Often times, when clients ask us this question, they’re not actually inquiring about the dangerous mold strains like Aspergillus fumigatus or Candida auris that have been known to cause serious (sometimes even fatal) fungal infections, especially in immunocompromised people. What they really want to know is whether or not household mold—that is, the stuff they
How frequently do you get headaches? Are they a rare inconvenience that you sometimes contend with when you’ve spent too much time staring at your computer screen? Or are they a frequent issue that just seems to “act up” with little rhyme or reason? At RealTime Laboratories, one question we sometimes get from clients is,
When people hear about mold-related illnesses, they generally visualize someone retching after coming in contact with bread or fruit that’s sprouted blue fuzz. However, tainted food isn’t the only way for nasty fungus cause harm. Although most of the over 100,000 species of mold on Earth are relatively harmless, certain types of mold produce dangerous
Good news, everyone: spring is almost here! Soon, we’ll be able to say “goodbye” to cold, dreary outdoor conditions and say “hello” to warmth and sunshine! For a lot of people, the arrival of spring also means Spring Cleaning. And at RealTime Laboratories, we’d like to remind folks to add ‘Check the basements and crawl
How good is your sense of smell? Can you tell the difference between gardenia and jasmine, or do you think that they both just seem “kinda flowery?” Can you identify when the milk in your fridge is just starting to go bad, or does it not grab your attention until long after it’s become sour?
Picture this: you’re cleaning your bathroom, and you notice a patch of black “gunk” in the shower pan or wall tiles. Upon further inspection, you realize that the gunk in question is mold. Dark colored mold. Fear swirls in your gut—is this the dreaded “black mold” that can render a home uninhabitable for months at
The RealTime Laboratories Urine Mycotoxin Test is now available for $399 when ordered online. Our industry-leading mycotoxin test detects 15 mycotoxins: Aflatoxin B1, Aflatoxin B2, Aflatoxin G1, Aflatoxin G2, Satratoxin G, Satratoxin H, Isosatratoxin F, Roridin A, Roridin E, Roridin H, Roridin L-2, Ochratoxin A (OTA), Verrucarin J, Verrucarin A, Gliotoxin. As our business grows
When the average homeowner wants to test their home for mold, they essentially have two options: Hire a professional mold inspector to test the house using state-of-the-art equipment—like RealTime Laboratory’s own Environmental Mold & Mycotoxin Assessment (EMMA). Go to a local home improvement or big-box store, purchase a generic environmental mold test, and do the
Let’s be honest: mold remediation is one of those industries where folks on the outside looking in often find themselves feeling a bit…lost. Without Googling, do know the difference between Rhizopus stolonifer and Stachybotrys chartarum? Could you explain why fungal load is a more accurate way to express test results than a simple spore count?
To most people, the idea of guzzling down a dark-colored beverage, only to see an insect or piece of nondescript grime at the bottom of the cup, is pretty horrifying. But is this notion better or worse than the idea of drinking a dark-colored beverage overrun with gunk that you can’t see? Here’s the bad
