Business Opportunities Weblog

Healthy World Environmental

By on March 3, 2009 in Biz Ops / Featured / Profiles

so is life
photo credit: TroyMason

Healthy World Environmental is offering a turnkey moisture inspection and mold remediation business opportunity.

I’m not a mold expert, so I’ll defer to the EPA’s explanation of indoor mold:

Molds are part of the natural environment. Outdoors, molds play a part in nature by breaking down dead organic matter such as fallen leaves and dead trees, but indoors, mold growth should be avoided. Molds reproduce by means of tiny spores; the spores are invisible to the naked eye and float through outdoor and indoor air. Mold may begin growing indoors when mold spores land on surfaces that are wet. There are many types of mold, and none of them will grow without water or moisture.

Molds are usually not a problem indoors, unless mold spores land on a wet or damp spot and begin growing. Molds have the potential to cause health problems. Molds produce allergens (substances that can cause allergic reactions), irritants, and in some cases, potentially toxic substances (mycotoxins). Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Allergic responses include hay fever-type symptoms, such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash (dermatitis). Allergic reactions to mold are common. They can be immediate or delayed. Molds can also cause asthma attacks in people with asthma who are allergic to mold. In addition, mold exposure can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs of both mold-allergic and non-allergic people. Symptoms other than the allergic and irritant types are not commonly reported as a result of inhaling mold. Research on mold and health effects is ongoing. This brochure provides a brief overview; it does not describe all potential health effects related to mold exposure. For more detailed information consult a health professional. You may also wish to consult your state or local health department.

It is impossible to get rid of all mold and mold spores indoors; some mold spores will be found floating through the air and in house dust. The mold spores will not grow if moisture is not present. Indoor mold growth can and should be prevented or controlled by controlling moisture indoors. If there is mold growth in your home, you must clean up the mold and fix the water problem. If you clean up the mold, but don’t fix the water problem, then, most likely, the mold problem will come back.

The mold remediation industry has traditionally relied on poisonous, chemically based, nonspecific biocides to kill mold in homes and commercial buildings. Tearing out anything with mold on it is common. The treatment is usually limited to those areas of the building with visible mold growths. This process is time consuming, utilizes hazardous materials and leaves behind traces of toxic chemicals and allergenic dead mold. These remnants are then removed with elbow grease and costly air scrubbers and are often unsuccessful.

Healthy World Environmental’s process uses a different approach that is safe for the environment. They use naturally occurring, non-toxic enzymes that dissolve the mold and spore cells. You can apply their enzyme to the entire property without having to remove building structure or the contents. By treating the entire indoor space, you can remove the mold spores from the entire property and not just the areas with visible mold. The enzymes completely dissolve all of the dead mold and spores, so when the process is complete there is nothing left to cause any allergic reactions.

In part two of this series, we’ll look at recent legislation that has greatly increases the demand for this business.

eco-friendly

Business Opportunities Weblog editor and publisher Dane Carlson lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, just 15 miles from Yosemite National Park. He accidentally became a professional blogger in 2001. He has added 12,208 posts to the site.

Another Idea: How to Start a Indoor Environmental Tester Business

  • Jaclyn

    That sound’s like a really great service and idea. i know all about molds, especially indoor mold’s only because i have a young baby, and an allergy to penicilian which is nothing more then a form of mold. so i know how dangerous mold can be to people especially indoor molds that are found in your house.

  • http://capforge.com Matt

    Hey Dane-

    One important thing to check out is whether their remediation service will satisfy insurance company requirements. I fully support being environmentally friendly but if the service isn’t supported as a valid way of clearing mold and a problem later arises then the litigation and repercussions could be very serious. I know, I had mold removed from a commercial building I was leasing and although I didn’t have to pay the paperwork and cost and insurance issues were unbelievable. I would consider this question critical to my hiring someone like this as a contractor for any mold problem I had in the future.

    Matt

  • cassy

    Its really nice idea because we all know that mold is dangerous and based on this business they can protect the people and also the environment.

