My aunt’s
home has a very strong musty/mold odor. It is so bad it clings to
visitors’ clothing and hair. If you cook in the house, even the food
takes on the house’s odor even after a very short time( bread even
absorbs it and food in the refrigerator). I’ve tried talking to her,
but she can’t smell it. Her husband has finally acknowledged the
situation, but doesn’t know where to begin. The entire house and
furnishings have been affected. The basement had flooded about 1.5
years ago. The cause of the flood has been taken care of. I’ve tried
researching for a type of mold that attaches to everything…and I mean
everything. What suggestions do you have for me to give her? I and
other family members are concerned about what effect this is having on
her and her husband’s health. Any help would be appreciated.-Cheryl
,Michigan
Musty odors in houses and other buildings
are not that uncommon. They are particularly prevalent in houses with
wet basements, very old houses with basements, houses with wet
crawlspaces and mold-infested floor joists, houses in which water gets
into walls through brick veneer, poorly-caulked windows and doors,
poorly-maintained siding, etc.
Mold odors are caused by volatile chemical
compounds that are produced as the various fungal species grow on
water-damaged or moisture-containing organic materials such as wood,
paper, cotton, etc. These compounds are typically higher molecular
weight alcohols or ketones. Scientists and mold experts refer to them
as MVOCs (microbial volatile organic compounds).
These MVOCs may include up to a dozen or
so different compounds depending on the type or organisms present, the
material they are growing on, etc. Typically , a few compounds are
responsible for most of the odor. Our noses, our olfactory sense, can
detect these substances in very, very low concentrations, that is, in
the low parts per billion (ppb) range. At such levels these compounds
are not likely harmful to humans. There is some limited scientific
information that suggests that they can ,at relatively high
concentrations, cause upper respiratory irritation in humans. Such
levels only occur in very heavily infested buildings. I recall in a
flooded house I once investigated that “my nostrils and sinuses were
singing ” despite the fact that I had a very high quality respiratory
designed to remove asbestos, lead and particles such as mold. It, of
course, could not and did not remove MVOCs present.
MVOCs vary in their odor properties.
Most smell “musty.” Some such as Chaetomium smell “earthy.” A
number of wood-decay fungi smell “mushroomy.”
MVOCs cling to surfaces such as clothing
and possibly human skin. I smell them on people (especially students
who live in off-campus housing that is often poorly maintained). I
smell them on myself and in my car after I have conducted inspections
of houses with very significant mold problems.
The reason that you aunt and uncle can’t
smell the mustiness is likely due to a combination of olfactory
fatigue (one can not smell many odors even after a few minutes of
exposure) and accommodation (or adaptation). After a while one gets
used to it and does not notice anything out of the ordinary.
MVOCs do degas from the materials they
cling to (that’s why we can smell them). They may cling to some
materials for a couple of hours and others for days depending on the
exposure.
In your aunt’s home the MVOCs are likely
to be a symptom of a mold infestation problem, rather than a problem
in themselves. The biggest health risks are exposures to mold spores
associated with the infestation producing the musty odors. These
risks include chronic allergy, chronic sinutisis and in many cases
asthma.
The house should be inspected by a
competent mold professional in order to identify infested materials
and then recommend remediation measures. Once remediated, most if not
all of the mustiness will be eliminated , as well as, potential health
risks associated with exposures to mold spores.
Indoor Environmental Quality (2000), Thad Godish Ph.D.,
C.I.H
Direct E-mail
00tjgodish@bsu.edu
