What is Mold?

In general, mold and mildew are different names for the same thing — a very simple life form that

lacks the ability to photosynthesize. Mold uses enzymes to digest nutrients from other organic materials — such your collections. Essentially mold consists of fungi that grow in filamentous forms. Many fluoresce under UV light — often helping to verify their presence.

The two most common “problem” molds for preservations are the Ascomycetes and Fungi Imperfecti.

The Ascomycetes include over 29,000 species, many of which are disease causing. The Fungi Imperfecti is the second largest subdivision, containing over 17,000 species and they are also very aggressive agents of biodeterioration. The molds that we are most commonly concerned with reproduce through asexual means, forming what are called conidia, although they are often called “spores.” Conidia are typically 5 to 50 m in diameter (Aspergillus fumigatus conidia are among the smallest, measuring about 2.5 m) and are very easily air borne.

Each vegetative filament of fungus is called a hypha and a large mass of hyphae is called a mycelium. These hyphae are the actively growing, assimilative phase of the fungi and new growth typically occurs as a linear elongation of the hyphae.

Molds often appear as circular spots, resulting from the outward growth of hyphae. As the mold spreads, it begins to look more like a solid mat across objects. It is important to understand that just as mold grows outward, it also grows down, into the substrate, of the books, bindings, paper, and leather.

Molds are everywhere and should not be viewed as a sudden “infection.” The majority of fungal conidia in the indoor environmental come from the outdoors. Consequently, the most common molds are Cladosporium and Alternaria, with lesser quantities of Aspergillus and Penicillium. The number of conidia may reach one million per cubic meter under favorable conditions, although levels of 10,000 to 100,000 per m³ are more common.

Aureobasidium are stain fungi, commonly causing staining of wood finishes. Mucor and Penicillium are examples frequently associated with stone, producing acids which result in solubilization of silicates and the weathering of stone. Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium,

Fusarium, and Paecilomyces are often associated with the discoloration of paint. Fungi such as Aspergillus and Penicillium are often found colonizing adhesives and caulks, with Penicillium in particular found associated with PVC, plastic, and rubber. Aspergillus is associated with surface discolorations of polyesters. Carpets are frequently attacked by Penicillium, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Mucor. Library collections under damp conditions are frequently infested with Penicillium, Fusarium, Aspergillus, and Cladosporium.

When you ask yourself, “What really is mold” – you might look at it at being the exact opposite of living breathing creatures. It treats pets, pests, rodents, insects including those that we really need like bees in the same equal killer method as it doles out to humans.

Healthy people can die of diseases brought on by mold just as easily as unhealthy people can die from cigaret smoking and other unhealthy practices.

No amount of exercising, eating right or watching calories will lengthen your lifespan or give you a higher quality of life if you are ingesting a large number of mole spores in your home.

Think about that for a moment. Above is the scientific formula for mold spores and what the scientists call them, but in your home with your pets, children and older parents, non of that matters. What really matters is that you don’t create an environment for mold, particularly black mold to thrive.

How do you do this? Do you know that certain plants in the house can emit up to half a kilogram of moisture into the air each night? When you give 10 gallons of water to your plants over a week, where does that water go?

Think about that for a bit.