Does cellulose insulation cause mold?
Normally, probably not directly, when manufactured and installed correctly. The chemical treatment that makes it somewhat flame retardant also makes it somewhat resistant to bacterial growth. That in mind, both my homes have been damages by burning cellulose insulation. Without the cellulose, there would have been no fire damage. But, there were mitigating circumstances in both cases. It is mostly treated with boric acid to resist flammability, which inadvertently makes it resistant to bacterial growth. Considered relatively harmless to humans, when wet, it is has been shown to be corrosive to metals, but again this requires some other failure to create such a condition. Supposedly, it doesn’t degrade as rapidly as fiberglass, (the wool’s binders) and is less likely to become airborne over time than wool fiberglass. In our home this would prove inaccurate. I don’t know how much of the material provided a “food source” for the actual mold growth problem in our home, but most certainly,
