GnomeicideNov 16, 2022

After the death of Awaab Ishak, a few words on black mold. Do you have a couple of spots of mold in your shower? Like, maybe top corners on the grouting? That. Well, it might be. It might be a different mold. The really nasty one is Stachbotrytis chartarum. This one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stachybotrys_chartarum

There are others it can be, the most likely is Aspergillus niger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspergillus_niger #blackmold #AwwabIshak

Which do you have? And should you be worried?

Stachybotrys chartarum - Wikipedia

Show threadGnomeicideNov 16, 2022

Well... Aspergillus niger is a badass mofo of a fungus. It's a fighter, it competes in all sorts of environments and it's a generalist. Black spot on an onion? Might be that. Black mark on the grouting? Might definitely be that. But thankfully it's not THAT nasty. Don't eat it, don't lick it. Don't let it spread far. But it's not a rapidly dangeorus.

Stachbotrytis chartarum, on the other hand, is a wimp.

Show threadGnomeicideNov 16, 2022
...it's really quite uncommon in the environment because other fungi are more badass than it. They outcompete it. So you have to give it -just the right conditions- to make it grow well. That'd be dark, moist, cellulose rich (e.g. wallpaper, plasterboard) places with large temperature fluctuations. Such as poorly ventilated, poorly heated, damp walls. Oh, and it's REALLY toxic...
Show threadGnomeicide
...so you see the problem? If you see the odd spot in a corner of a room where there's some condensation, it might be this, but there's not a lot of it and it's not likely harming you. Its more likely in that scenario that it's Aspergillus. If you see it spreading up wallpaper, occasionally with a bit of a wet look and that mold smell? That's Stachbotrys. And it can kill your child, your gran, or you.
Nov 16, 2022 at 8:55amWeb
Show threadGnomeicideNov 16, 2022

Want to deal with it? Clean, use an anti-mold cleaning agent. Strip any infected wallpaper off. Paint with anti-mold paint. Sort ventilation out, and keep the site clean and dry thereafter. If that site is a problem and you have a landlord, push your landlord to solve it. When you clean, wear protective gear - mask, gloves, goggles.

Take this seriously. I think we've collectively forgotten this.