Homes with damp conditions or that have suffered from some sort of water leakage are prime suspects for the development of potentially harmful mold growth in homes. Mold and the airborne spores they produce may cause allergic reactions, asthma, and other, more serious respiratory complaints. The standard for mold testing created by IESO (Indoor Environmental Standards Organization) is the standard by which Advance Look Certified Residential Mold Inspectors conduct mold screenings. The inspectors will utilize wetted swabs, tape medium or high velocity vacuum pumps and spore traps to extract samples that will be sent to an approved laboratory for analysis. When the results return our professional inspectors will interpret the results and provide a professional recommendation.
What is Mold?
Mold is a generic name for over 100,000 different kinds of fungus. Essentially, molds are living organisms that make up a large portion of the fungi kingdom. Once thought to be part of the plant kingdom, molds make spores instead of seeds which float in the air like pollen. Spores are regenerative cells surrounded by a very tough coating that can survive detergents, chemicals, bleach and extreme temperatures.
Mold spores are microscopic in size, typically requiring 600X magnification to identify. It is has been said that 250,000 mold spores can fit on the head of a pin. A visible patch of mold the size of a quarter can represent billions of spores.
Molds reproduce by releasing spores. When mold spores colonize (settle) on a surface they can grow and spread rapidly, giving off a variety of odors and exhibiting hundreds of different colors and textures.
Isn't Mold Everywhere?
Mold is part of the natural environment and is virtually everywhere, all the time, indoors and out. It would be a grievous mistake, however, to assume that just because mold is everywhere, it's not a problem.
Outdoors, mold plays an important role in nature by breaking down dead organic matter such as fallen leaves and dead trees. Indoors, mold can be a significant problem, destroying property and posing a number of serious health risks.
Black mold was the name originally given to the mold known as Stachybotrys, better known in the industry as "Stacky". It is improtant to understand that there are thousands of species of molds and many are black. It is also important to know that most molds can make people ill, regardless of it's color, however, the black molds like Stacky are known to be much more aggressive in doing so.
Stacky was first recognized in the 1930's when horses on Russian farms became sick after eating contaminated hay. Today, Stacky is one of the main players in what is known as "sick building syndrome". Stacky itself is not pathogenic, however it does produce toxins and can cause health problems ranging from common cold like symptoms, to asthma symptoms, to life threatening reactions for those with pre-exposure respiratory conditions. As with most molds that start problems within our buildings, Stacky needs cellulose-containing materials for food. Stacky also needs unusually high moisture levels to thrive. Some of the more common building materials locally are drywall and OSB products, However it will eat wallpaper, dust & lint just to name a few. This is not a mold that is normally produced by humidity issues alone, unless condensation problems have created enough moisture.
Absolutely! Eventually, indoor mold destroys whatever it grows on. It can ruin furnishings, destroy cabinets and cause serious damage to the structural integrigy of your building. It can trigger asthma attacks in people with asthma and give asthma to people who don't have it. Asthma kills over 5,000 people every year in the U.S. alone and most of them are children. Considering all this, you should be concerned about indoor mold. 
The best time to respond to mold is before it gets to doing damage. Eliminating leaks and moisture issues can stop the spread of mold, but a professional Mold & Moisture Management inspection by an Indoor Environmental Professional combined with Air Quality Testing in accordance with industry standards is the only way to properly identify the problem and create an appropriate action plan.
Regardless if you have had your property inspected for mold in the past or if you recently moved in, you should be aware that mold can find moisture within a building and begin growing anytime, anywhere, no matter how clean you keep your casa.
If you have had any health concerne, a new baby added to the family, or visible growth you think is mold, now might be the perfect time have a professional mold inspection. Even if there are no visible signs of mold infestations, the growths within walls, attics & crawl spaces can create poor indoor air quality. A professional certified mold inspector can help you identify potential mold problems and save thousands of dollars in medical expenses and/or repair costs that occur when indoor mold is ignored or goes undetected.
Some people think mold only grows in dirty, unkempt buildings. Not so. Though poor residential hygiene certainly contributes to mold problems, mold can flourish in sparkling clean environments as well.
