-807-2620 and our electronics
Cnn @ housecall's email addresscom.
Now let's take a look at our daily dose health quiz.
After a leak or flood, if the area is not properly cleaned and dried, how long will the mold start to grow?
Please keep an eye on this answer.
Business Gupta: OK, check out our health quiz now.
How long will mold start to grow after a leak or flood?
The answer is 24 to 48 hours.
It is clear that the key is to act quickly.
Remove all materials damaged by water, especially the soaked carpet and ceiling tiles.
In particular, anything with a loophole should be thrown away.
This is a conference call over the weekend.
We're talking about cleaning up mold.
Hurricane Isabel flooded several cities on the East Coast.
We all remember.
We got a question from Joe in Washington, D. C. C.
He wrote: "Hurricane Isabel left me some flooding in the basement and on the first floor.
Since I am allergic to mold spores, what can I do to prevent mold growth?
"Glen felmann joined us on TV.
Welcome, Glenn.
Hey, thank you.
Gupta: How are you?
Felman: good.
Gupta: Yes, we 've got that bird back, and there's someone on the transfer station right now.
I will explain it to you later.
I figured it out myself.
What do you say to people like Joe in Washington, D. C? C. ?
Firman: First of all, as you said a few minutes ago, the most important thing is to dry the space very quickly within 24 to 48 hours.
Some mold can start to grow in 48 hours or more, and some mold takes longer.
But the key is to dry the house.
In addition, it is necessary to dry very consciously where there may be hidden moisture, such as behind the wall.
Just to remove the carpet, maybe it is not enough to suck out the water.
You also have to make a hole in the wall and introduce a Dewet device so everything can dry quickly.
GUPTA: OK.
From Hawaii to Florida, and now to New York, Kevin in New York has a question for us.
Welcome, Kevin.
KEVIN: Hi.
How are you?
Gupta: Good morning.
Your question?
Kevin: We are evaluating our house.
In fact, we have done the test to see if there is mold in our house.
We got the results back.
In retrospect, I would be interested if we paid a reasonable amount;
What tests need to be done, what is top and unnecessary, and how much should it all cost?
Gupta: OK, from one end of the spectrum to the other, Glen.
You have these household items and then you have experts coming.
What is the cost of these things?
This is a good question, Kevin.
In general, if you know you have mold problems, if you can see that if you can identify the water source, there may not be a need for testing if no one is sick at home.
The most important thing is to remove the mold.
As for the cost of testing services, there is a large range depending on the number of households surveyed and the type of testing they do.
But one should look at the test with a very conservative eye and really evaluate whether it is necessary or not.
Again, if you know the mold is there and no one is sick, your main goal is to remove the mold and first correct the problem of allowing water to enter the home.
The mold won't come back if you do.
Gupta: OK, let's keep using our email
Mail problem now.
Franz from Indiana asked: "How effective is it to reduce mold?
If a family has a mold reduction, is it possible that the mold will come back?
"In addition to that, I would add, first of all, what is the reduction of the mold?
It sounds like Franz already knows what he's talking about.
FELLMAN: Sure.
Mold emission reduction is often called mold repair, which is the process of removing the mold from the home.
When the mold is removed, safety measures are taken to protect the mold from spreading to other areas of the home.
They do it with polyethylene film and make containment at home.
It is very effective to reduce or remedy mold.
The technology to do this these days is really great.
Gupta: OK, now let's keep the same theme and go to the middle of the country now. D. J.
A call from Missouri.
Welcome, D. J.
What is your question? D. J.
: I recently moved down from a town home and before moving I found mold, a black mold that completely covers the whole area under the sink, behind the dishwasher, across the DingTalk on the floor.
I pulled down a part of the drywall and put it in a plastic bag and I would love to know how I can handle this drywall with a mold on it?
How can I analyze it to determine if it is harmful?
Because for the two years we were in town, I, like my roommate, had sinus and breathing difficulties and some other diseases.
Gupta: It's really interesting.
I mean, you know, I'll also tell you, Glen, a lot of the problems we're having and D. J. is asking for.
What do you say to people like him?
FELLMAN: Sure.
First of all, there are many laboratories across the country that can analyze these samples and can tell you what is growing there.
In fact, our organization's indoor air quality Association represents about 30 to 40 laboratories nationwide.
We have more than 2,000 members.
Our website is iaqa. org.
If you go there you can find a few different labs and they may take a look and tell you what is growing.
Gupta: very fast before we get into the next e-commerce
Email questions, now give us another scope, which people are asking about the cost of cleaning up the project.
I know all the families are different and all the mold problems are different.
But what is the typical scope?
Felman: It's hard to say.
If you have an isolated problem under the sink, say, there is a small hole leak in the kitchen, it may take several hundred dollars to fix the mold.
But if you use the example of the last caller, the mold has now grown from that area on the wall to the floor below and expanded from there, the cleaning process is a destructive process
They had to remove the drywall, the carpet, and even the wooden nails.
When this happens, it is necessary to install containment units to protect the rest of the indoor environment from contamination.
This process can take a few days, a lot of equipment, a lot of expertise and labor.
So this can be very expensive for a large mold project.
Gupta: OK, this is the next era of e-commerce.
Mail problem, this is also about the cost.
