Well, it seems my house has Toxic mold. I took two samples with two tests, one in the bathroom where a discolored patch is growing on the wall and one I set in my bedroom for a couple of hours.

Since I had moved into this place I have had respiratory problems that never went away as well as other complications that while I am at work miraculously go away. Now I have seen the face of the enemy.

In the petri dish small white spots first appeared and then they turned grayish green, then black with green. Stachybotrys (pronounced Stacky-bow-tris) IS the toxic black mold and it can kill you. Take it from me, I am as healthy as a draft horse but this little problem is a killer. Thanks to a landlord's cheapness I have to move AGAIN! Needless to say I am in the process of contacting an attorney.

My symptoms are, Always coughing my brains out in the middle of the night including coughing up phlegm that a few times had blood in it. Coughing to the point of vomiting, a strange skin rash that a expensive dermatologist could not diagnose WITH microscope biopsies! Fatigue. Sinal headaches, and blocked sinuses. Red itchy watery eyes, loss of sleep and appetite. It came on just like Hay Fever but got worst. These symptoms only appear when I am at my house.

I thought I had walking Pneumonia at first but before rushing to the doctor I spent time evaluating my symptomology. It was a thread here about a person with Pertussis that finally led me to buy the test kits because the worst of my coughing episodes sounded exactly like Whooping Cough EXCEPT Pertussis goes away on its own in as much as four weeks.

The reason why I am bringing this up is that Stachybotrys is no joke, It can and will kill you. If it were not for my strength I am sure it would have messed me up a lot more. I know out there others are going through this mess.

Needless to say when the lab confirms my test the landlord has to pay for my relocation and treatment to clear me of this condition because Stachybotrys can also infect your body and not go away on its own no matter how healthy you are. If it gets a secure foothold in your lungs (which is a perfect environment for it to grow in) you are doomed without medical assistance. It is important to know your rights and contact an attorney in case the landlord becomes belligerent.


God I hate Moving! Also paying $950 a month to live in a mold pit is no fun. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!

If this information helps one person I did my job here.

This is what Stachybotrys looks like in a lab culture...



That is what is growing in my test petri dishes.

I would sue his azzzzzzzzz!!!

Make sure you retain all records of rents, expenses,,,
As for the mold problem,,, you need to have the health dept. or another service come in to do the tests for confirmation so you can take the landlord to court,,,
A good attorney, (if the landlord has multiple properties) will summons other tenants past,,,
I would seek advice first but make sure to get a confirming service to back up your claims,,, it's imperative!

i have fatique horribly... some mold in my window sills<grows fast> i wash it with bleach water, also some discoloration on some spots on walls too bluish color look like stains some are on interior walls.. im curious , where do you get the tests at? also do you have to cut out part of the wall to see, or just swab the wall? i know one wall was wet due to someone didnt seal the seams in the bathtub. i did that after i moved in and the leak stopped.

1% bleach water solution kills that mold (use a poison sprayer)..I know...had a lung infection from it last year. Amazingly the perscriptions for curing the lung infection cost $10 total.

Ohh..Andy..that is awful. I have to watch that stuff in my basement.

I know somebody that rented that had black mold get into the drywall. They found it in the closet and one of the child's dolls had black mold on it. Their children got sick. That mold spreads so quickly!
Yes, they did move.

You can have this documented by your city's health department for free. They will come to your house. They will take care of the landlord.

Oh my....I had a friend that got sick, along with her entire family...they found the entire attic full of black mold...when she moved, her landlord tried to sue her for a year's rent

You can't get rid of black mold without replacing walls, floors, wherever it appears and also finding the source. It's doubtful they'll go through the expense. I would bet you're not the first one with a problem. They probably cleaned, painted over and rented it out to the next person.

It's doubtful you'll have to sue to get out of your lease. However, if you had any out-of-pocket expenses (medical, the mold testing itself, etc) make sure you keep it documented, you may have to sue to recover those.

Home Depot

$10

Paint Department.

The kit is in a green box called Mold Armor.

You send the kit with $40 and they will identify your mold.

It is a scam.. read the box.. You STILL have to pay the lab fees.

Are you sure??

It looks more like my ex's cooking!

You can call your city's health department and ask them to come out and look at it.

I am in the process of preparing to deal with my land lord. I may be surprised when they offer to relocate me BUT I am not holding my breath.

What sucks more is supposedly the previous tenant died in this unit.

Wonder why?

Needless to say if they intend to jump on this problem is one thing but I am ready to unleash the hounds from hell on them if it comes to that.

I in myself cannot afford to deal with this financially BUT my brother is waiting for me to contact an attorney because he has the money to back my play. No matter what I am covering my bases and preparing a attack and defense strategy. When I get the paper copy of the test from Tennessee then I drop the bomb.

I am going into this hoping for the landlord to do the right thing but in all the past cases of this I have seen and partially dealt with it never does.

If I have to take a needle to get a blood test done for mycotoxin the law suit will begin at $250K because I hate needles that much.

I really really hope the land lord does the right thing for their sake. The way the law is written I damn near own them now.


pwning the land lord,


That is precious!

i may try that... it may be just as cheap having a mold inspector come out and tell me on the spot.

Actually it is not a scam. You include a check for $40 as per the instructions for lab analysis.

I can tell that is is just looking at it and comparing the sample to lab pictures but the fact is in court my opinion does not count for squat. Once I have teh lab results I will bring the city health department into it.

It beats paying $400 for a professional "In home" analysis. That is a scam.

thanks ive not thought of this as to why im taking 3 naps some days , sometimes for 2 hours each its getting really old....yesterday i took a energy drink 6 hour one and had no nap lol.. but i dont like putting stuff in me that isnt good for me..i do have the sinus issue too some days , mostly at night i cough cause its draining down the throat and chokes me.

It was free for me when I called them.

Ugh. Sick Building Syndrome - no joke man. I feel for ya and wish you luck.