Mold, Mildew

There is no doubt that mold is the talk of the legal community. There are mold lawsuits being filed daily and big settlement amounts are being reported. Some lawyers and every insurance company are wondering whether this is the new "asbestos," or "lead poisoning," or "fire retardant wood" -- three areas that have historically been high paying for lawyers.

But mold is not just a legal issue. That's what people want to talk about because they read so much about these lawsuits in the newspapers. It is also a real estate issue that needs to be addressed.

Conventional treatment involves either the use of chlorine, or in severe cases, tearing down walls and insulation. It can cost anywhere from $5.00 (for some bleach and towels) to millions of dollars (for complete demolitions). Press accounts have pointed to numerous high profile, very expensive cleanups.

However, one company suggests that there is a better, much more cost effective way of addressing the mold problem. The company, BioScience Services, uses a natural organic enzyme mist to digest mold. Yes, it consumes the mold.

This is a form of bio remediation, something scientists have been employing for oil spill cleanups over the last 10 years. Bio remediation uses natural processes to literally consume unwanted substances such as oil spills and, in this case, mold.

Instead of bleaching or physically removing mold, BioScience sprays the solution onto mold-covered surfaces. The company's first job was in September 2001 and business is growing rapidly all over the U.S.

I recently spoke to Mike Erwin, the Vice President of Sales, who advises that the first test for this new mold killing methodology was at the Groten Naval Base. Fifty barracks were contaminated with black mold, penicillin and other kinds of mold. The military kept trying to bleach the mold but, characteristically, it kept returning. (I'm told that bleach makes mold become dormant, but it eventually re-awakens.)

BioScience applied its solution and within a week the mold was gone. And it stayed gone. An independent company tested the site and has confirmed that the solution worked very well.

The solution is applied in the form of a mist which either covers the walls or is injected behind the walls to tackle infested insulation and hidden mold. Normal costs are $6.00 per square foot, which compares with $40-$50 for a physical demolition of the tainted walls and structures.

Currently, most of the work done by the company is in the northeast. There is an office in New York and another in Massachusetts. There is also a special project team which can go anywhere in the United States. These are the first mold responders, ready at a moment's notice to meet and eradicate these cellular foes, wherever they might be encountered.

Mike advises that the company plans to enter every major market in the United States. And if the product is as good as the company claims, that plan seems to be very reasonable.

This innovative technology may very well be the most cutting edge method for addressing mold contamination that exists today. The company's website is www.bioscienceservices.com. Its toll free number is 866-463-2511.

I wanted to bring this information to you so that you can be advised of it and explore its feasibility. Please continue to share your experiences with this product with me, so that I can keep all of you up to date on the various competing mold buster approaches.

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