“Is Your House Making You Sick?” (2016), is an 88-page book by building biologist Andrea Fabry detailing her family’s experience in a home infected by toxic mold, and her advice to readers on what to do if they find themselves in a similar situation.
The book is an easy, light, and highly informative read and is recommended reading for anyone who wonders if their home could be making them sick.
Fabry is a mother and former journalist who became a certified Building Biology Practitioner after her own family experienced the harsh effects of both a moldy home, and of mold remediation done terribly wrong, as she shares in Is Your House Making You Sick?
Author Andrea Fabry does a great job here and the book is definitely worth reading if you or a family member feels mold at home is causing or contributing to their sickness.
Fabry shares snippets of her family’s story in the book’s early pages. That and the fact she’s a building biologist let readers know they’re not being mislead, or guided by a ghost author with little personal knowledge or experience on the toxic effects of mold.
But it isn’t until you reach an appendix at the end of the book, on page 67, titled “Our Family’s Story; A Timeline of Events,” that you’ll understand just how serious and devastating were her and her family’s experience with toxic mold.
Since people who suffer from mold illness so often report being gaslit, misunderstood, or misdiagnosed by doctors, the Appendix is one of many great resources for people who wonder if they’re really mold-sick.
The details and anecdotes provided for many of Fabry’s family members illustrate, at least for one family, how varied and harsh the signs of mold sickness can be.
“Are you curious about the hype over toxic mold? Have you experienced a mold exposure and are unsure of your next step? Are people telling you mold is everywhere and it’s no big deal? Are you afraid your indoor environment may be negatively affecting your health?
“Andrea Fabry, former journalist, certified Building Biology Practitioner, and mother of nine, has a passion to empower people to ask good questions and seek answers. In 2008, undetected water damage created a toxic mold crisis that cost her family their home and their health. Andrea has seen the impact toxic mold can have on children and adults alike. She understands the confusion, myths, and lack of information surrounding toxic mold.
“In this eye-opening resource, you’ll hear more about Andrea’s story and benefit from her years of research as she shares principles for identifying and remediating toxic mold, effective mold testing methods, the symptoms of mold exposure, health recovery strategies, and much more. Is Your House Making You Sick? A Beginner’s Guide to Toxic Mold offers hope and help for homeowners, tenants, landlords, and anyone concerned about indoor air quality and its effect on human health.“
We provide these notes to both encourage you to buy the book if it suites you, and to help you determine whether this book in particular is likely to answer your questions or be relevant to your condition or concerns personally. We intentionally omit the specific facts, answers, and opinions provided by the author, so as not to detract from their work and research, or curtail the marketability of their work.
Is Your House Making You Sick contains the following chapters:
The following doctors and experts are referenced, quoted or referred to by the author:
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Great book. Well worth buying and reading.
The author does a great job of clearly, simply, and concisely sharing many of the most important facts, warning signs, and solutions surrounding toxic mold at home.
The book’s length and the author’s clarity of thought make it easily readable: It’s neither so technical as to prohibit understanding, nor so casual as to lack credibility. Experts and studies are cited in text and in back matter. The author is also herself a building biologist, and personally experienced what she writes about—dramatically so.
The Appendix alone is worth the price of the book—since so many will so easily relate to the many life-altering symptoms of toxic mold exposure that the author shares about many members of her family.
(Or not relate at all, and thus know to look elsewhere or that mold may not be their problem.)
Is Your House Making You Sick? is a great first resource for anyone who suspects their home or health might be affected by a mold problem.
Chapters 7 and 9, on Detoxing and Legal Recourse, could be considered primers on these topics, but combined with the resources listed in Appendix B and the work the author continues on her website, are very helpful.
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