  • http://www.eastcoastmoldspecialist.com East Coast Mold Specialists

    Stachybotrys is also very deadly for animals as well. Black mold is commonly found in hay that has been exposed to moisture. Stachybotrys has been linked to the deaths of hundreds of horses and cows who have eaten contaminated hay. Animals do not have to ingest the mold to become deathly ill; they simply have to inhale it. Black mold exposure in horses can cause serious neurologic damage as well as severe rashes and irritations to the mouth gums and lips. Black mold is also the leading cause of COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease which causes shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing in horses making it very difficult to breathe.
    If you believe that your family and animals have been exposed to stachybotrys you should seek a doctor or veterinarian before the affects of this mold become permanent. If you are unsure of a possible mold problem in your home a simple mold inspection will give you all of your answers on the type of mold found in your home as well as the proper procedure to remove it.

  • http://www.hweinc.com Dennis Ragain

    Moisture control is the most important aspect for controlling indoor mold growth. Without a moisture source, you will not have to deal with a mold problem inside your living area.

    Property owners should be trained to evaluate your own homes, offices, etc to look for these potential moisture problems and they will prevent costly remediation.

    The National Association for Moisture Management http://www.na4mm.org is a non-profit formed to provide the general public a FREE venue to find out how to maintain their own properties. And if you have a problem, NAMM will guide you to proper people to evaluate your problem. Take a look at the tremedous library of info on this site. Just join for FREE and get the help you need.

  • http://www.linkedin.com/in/howtogetasixpackfast Vince Del

    My fellow on Facebook shared this link and I’m not dissapointed that I came to your blog.

  • http://www.hweinc.com Dennis Ragain

    Our goal in HWE, Inc. has always been prevention. Our new licensees are trained to evaluate properties in such a way as to identify, not only existing mold issues, but, as importantly, to identify potential moisture intrusion problems that if rectified today will prevent indoor mold growth in the future. When there is a mold growth issue, we have the tools to identify the cause first; remove the mold safely using an environmentally friendly product; and be able to guarantee our work.

  • Glenn Paulson

    Please send me a followup on this company or did they fall through the cracks??

  • http://www.hweinc.com Dennis Ragain

    HWE, Inc. continues to be quite busy. We recently licensed people in several more states. Moisture inspections and Bioremediation are becoming more and more requested. Many of the foreclosed properties have developed serious mold problems due to being abandoned with all power turned off, no oversite, etc. These moldy properties will not sell unless someone can guarantee that the mold is gone and the moisture issues that caused the mold problem have been rectified.

    The potential for future business is increasing daily with more and more properties in danger of foreclosure. Our TM-100 all “Green” enzyme process is the only product on the market that has met the very stringent requirements established by the National Association for Moisture Management (NAMM)a non-profit formed to help consumers identify issues in their homes related to moisture intrusion and mold growth. It is free to the consumer.

    Please check out our website @ http://www.hweinc.com. You might also consider taking a look at http://www.na4mm.org.

    Dennis Ragain

  • http://www.hhenvironmental.com NY Mold Specialists

    In the case of mold removal, with the wrong treatment, the results can be almost as bad as the original problem. Using eco-friendly methods and products to treat mold contamination is best for the environment, but the homeowner as well.

  • http://www.hweinc.com Dennis Ragain

    Our licensees do a lot of work in New York and all along the Eastern Seaboard. We are currently doing mold cleanup work all over the U.S. for banks because of our all natural enzyme process and our rigid standards for bioremediation. The TM-100 process we use is the ONLY all “green” product used in the U.S. that has met the very stringent requirements of the National Association for Moisture Management (NAMM) http://www.na4mm.org. We also follow the standards for bioremediation and all remediators who use the TM-100 system have been trained and certified by the national body in moisture evaluations and bioremediation.

  • http://www.callfresh.com Joe

    The national association of what? Did you invent that organization?

  • Dennis Ragain

    Joe, NAMM is a very active organzation. They have been in meetings in Washington DC with the EPA, HUD, various members of Congress, etc over the last few years. We have also been meeting with various state insurance commissioners, the Mortgage Bankers Association and others. If you have questions about who we are and what our goals are, give them a call or contact me directly at 503-990-1292.

    We are a 501(c)3 non-profit formed to help the general public prevent moisture/mold problems. Our inspcetion protocols have been endorsed by very credible people.

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