Understanding Mold

A curated guide to important topics on mold, indoor air quality, testing, mycotoxins, and remediation.

This page brings together links from podcasts, articles, and videos.

New to Mold? Start Here

These provide a foundation for understanding mold and the answers to questions asked most often. Recommended before doing and testing, reading about mycotoxins, health, or remediation.

Recommended Listening

Common Mold Questions: What You Need to Know About Mold in Your Home

The basics of mold, moisture, and the questions homeowners often ask when they suspect they have a mold problem.

Mold Is Not Everywhere: Debunking Misinterpretations of NYS Mold Law

Finding mold in one location doesn't mean mold is everywhere,. Context matters. How mold results can be misinterpreted.

Answers to Mold Questions: Special Situations

Unique scenarios and frequently asked questions that don't fit typical mold discussions.

Understanding Mold Testing

Before spending money on mold testing, understand what different tests measure, when they're useful, and how to avoid conclusions testing cannot support. Learn the strengths and limitations of testing methods so you can make better decisions and interpret your test results with confidence.

Recommended Listening

Mold Testing: What You Need to Know Before You Test for Mold

The purpose of mold testing, different types of tests, and why having a strategy is more important than the actual process of collecting samples.

Mold in Your HVAC (Air Conditioning) System & Air Ducts

Should your HVAC system or air ducts be tested for mold? Learn when HVAC testing is appropriate, what it can reveal, and how heating and cooling systems influence indoor air quality.

Everything You Need to Know About Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins are a misunderstood topic. Learn what mycotoxins are and what they are not, how they're produced, how testing for them works, and what conclusions can—and cannot—be drawn from test results. The goal isn't just to explain mycotoxins. It's to help you interpret evidence.

Recommended Listening

Mycotoxins Are Not VOCs: Debunking Mycotoxin Misinformation

Mycotoxins are often impied to be volatile organic compounds (MVOCs or VOCs). These are fundamentally different. Learn what they are and why confusing them leads to incorrect conclusions about mold and indoor air quality.

Yes—All Molds Can Produce Mycotoxins

Do only certain molds produce mycotoxins? This episode explores what current research says about mycotoxin production and why understanding the conditions under which molds produce toxins is more important than knowing the species.

CFS and Mycotoxins: Why Mycotoxin Testing May Not Reveal the Cause

Can elevated mycotoxins determining the source of exposure? Why mycotoxin testing doesn't always answer the question people hope it will—and why identifying the actual problem requires additional evidence.

Mycotoxins: Questions After My Conversation with Andi

After interviewing Andrea Hembroff on The Daniel Stih Podcast, I found myself thinking about questions that required further exploration. In this follow-up solo, I examine those questions, clarify key concepts, and share additional perspectives on interpreting mycotoxin testing.

Mold Remediation: Getting It Right

Successful mold remediation involves more than removing visible mold. Learn what effective remediation should accomplish, common mistakes that can leave problems unresolved, and how to evaluate whether a remediation was successful.

Recommended Listening

Mold Remediation and Mold Removal: How to Get It Done Right

What does mold remediation involve? Learn the goals of remediation, the steps involved, and why simply killing or covering up mold is not good enough.

Why Your Home Still Smells Musty After Mold Remediation

A musty odor after remediation is completed usually indicates something was missed or is unresolved. Explore the common reasons mold-like odors may persist after remediation is completed and what they reveal about a home.

Paint and Encapsulation: Should You Use It?

Some paint encapsulation products and specialty coatings are promoted as solutions for preventing mold. This episode explores when they may be appropriate and work, when they aren't, and the importance of addressing the underlying moisture problem first.

Why ERVs Don't Work for Crawlspaces

Ventilation is an important part of healthy buildings— when done correctly. Learn why installing an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) in a crawlspace can create unintended consequences and what the better alternatives might be.

Recommended Tools, Meters, Products

Products & Tools I Use

Mold & Health

Understanding the relationship between mold and health isn't straightforward. This episode explores what is known about mold exposure, potential health effects, and how environmental findings should—and should not—be interpreted alongside medical concerns. The goal is to help you understand the evidence while recognizing the limitations of environmental and medical testing.

Recommended Listening

Mold Exposure: Health and Safety Risks from Exposure to Mold

What health effects can mold exposure cause? This episode explores the current understanding of mold-related health risks, why individual responses vary, and how environmental findings should be interpreted alongside symptoms and medical evaluation.

Renting, Buying & Special Situations

Mold problems become more complicated when landlords, property managers, sellers, buyers, or insurance companies are involved. This episode explores practical considerations for navigating these situations, communicating effectively, and avoiding the common mistakes that make resolving a problem more difficult.

Recommended Listening

Mold in Your Rental? How to Talk to Your Landlord—and What NOT to Say

Suspect mold in your rental? Learn how to communicate concerns, document the problem, and avoid the common mistakes that make resolving the situation difficult.

EMFs & Mold: The Experiment

Can electromagnetic fields influence mold growth? This episode follows up to an experiment I performed that wwas designed to explore that question—from the original hypothesis to the testing process, results and conclusions. The goal was to demonstrate the importance of evidence, experimentation, and critical thinking.

Recommended Listening

Do EMFs Make Mold Grow Faster? Part 1

Why do some people believe EMFs can influence mold growth? This episode introduces a hypothesis, reviews the claims, and explains an experiment designed to test them.

Debunking the Panic: Does Your Cell Phone Really Make Mold Worse?

Extraordinary claims deserve careful examination. This episode explores the common misconceptions about EMFs and mold, separating speculation from what can be supported by evidence.

Does Your Cell Phone Help Black Mold Grow? EMF & Mold Experiment Results

What did the experiment show? This episode presents the results, discusses the conclusions, and reflects on what the experiment did—and did not—tell us about how EMFs might affect mold.

Continue Exploring with The Daniel Stih Podcast

Interested in how experiments, assumptions, and systems thinking apply beyond mold? Explore more conversations on engineering, science, decision-making, and solving complex problems on
→ The Daniel Stih Podcast.

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