Even though nation wide the vast majority of indoor mold problems have little to do with climate conditions, Alaska is definetly spectial in this area. Our cold outdoor temperatures and warm interiors combined with poor building science practices have created some of the worst indoor environments seen throughout the nation. The Cold Weather Climate Center has shown over and over again, once moisture gets within our building envelope, our climate just keeps compounding the problems associated with it.
To answer that question you must first understand that mold has two faces;
There's the face you can visually see (mold growing on a surface), which can cause property damage.
Then there's the face you don't see (mold floating in the air), which can cause people damage.
In both cases, the level of damage is directly related to the level of infestation.
Mold you can see
Surface mold has the potential to cause significant property damage.
Molds spores secrete digestive enzymes that decompose the surfaces they live on. For that reason, all mold is bad. The longer mold is allowed to infest any surface, the more damage it can cause. That is why hidden mold is such a tremendous threat. It's potential to cause damage is devastating because a great deal of time can pass before it is detected.
The visual appearance of mold on construction materials and personal contents indoors is an obvious indication of a mold problem. The pungent mildew or musty odor of mold indoors is another obvious indicator, even when mold is not visibly present. If you suspect you have a mold problem in your home or office, immediate steps should be taken to identify and correct the cause. The longer mold is allowed to grow, the more damage it will cause to your property and the more it will cost to remediate. Prompt action can mean the difference between a few hundred dollars in repairs or several thousands of dollars.
Considering the potential mold has to damage and depreciated the value of property, all molds have the potential to be bad.
Mold you might not see
Airborne mold has the potential to cause adverse health reactions.
Since airborne mold spores are everywhere all the time, indoors and out, we are always exposed to mold at some level. In an open outdoor environment we are seldom exposed to any significant levels of spores because the air is continually moving. But indoors, where ventilation is restricted and air is often recycled through heaters and air conditioners, the exact same molds that don't bother anyone outdoors can cause severe reactions indoors, especially when levels are exceedingly higher than outside.
When mold is growing indoors, the amount of mold in the air can be significantly higher than outdoors. Exposure to high concentrations of molds in enclosed spaces such as residential homes, commercial buildings, schools, automobiles, airplanes, etc., can trigger asthma attacks, cause respiratory infections, bronchial polyps, and a number of other reactions.
Exposure to extremely high concentrations of airborne mold over extended periods of time can over-come the lungs capacity to filter out spores. Once mold enters the bloodstream the severity of symptoms and reactions increase exponentially.
Considering the potential health risks of airborne mold spores indoors, all molds have the potential to be bad.
Since mold spores are everywhere all the time, we are always exposed to mold. At any given time, outdoor air will have as many as 100 different types of mold spores floating about, along with a number of other airborne pollutants.
Because mold spores are ever-present in the air, they drift freely in and out of buildings through doors, windows, attic vents, HVAC systems, etc. On any given day, airborne mold spore levels indoors should always be about the same as outdoors, unless mold is originating indoors.
Increased spore amounts:
When airborne mold spores find something damp to stick to, they colonize (grow) and release new spores. Mold growing outdoors is seldom ever a health risk. But when mold grows indoors, spore levels can reach concentrations significantly higher than outdoors and cause a number of adverse reactions in people and animals, including rashes and itching skin, eye - nose and throat irritations, chronic headaches, respiratory infections, nausea, and trigger asthma attacks.
Increased spore types:
In addition to increasing the amount of spores indoors, mold growing indoors on wet construction materials tend to produce different types of spores that are not found outdoors.
For example, it is rare to find Stachybotrys outdoors. However, Stachybotrys is commonly found growing indoors on drywall and carpet after a flood or other water intrusion has occurred. Stachybotrys is often referred to as "black mold" and can be toxigenic. Exposure to high concentrations of toxigenic mold spores inside a building can present a wide range of very serious health risks to the occupants.
While you cannot control Mother Nature, you can certainly limit the potential for indoor mold growth by limiting moisture sources and responding rapidly to every water intrusion issue. The biggest mistake people make is ignoring minor issues until they become major problems. Early detection and assessment can minimize the risk of exposure to toxic molds and save thousands of dollars in repair costs.