Help Yourself 1
GOT MOLD?
There is a lot to know which we don’t yet know…
FYI
There is some very important research underway which will produce a better understanding of a particular ubiquitous ‘health antagonist’.
The knowledge gained from this research, and its interpretation by Certified Industrial Hygienist, John Banta will potentially help countless people, world-wide enjoy better well-being and prevent disease.
Here is an opportunity…
John could use a little help. You may be interested in offering support, or at least, in keeping your eyes open for the resulting book because everyone knows someone who will benefit from this work.
Here is what John told me:
I would like to introduce to you my current book project, which I am referring to as, “Mold Controlled”. As I’ve been writing the book I’ve realized we know very little about dealing with mold contaminated upholstered furniture and mattresses. Can they be cleaned should they be discarded and are there ways to protected them from becoming contaminated. We spend one-third of our life in bed, so our mattresses are important for getting a good nights sleep. A number of physicians I work with are telling their mold patients that they should be using a mattress cover on their bed to help protect it from settled mold spores and help prevent mold from growing in the mattress. A lot of research has been published about mattress covers and the protection they provide against dust mites, but very little has been scientifically documented for mold. Over the years that I have been consulting, I have tested a number of mattresses and found that mattresses in mold contaminated buildings can build up high levels of mold spores associated with water damage. Considering that we can perspire about 25 milliliters per hour an eight hour nap could deposit close to a cup of water per person per night in our bedding. So, how can we prevent problems from developing and recognize them early? I would appreciate your help in answering these and other questions.
In order to provide the most up-to-date and accurate information to include in my book, I have decided to perform several research projects. To that end, I have established a crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo at https://igg.me/at/MoldControlledMattress or or you can follow the link from my author website at JohnCBanta.com
The amount of research I will be able to perform will be dependent on the amount of money I can raise. My plan is to ask for contributions of $25. I established the campaign a week ago and am now going public. An early supporter contributed $1650 which will fund using DNA to measure mold specific contaminants in a mold contaminated mattress that has been donated for the research. Phase I will determine how much mold contamination is limited to the surface vs. how much is deeply ingrained. I am planning on starting that research next week by dissecting a part of the mattress into layers to collect multiple dust samples at different depths. I explain this phase of the research in more detail at the crowd-funding site.
Now that Phase I is fully funded, I am hoping to piggy-back Phase II research using the same mattress. There are a wide variety of mattress covers that are being sold for dust mite control:
at least one has a permeable lining material which is claimed to breathe to release moisture while actually preventing the passage of contaminates.
Some are lined with plastic which means they could trap moisture and out-gas.
Some have no lining but claim the weave is tight enough to stop particles that are larger than ~4.5 microns. These probably won’t help with Penicillium or Aspergillus spores which are smaller than this. It also likely won’t stop micro-fragments.
I would like to research this more thoroughly by testing a variety of mattress-cover materials to see which if any will stop the micro-fragments as well as the spores.
I am now working at raising money for Phase II which will be to test a variety of dust-mite covers. I would like to ask for your help in several ways:
Go to my Indiegogo crowd-funding site and review what I have written. If you believe this research is important and valuable then please contribute. I am suggesting $25, but will be happy with whatever contribution you feel is appropriate. As a contributor of any amount, I will provide you with regular updates about the research progress and findings. A contribution of $25 or more will also get you an electronic copy of my book when it is completed.
If you support this research, please leave a brief comment on the crowd-funding site. Explain how mold has affected your life and why you personally believe the research is valuable.
If you’ve have personal experience with me inspecting your home, teaching a class about mold remediation or water damage, or have consulted with me by telephone – let people know your opinion about my work in the comment section.
Tell your mold sensitive friends and acquaintances about this project to help spread the word.
I also have a Facebook page. The URL is www.facebook.com/JohnCBanta folks can learn more about what I am doing as an author by “Liking” this page.
Your help is greatly appreciated!
John’s info and funding (support and participation) links:
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