Why new homes are moldier Whats behind the sudden mold epidemic?
Experts point to modern home design, including materials used, such as fake stucco (great mold food when wet); the way insulation can trap moisture behind walls; and the fact that today’s homes, like office buildings, are more airtight, with air-conditioning and heating systems recalculating contaminated air. Families can go for months, even years, without knowing where their symptoms are coming from. New houses are more prone to mold problems than older houses, but a bad leak in any house anywhere in the country can cause a mold problem if not properly taken care of (see tips at bottom). And what starts as a small mold problem can grow to consume a home. Melinda Ballard and Ron Allison’s house can’t even be bulldozed until men in moon suits cut out the Stachybotrys -infested timber, flooring and wallboard, wrap it up and cart it off for burial. “That’s the only safe way to get rid of the stuff,” says David Straus, a mold expert with the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, wh
