Director: David Fiess, MPA, REHS • Phone: (260) 449-7459 • FAX: (260) 449-7460 • Email: dave.fiess@co.allen.in.us
Location: 2242 Carroll Rd, Fort Wayne, IN 46818 • Hours: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday
Meet the Staff: Tom McCue, REHS, Asst. Director; Francis Koch, Env.Technician; Pat De Haven, Secretary; Seasonal Mosquito Technicians

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 Fort Wayne - Allen 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 Fort Wayne 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 Fort Wayne Neighborhood Code Enforcement Agency at 311.

HELPFUL INFORMATION

 

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More Articles:   General Information • FAQ • Animal Bites & Rabies • Bed Bugs • Children's Environmental Health Protection • Cockroaches • Indoor Air Quality • Meth Labs • Mosquitoes • Mosquitoes - Biology • Mosquitoes - Diseases • Mosquitoes - Prevention & Control • Pests & Other Vectors • Radon • Rats & Mice - Biology & Diseases • Rats & Mice - Control • Ticks • Unsanitary Conditions • Unwanted Refrigerators & Freezers • Integrated Pest Management

Photo Gallery

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  • This engorged American Dog Tick was pulled off a human. To prevent tick attachment, wear light-colored clothing, long pants with the bottoms placed into the top of socks, and apply a DEET-product to your clothing. Check your clothing and body after exiting a high grass or wooded area.
  • De-rimmed tires breed mosquitoes and can provide drinking water for rats. Culex species, ones that can carry WNv, and Ae. triseriatus, carrier of LaCrosse Encephalitis, use tires as a habitat when in the larval form. The sun heats the black rubber allowing for increased mosquito production, even when it is cool out. Tires should be properly disposed of or covered to prevent mosquito breeding.
  • A female Culex mosquito laying an egg raft, which can consist of 200-300 eggs.
  • Mold needs water to grow. Remove the water source and there won't be a mold problem.
  • The American dog tick is the largest tick in Indiana and can carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
  • Sticky traps are a great tool to catch cockroaches.
  • Rats like to eat grease, as can be seen in the pan on the stove.
  • Educating the public on Vector-borne diseases is an on-going effort.
  • Ae. triseriatus, a carrier of LaCrosse Encephalitis, lays her eggs in treeholes and containers.
  • Mosquito larvae
  • Cockroach infestation in kitchen cabinet.
  • Mosquitofish can be placed into ornamental ponds to eat mosquito larvae. The fish only get to be an inch in length.
  • Un-maintained swimming pools are perfect for breeding the mosquitoes that can carry West Nile virus.
  • Double whammy for mosquito breeding - uncovered boat with un-rimmed tire in it.
  • Notice the pop can the rats tried pulling into a burrow.
  • This rat ate poison bait stored in a secure station.
  • Bed bugs do not transmit diseases, but their bites can become infected if scratched too much.
  • Ingredients taken from a meth lab that was found in a house.
Did You Know?

Rats and mice do not transmit rabies.

 

Fort Wayne - Allen County Department of Health
1 E Main St, 5th Floor, Room 501 ♦ Fort Wayne, IN 46802
Phone: 260 449-7561 ♦ Email: info@allencountyhealth.com
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