"Mold Is Everywhere" Is No Longer A Valid Point to Dismiss Mold Illness

The debate between Mold Illness sufferers and their skeptics remains a hot one. Mold Illness occurs when a person gets exposed to large amounts of mold, in most cases over a significant amount of time.

"But mold is everywhere," is technically a valid and logical response from any person subject to the Semmelweiss Reflex.

I won't even deep dive into the most obvious response to this, which is that the mold in question is more than likely a toxic mold species. These include species from Stachybotrys, Aspergillus, Chaetomium, or several other species on the growing list of toxic molds.

Instead, my point is that -- given the state of anthropogenic pollution -- "mold is everywhere" is an antiquated line of reasoning that fails to consider the dynamic interactions between pollution and our environment. Even mold species that are not classifiably toxigenic will metabolize and release virtually whatever pollution they are eating, as that has been their role in the ecosystem long before humans existed.

For example, let us compare a piece of OSB to a stump in the woods. Just like the stump, the OSB has wood in it, but it also has added chemicals such as the adhesives used, which contain Formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a carcinogenic irritant that requires a Haz-Mat team if spilled in a hospital operating room, yet it is found at ostensibly low levels all around us.

Once the OSB and tree stump get wet, the beginning stages of mold growth will take place. Like a network of spiderwebs, the mycelium grows into the wood and materials just like plant roots into the soil.

The Fruitbody is the part of the fungus that grows aerially (in the air above the growing medium.) This part releases spores and metabolites into the air, using the nutrients it has absorbed from within the growing medium. Since the mycelia have toxic chemicals available in the OSB, they will metabolize those available materials for use and release them into the air.

The stump in the woods does not have chemicals readily-available to digest, and therefore does not cause illness in humans or animals.

It is already common knowledge that anthropogenic pollution is a leading cause of illness like cancer. Using logic to take this one step further, even skeptics must concede that this pollution may be causing further damage beyond its biopersistence stage.

Studies have also shown that mold absorbs metallic particles into its flesh. "One species could even cope with a coating of silver, known to be toxic to microorganisms..." -NewScientist.com

Scientists have found that mold spores carry nanoparticles on them.

Mold itself can synthesize nanoparticles from materials including metals. It makes sense, since it is the job of fungi to break down everything into smaller pieces. Various microorganisms are tasked with synthesizing various nanoparticles for scientific and medical purposes. However, nanoparticles pose well-known health threats to the human body.

As a result of microbes like fungi, bacteria, and actinomycetes, anthropogenic pollution has a second opportunity to enter the human body and cause illness.

Nanoparticles have been found to cause allergic-type reactions in animals and humans, a condition known as Complement Activation Reaction Pseudo Allergy (CARPA). CARPA presents with symptoms of "pulmonary hypertension with or without various degrees of systemic hyper- or hypotension, tachy-or bradycardia, arrhythmia, blood cell and inflammatory mediator changes and skin rash." -From the European Journal of Nanomedicine

Yes, mold is everywhere. But it is what the mold is consuming and releasing into the air that can make it so toxic to humans and pets. From what we can observe in medical history, moldy stumps in the woods do not generally cause illness. In fact, historically mold toxicity was not a health issue despite the billions of wood dwellings that humans built throughout time.

Mold illness rates have skyrocketed along with the arrival and increased use of OSB and other chemical-treated materials in new construction.

"Mold is everywhere" may have been a valid argument centuries ago, before our environments became so heavily polluted. However now we can no longer justify applying outdated logic to our toxic, modern world.

The Pandora's Box of pollution has been opened, and we are yet to discover all of the ways that we are inadvertently poisoning ourselves -- and the rest of the food chain -- with chemical, biochemical, and nanoparticle pollution.

For more information on how mold contributes to air pollution and human illness, as well as how all this fungus-talk relates back to gardening, check out this post: Glyphosate & Pesticides - No Means Yes.

