3 replies to this topic

[Shortpoet-GTD]

I can't find a decent answer on the internet so I'll ask it here and hopefully get
an intelligent answer.

I have been composting for years. I also have had a small covered container in the kitchen
(for years) for fruit/veggie scraps but lately I've gotten a while/grey mold growing in
my kitchen bucket.
(Probably have to get a different bucket, as it's not air tight like my old one which
I had to ditch because it just got too nasty)

I'm concerned about releasing these spores into the air (my air) as I add more scraps.

How toxic is it? Should I worry? I have no symptoms of any kind; respiratory-etc.

Once a week I add this brew to my outside compost tumbler and it seems to be
breaking down fine with shredded documents, green matter (grasses, etc) and
food scraps.

Should I quit? Get another container? What?
Thanks in advance.

[still learning]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 07 May 2016 - 03:24 PM, said:

I can't find a decent answer.....

How toxic is it? Should I worry? I have no symptoms of any kind; respiratory-etc.

I doubt you can get a definitive answer.  A definitive and trustworthy answer that says "don't worry about it" anyway.

I imagine a mycologist or a physician wouldn't want to give a definite OK without examining a sample of the mold.  Maybe not even then.  

Molds and other fungi can certainly cause human disease,  athlete's foot and dandruff to fatal conditions.  Really troublesome to folks with a depressed immune system.  Most kinds of fungi don't cause human health trouble though.  Some we depend on, as in yeasts for baking and brewing.

I think you'll be OK, just try not to breathe in visible spore clouds.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Thanks for the reply. I have a doctors mask (which I use while cleaning the litter box) so I'll use that there too.
Thanks again.

[SheforACT]

Compost can be a breeding ground for dangerous pathogens, some of which have killed or seriously harmed unsuspecting gardeners. You should not store compost in fully closed or airtight containers.  Without any air, it can actually become combustible. Wash your hands after dealing with compost to avoidgetting sick. When stirring and tilling the compost, which is required on a regular basis in order for it to process and break down, always wear a nose and mouth guard or dust mask to avoid inhaling the various spores that will become airborne during tilling and turning.