Mold Inspection Findings

 A few weeks after hiring Texas Mold Inspectors to do an inspection on my daughter's dorm room, we received a detailed report with the findings.  There were many other pages of chain of custody and such, but I'm just going to post results.  I am happy to share the full report if anyone is interested.

Mycotoxin Levels - Mycotoxins are the toxins created by mold.  This is what gets inside your system and wreaks havoc on it.  I learned that not only can you inhale and ingest mycotoxins, the greatest source of exposure is your skin.  It makes sense that Leah's was fiery red all the time.  I encourage you to read through the detailed info about them.  Several of these mycotoxins are rated Group 1 carcinogens, meaning there is sufficient evidence they cause cancer (ie. tobacco, asbestos).  Many of the mycotoxins present in Leah's room cause infertility.  Many cause organ and neurologic damage.  Some even change your DNA and the grey matter of your brain.  I had NO idea that mold was this dangerous. I had no idea that it can wreck your body and mind for years or even decades after exposure.  This is not just a matter of a dirty, old building.  This is a matter of our students' futures.  How many past students have suffered from ailments because of this?  How many current students will in the future?  I also learned that while we were LUCKY that Leah had such a strong reaction to the mold, you can have no reaction and still suffer the same effects.  I am so thankful her body spoke up and made it where she couldn't ignore it.  I am so glad that she didn't just live off of antihistamines to silence it.  It makes my heart heavy for the students that do, having no idea that they're being poisoned.

 Leah's room tested positive on 6 out of 11 of the mycotoxins they tested for

Spore Trap Results - This data is collected by a special tool that collects mold spores in the air or select areas to see how concentrated it is.  "Toxic black mold" (Stachybotrys) is one of the ones found here and its' mycotoxin in the last report. 

Obviously these results show much differently than the campus mold inspector's report.  It says at the bottom of this report that essentially the particles were so dense and so thick that this is a low estimate because they can't count down into multiple layers. 

Texas Mold Inspectors Report - Here is the report from the third party mold inspector.  Note the percentages of levels versus outside, naturally occurring levels.  Unbelievable!

Why the vast difference in EHS reports versus third party?  I am not sure.  My immediate guesses are either 1) lack of education or 2) desire to find the issue.  It's easy to assume that TAMU is turning a blind eye to a massive issue.  Maybe they're pressured not to find it.  Maybe it is a campus wide issue and if they admit it here, they can't ignore it for the rest of the buildings.  I've tried to get those answers directly from TAMU unsuccessfully.