Sources:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14802-metal-fungus-hybrids-make-for-more-powerful-catalysts/?fbclid=IwY2xjawH_e09leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHUqyg_-nnOl4jwqvxbZQA31hZCYdmHepPmo5T71TvsBm3wH8j8Nwfpxfpg_aem_i8HqNgF8mLZNrfF9tnaMaA

Khandel, P., Shahi, S.K. Mycogenic nanoparticles and their bio-prospective applications: current status and future challenges. J Nanostruct Chem 8, 369–391 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40097-018-0285-2 <https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40097-018-0285-2?fbclid=IwY2xjawH_jNBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHZKd6ur_Ctoj0YsL4WQyGBBWxlCNqDJkuB1zUABJs_fXTWSAsYyZcAEP_A_aem_iwBxCBg12gZkZaJgY0uWig#citeas >

Laux, P., Riebeling, C., Booth, A. M., Brain, J. D., Brunner, J., Cerrillo, C., Creutzenberg, O., Estrela-Lopis, I., Gebel, T., Johanson, G., Jungnickel, H., Kock, H., Tentschert, J., Tlili, A., Schäffer, A., Sips, A. J. A. M., Yokel, R. A., & Luch, A. (2017). Biokinetics of Nanomaterials: the Role of Biopersistence. NanoImpact, 6, 69–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.impact.2017.03.003 <https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5645051/>

Urbanics, R., Bedőcs, P. & Szebeni, J. (2015). Lessons learned from the porcine CARPA model: constant and variable responses to different nanomedicines and administration protocols. European Journal of Nanomedicine, 7(3), 219-231. https://doi.org/10.1515/ejnm-2015-0011 <https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/ejnm-2015-0011/html?fbclid=IwY2xjawH_kA1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHXquZKHBgFqLJjJAfm4T8_chTYdM08O-94rJH7tkODbNq4WBFVyvs5CZaA_aem_Lhvo9FY1MmULYm1BP1Wr1Q#APA>

Westmeier, D., Solouk-Saran, D., Vallet, C., Siemer, S., Docter, D., Götz, H., Männ, L., Hasenberg, A., Hahlbrock, A., Erler, K., Reinhardt, C., Schilling, O., Becker, S., Gunzer, M., Hasenberg, M., Knauer, S. K., & Stauber, R. H. (2018). Nanoparticle decoration impacts airborne fungal pathobiology. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115(27), 7087–7092. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1804542115 <https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6142250/?fbclid=IwAR1fP8xh6yXSH52UIV3MRfJHTcotNlPpHr100XnBich18_ELYrGZZZbrUyk>

The Recent USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Change - My Take as a Geographer & Gardener

By Becca Pray, B.S. in Geography 2019

If you're not already familiar, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a map of different growing zones here in the U.S. which is intended to help gardeners and farmers understand what crops will likely overwinter in their outdoor temperatures. For example, I can overwinter a hardier Zone 5 Rosemary in my yard here in Floyd, but that same Rosemary would die in a Zone 3 yard such as one found in Nothern Minnesota. Each plant species -- and even variety -- has a unique hardiness level that must be considered before attempting to overwinter the plant outdoors in the elements.

Last year, the USDA updated this map, and much of Floyd County shifted from Zone 6b to Zone 7a instead.

Why did this happen? And what does it mean for Floydians?

Firstly, let's establish what this map is based on. This map uses one simple piece of information to calculate these zones: the average annual extreme minimum Winter temperature.

Second, the reason an update was made to this map was the addition of recent data in the first place. Earth's Climate has never been 100% static. It is common knowledge that our not-so-distant ancestors endured the recent Ice Age. When new weather data is applied to existing climate models, it changes the averages. It's basic math. The average annual extreme minimum temperature (the coldest average temperature in Winter) is calculated by adding up every low temperature for the 365 day calendar, and then dividing that number by 365.

As you can see in the color key in the above map, if Floyd was originally Zone 6b and is now Zone 7a, it means that means that our average annual extreme minimum temperature decreased from the range of:

-5°F to -0°F

to a range of

0°F to 5°F

Many people are interpreting this as a reason to go ahead and plant Zone 7 plants, trees, and shrubs here in Floyd whereas they weren't doing so before. I would personally caution everyone against this. Let me tell you why.

This change in Zone was determined by an average minimum temperature, NOT the actual lowest temperature.

Here is an example dataset to show how an average is very different from the dataset's lowest number:

The averages have a 0.3°F difference as a result of only one different datapoint (4°F in Location B ) despite both locations experiencing a potentially plant-killing 1°F night.

Here we can see how Location A and Location B both reached a minimum temperature of 1°F, but the average of Location B is higher because of one higher datapoint (4°F).

