The answer is YES!!

I actually responded with this story on a previous posting and thought it might be beneficial to repost it for more people to see. 

I was doing a regular home inspection a while back on a home built in 1924 where some Einstein decided to block off the entire crawlspace. No access, no ventilation...nothing. Anyway, as I was doing the inspection I made my way into the kitchen area where I could tell immediately there was a problem somewhere due to the smell. (I still had the blocked crawlspace in the back of my mind).

I went over to the kitchen cabinets and opened up the door underneath the sink. Immediately I saw Mold bleeding up through the bottom of the cabinet right where the pipe went down. Now one thing, by me doing Mold testing you would think I would have been smarter than this, but no.....I stuck my head into the cabinet to get a closer look, the next thing I know I was flat on my back laying in the middle of the kitchen floor. The smell was so concentrated and so strong that I literally blacked out for a few seconds. I have NEVER in my time as a home inspector and a Mold professional ran across anything like that before. After I woke up, I was still dizzy and the pungent smell was still in my nose. I immediately got out of the house and got my Mold gear out of my truck, and went back in to finish the inspection. I informed my client of my findings (she was a first time house flipper) and told her that in my opinion the Mold was coming up from underneath the home, most likely due to the blocked crawlspace. I also told her this was some pretty serious stuff and not to take this lightly.

Long story short, I found out a short time ago, the flippers went to replace some sub-flooring in the living room, so when they went to do so, they found the problem alright. The ENTIRE crawlspace was black with mold. It was so bad that later on they actually had to condemn the home and demolish it.

The moral of this story is simple. Do not let anyone tell you that Mold is not a problem and that  it's an easy cure and fix, or that you don't need to test for Mold or the EPA says this and the EPA says that. Mold is VERY serious and can cause VERY serious allergies, asthma, upper respiratory illnesses, etc.. After that ordeal, I have a much greater respect for Mold and I do not take anything for granted anymore when inspecting homes. Anything that can knock a 235 lb man on the ground with just one whiff, deserves a little respect.

If you are a homeowner and you have ANY concern at all about Mold, you should have your home inspected, and air samples taken, Period. This case was an isolated incident and not all homes that have Mold are this bad. But it does show what Mold can do in a home if left untested and untreated.

Experts estimate that over 10% of the general public suffers adverse respiratory effects from toxins produced by mold, and contrary to popular belief, sometimes you cannot always see or even smell the Mold, but that doesn't mean that it isn't there wreaking havoc on your home and upper respiratory system.

I hope my story helps someone