Free Bottles - A blessing and a curse

[shivalotus]

Just recently I had someone offer me free bottles. To which I promptly said "yes please." When they arrived there were 10 dozen 12 oz bottles. I immediately decided that I would have to start brewing a lot more beer. I had them inside sitting on the floor with the intent that I would wash them out right away and then find them a nice home until they could be filled.

One thing led to another and I didn't get them washed right away. I realized there was a problem when I started sneezing uncontrollably. I happen to be rather allergic to mold. When I checked the bottles I discovered that no one had rinsed them when they were emptied.

Today I spend most of the day soaking them in PBW, scrubbing labels off and running them through the bottle washer. All the while I was sneezing my head off. I have now seen every color of mold imaginable.

The moral I suppose is that you should always deal with bottles right away.

 

[BluBruShack]

Its a good moral, however im betting that mold was there long before you got them. I get free bottles from my buddies and they have the same problem. *Shrug* Comes with the territory.
Good Luck and dont get sick

 

[unionrdr]

I treat folks better than that. I've got some free stubbies in the classifieds that are washed & all but 6 de=labeled. Mold makes me do that too.

 

[arg]

I hope you were wearing some type of mask, or at least trying not to breath that stuff. When all of the mold and fungal spores build up inside your body it can be VERY bad. Google "mycotoxicity"

 

[SenorPepe]

I hope you were wearing some type of mask, or at least trying not to breath that stuff. When all of the mold and fungal spores build up inside your body it can be VERY bad. Google "mycotoxicity"

You intrigued me. And I googled it. Second link, from the WI Dept of Health and Family Services, reads: There are no confirmed cases of mycotoxicity, via inhalational exposure, in residential or office settings. In contrast, toxic effects following the ingestion of moldy food by livestock and people are well documented. Allergy is the health effect normally ascribed to inhaled
molds. A few cases have correlated, but not confirmed, pulmonary hemosiderosis and pulmonary pneumonitis to the presence of mold in the home. Documented cases of nonallergic health effects to humans following inhalation of molds have occurred in occupational settings, primarily in the handling of grain and animal feed. In these and other occupations
involving the generation of biological particulates, there is a risk of chronic exposure to inhaled mycotoxins greater than that expected in residential or office settings.

So cleaning out moldy bottles is probably not covered under the general conception of "residential setting" but from my reading of it it doesn't seem like much cause for alarm. Definitely not something to mess with though.

 

[osagedr]

A buddy gave me about 25 dozen MGD bottles when I first started brewing. Took me about 20 hours one weekend to clean and delabel. Some of the nastiest mold I'd ever seen.

Not long after I learned that (a) I should be using brown bottles, and (b) MGD are some of the hardest bottles to delabel (not as bad as Aussie wine bottles, but still bad). I still have most of the bottles and use them for coolers, hard lemonade, or beer that I'm likely to give away.

 

[arg]

You intrigued me. And I googled it. Second link, from the WI Dept of Health and Family Services, reads: There are no confirmed cases of mycotoxicity, via inhalational exposure, in residential or office settings. In contrast, toxic effects following the ingestion of moldy food by livestock and people are well documented. Allergy is the health effect normally ascribed to inhaled
molds. A few cases have correlated, but not confirmed, pulmonary hemosiderosis and pulmonary pneumonitis to the presence of mold in the home. Documented cases of nonallergic health effects to humans following inhalation of molds have occurred in occupational settings, primarily in the handling of grain and animal feed. In these and other occupations
involving the generation of biological particulates, there is a risk of chronic exposure to inhaled mycotoxins greater than that expected in residential or office settings.

So cleaning out moldy bottles is probably not covered under the general conception of "residential setting" but from my reading of it it doesn't seem like much cause for alarm. Definitely not something to mess with though.

Right you are. In normal environments it's not something to worry about, and probably is not a much of a problem for people when we're talking about a pile of dirty bottles growing mold, either. It's more of a concern for people who grow their own mushrooms (legal and edible!!!) because of the large amounts of damp grains, etc., and, given that I personally know someone that became seriously ill due to the inhalation of mold and fungal spores I felt it deserved a mention.

Didn't mean to sound the alarm bells, it's just that when I find myself in a situation where mold is being washed, or as mentioned in this case, starts to cause sneezing, coughing, etc, just from being in the room, I'm very careful to ensure the area is well ventilated and I have a mask.

What doesn't kill you, still can't be good for you.

Kudos for following up

Back on topic - I plan to receive a case (24) flip-tops in exchange for allowing some sampling of various home brews tomorrow! Hopefully they aren't a moldy curse! :cross: