Delaware County, Indiana
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Mold
Mold is an organism that is found everywhere in the world. There are hundreds of different kinds of molds. Some cause no health effects, while others can cause serious problems. Mold needs three things to grow - a surface to land on, substance to eat, and water. Without these things, mold is not able to grow.
Mold spores float around in the air. A spore may land on the drywall in your home. There could be a leaking pipe behind the wall causing the surface to be wet. The mold spore activates when moistened and starts eating the drywall. All of a sudden you see color splotches on your wall. You might wash the wall with bleach and think you have solved your mold problem. But after a few weeks the splotches return. To fix this problem, you will need to get behind the wall to see what is causing the mold to grow. The leaking pipe needs to be fixed and the affected drywall replaced. Once mold is in drywall it is practically impossible to remove the mold.
There are no federal, state or local standards governing mold levels nor are there any federal, state or local statutes governing the clean-up of mold. Therefore, the Delaware County Department of Health can only provide education and recommendations on this issue. No enforcement actions will be taken. Further, the Department can not and will not engage in any tenant/landlord disputes regarding mold issues.
If you live in Muncie and are having a mold problem due to structural (i.e. roof leak) or plumbing (i.e. leaking pipes) problems and the landlord will not fix the problems, contact the Muncie Building Commissioners office at (765)747-4718.
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