Jean, Texas, asked, "Why is the insurance company so reluctant to insure a family with a history of water destruction, even if the water damage has been cleaned up according to the appropriate standards?
"So everything she did was right, but still got a and it was hard to get insurance.
This is a great question.
In our organization, we often hear such problems.
First of all, the problem of water damage is the concern of insurance companies.
If this is a structural problem, say the foundation problem at home, it has a chance to come back regardless of how much water is removed from the home.
Insurance companies like to reduce risk.
That's all for them.
So if they have a property that is known to be at risk, they will not want to insure because it will be a failed offer for them.
GUPTA: OK.
We will discuss another topic when we come back.
We're talking about kids.
Mold has the greatest impact on infants and children.
Many people are curious about it.
We will look for symptoms on your little one.
This is coming.
In addition, we will look at the latest weapons released when looking for mold.
Business Gupta: this is one of my favorite shows.
Go see the putter and Sydney.
They are small hounds that smell mold in California's homes and businesses.
Dogs use their noses to detect mold hidden under the floor and behind the walls.
The owner said that dogs are usually 90% accurate if not more.
There are only less than 20 Mold Dogs in the United States, but they have been successfully used in Europe for about 30 years. Cute dogs.
This is a conference call over the weekend and we are talking about the mold.
Mold exposure can cause serious reactions in infants, children and the elderly.
Pregnant women, people with allergies and asthma are also more susceptible to infection.
People with impaired immune system also have a higher risk of infection if they are exposed to mold.
We have a lot of questions to ask you about this, e-
Mail and phone
First, let's go to e-mail.
Mike from Boston said: "I have a fairly new house.
The basement often smells moldy.
"It's not unusual.
"How do I know it's on my 3-year-
Do you always play there?
A simple question.
Glenn felmann, executive director of the indoor air quality Association, also joined us.
What did you tell him?
Felman: It's a very close problem for me to be away from home. I have a 3-year-
If you suspect that there is mold in your basement, you don't want your child to play, especially because of a child, a 3-year-
Old's breathing area is about two to 3 feet from the floor.
If they play in the basement, they will most likely sit on the floor or lie on the floor.
If I were the case, I would have my basement check the mold before I actually let my kids spend a lot of time there.
In particular, look for sources of moisture and eliminate them.
Gupta: one thing, you know, everyone is in the basement and it seems like everyone's basement is a bit moldy.
I mean, should everyone watching today be worried?
How do you know when to worry?
Felman: I grew up on the East Coast, where there was a moldy musty smell in the basement that was very common.
You can find a lot.
And, no, you don't have to worry too much about it.
If you find a source of moisture, the smell will disappear quickly if you put in some Dewet equipment and do some cleaning.
If that's the case, you have no problem and move on.
Gupta: Yes, that's great. I have a dehumidifier in my basement.
Surprisingly, how much water it actually pulls out of the air.
Now let's go straight to the other person who called.
We are all over the United States and are now in Toronto.
Gavin from Toronto joined us.
Welcome to the weekend conference call, Gavin.
Gavin: how are you?
Gupta: How are you?
Do you have any questions?
Yes, the problem is about the air purifier.
I have an air purifier with a HEPA filter that claims to remove mold spores.
I'm just wondering how effective these filters are in removing mold?
Felman: very effective.
The HEPA filter filters the air to a very fine level of quality.
What you need to consider is how much space the air purifier can handle.
Usually, the room air purifier is designed to handle only one room.
So, if you're going to clean your entire house with an air purifier, if it's a separate unit, right in the corner of the room, that might not work.
Okay, Glen, we need a break.
Everyone is at home. take some paper and pens.
For more information about the mold, I will give you some website and phone number.
All of this when we come back.
You're watching the weekend call.
Business Gupta: OK, we have a great show.
If you would like to know more about mold contamination and cleaning, please check our website. That's at cnn. com/health.
You can also find a link to the EPA website.
It may be one of the best websites to answer your particular question.
You can go there directly. That's epa. gov/aiq.
You can call 1-if you want-800-438-4318.
We tried numbers and websites. They all work.
Glen felmann joined us from Chicago.
He is the executive director of the indoor air quality Association.
Thanks so much.
Do you have a final idea today?
Yes, I know.
Prevention of mold is actually very simple.
Cleaning and drying is the key to preventing mold from entering your home.
Don't let the moisture in.
Regular Good Housekeeping should be maintained.
If you do have mold problems, you would like someone to come out and check if you are concerned, or do some remedial work to find a qualified, trained and certified contractor. Iaqa.
Org is a website where you can find a catalogue of certified people who are very good at detecting and solving indoor air quality problems across the country.
Gupta: Glen, thank you so much for joining us.
Did you know that your cub beat our warriors last night?
Felman: Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
Gupta: You know, the rest of Chicago is not sad to hear that.
Thanks and thanks to all of our viewers for calling us and writing all your questions.
Join us tomorrow.
We will talk about a very important topic for all of us.
It's about people who don't have insurance in the United States, how many people have jobs but no health insurance.
We will give you some practical advice on how to find health insurance and where you can go to see your child if you don't have it.
This is the Pacific Ocean at 8: 30 tomorrow afternoon.
Thanks for watching. I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
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