parachutist 2 #1 February 23, 2010 I received a rig to repack. It had a moldy/mildew smell on the freebag, bridle, and reserve container. Most of the reserve container is black, so the amount of mold was difficult to tell there, however the freebag is yellow, and bridle is white.... both of those show quite a few black dots and splotches, and a few red ones. I washed the rig with Woolite and all the water in the sink turned dark black for 3 wash/rinse cycles. Mold stains on the bridle and freebag weren't affected, but the whole rig smells a lot better now at least, and looks cleaner. Unfortunately I didn't think to wear any sort of protection like gloves/mask while handling the rig. Several hours later my esophagus was annoying me while swallowing. I was feeling pain as anything progressed down the esophagus all the way to stomach. That night I developed a fever, and over the next couple days swallowing was more and more painful, with fever coming and going. I'm on about day 5 of this esophagitis, and it's finally improving. I don't know the mold was the cause of this, but chronology of events seems to support it. I went to see a doc today and he said I'd need to see a specialist who could put a scope down there to identify. Since it's finally mending tho, I think I'm going to wait it out. Has anyone else experienced some health issues like this while handling moldy rigs? Does anyone know how to kill the mold without damaging freebag/bridle/container. I don't know if Woolite kills it or not, and I'd rather not hand it back to the owner with live cultures present. Chris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
antonija 0 #2 February 23, 2010 Mould in general is quite tame creature that likes to poison everything around it It is also very tough creature, able to survive changes in temperature, pH and even an attack with chemical "weapons" such as common solvents (alcohols, acetone, ...). This is not true for every type of mould, but some are really that nasty. And deadly. This is what I found on www.mouldfacts.ca about cleaning: Quote Clothing Clothing is very easy to deal with. It can be washed in the washing machine, which will remove any mold or spores. If there was staining due to mold growth, this may or may not come out in the wash, but it's just a stain. Mold is no longer on clothing after being washed and dried. Many times people are overly concerned that the mold spores or mold toxins would remain permanently on their clothes and continue affecting their health. In all cases, when handling items or areas that are contaminated by mold, it is best to protect yourself. Wear gloves and a mask if you can. I'm the "overly concerned" person mentioned I understand the need for conformity. Without a concise set of rules to follow we would probably all have to resort to common sense. -David Thorne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