This is why I will not personally be planting Zone 7 plants in my garden. Even though our average annual extreme minimum temperature has increased, we will still experience our trusty old -5°F temps with -20°F wind chill in the Wintertime, which will still harm or kill Zone 7 plants.

In addition to the math part of it, the microclimates of Floyd County could not possibly be calculated or mapped. I have clients whose pumpkin vines don't die until weeks after mine do. There are also areas that will be snowy or icy when the rest of the county is sloppy and moist.

In summary, the best people to ask about pushing these Zone limits is your neighbors and nearby farmers. It is best to use your firsthand experience, and listen to your gut instinct about your own microclimate. For more ways to work around your first and last frost dates, check out this Blog post: Gardening is Gambling - How to Mitigate Your Losses.

My final point is that... folks... this is the government. They have done a wonderful job of establishing a foundation model for us to consider, but if you are expecting perfection from the government, we can't be friends. And if you're using the government for your gardening tips, we can be friends but we need a serious coffee date to discuss your trust in authority. Lol! Thanks for reading if you made it this far.

Happy gardening!

Gardening Is Gambling - How To Mitigate Your Losses

I wouldn't say I have a green thumb. I make mistakes and have my fair share of failures in the garden. I do still end up with a lush and healthy garden, regardless of disaster. I rarely have an empty plot, and always have extra seeds and transplants to fill one in an instant. Even when blight or insect damage wreak havoc on my garden, I always have the backup waiting to go. Without a real green thumb at work, what might I be doing right?

What may benefit me here is that I am ultimately not the gambling type, and I have learned this foremostly through my work in the garden. That feels oxymoronic to say, because gardening is gambling. What I have mastered through years of trial and error in the garden, is that I prefer to buffer my gardening with several layers of insurance -- and not the kind you pay for.

Any gardener of any skill level certainly knows that failure is an innate factor in gardening. There will be failures, it's mostly a question of when they will be. A wetter-than-normal season may result in blight for susceptible crops. Other pest invasions can wipe out an entire crop in a matter of days -- this could even be your own goats!

Here are some methods that gardeners can use to reduce the losses when disaster strikes, and the gamble is lost.

1. Succession Sowing: Don't sow all your seeds in one place! My rule of thumb is to never sow more than half a seed pack in a single sitting. Either I sow it again later, or I go to a different location in my garden to sow more from the half I reserved. As a result, if seeds fail to germinate in one area, there are more possibilities for success in a different location or safely in your seed packet. For tomatoes and a few other susceptible crops like cucumbers, I will sow indoors several times throughout Spring and Summer. I do this so that if there is a June frost (yup, it happens here) or a mid-Summer blight, I can plant out more seedlings to replace the compromised ones, and still get a steady yield in the end. Any extra transplants are easily gifted to friends or sold.

2. Polyculture: Disburse species within your garden spaces to slow down or confuse incoming pests. If a swarm of insects -- or diabolical goats -- gains access to your crops, they may overlook some of their tarte plants that are hidden within the mix. In the end, this could mean the difference between you eating garlic bread, or just plain boring bread 🍞

3. Crop Covers: No, not cover crops. At times, coverings of various sorts will be required for the survival of your plants. It is imperative to have these covers on hand, as even 2-day shipping won't save your plants if a frost is that night, or if the insects have already begun feasting on your eggplants. I keep sheets, large-ish plastic containers, and glass jars to delicately place over plants on the evening before a potential frost. I am always sure to propagate frost-sensitive seedlings in places that can be covered and uncovered with ease. In addition to frost covers, insect barriers may become necessary during the hotter seasons. Having these on hand will serve to protect your investments in the garden.

Between all this, I have a whole system down where I am able to maintain a steady yield of even the most susceptible crops. Pictured below is my office window full of green tomatoes on a cold November day. Even indeterminate tomatoes lose their steam after a few months, but thanks to a second planting I did in July that year, I was harvesting tomatoes even after the first frost.

I have never agreed with the idea that there is a right way to garden. Many folks in my area plant their garden on Mother's Day and leave it at that. In my view, these folks are putting all their eggs in one basket for all the marbles. Try some new ways of insuring your garden this year, by succession sowing, applying polyculture principals, and having life-saving equipment at the ready!