Mould on sycamore

[Gillsgardening]

Aup all, I'm processing some sycamore which has been in the yard a while and some of it which has been in the shade is coated in a black powdery mould, when you go to split it a cloud of it is released. What is it and is it harmful cheers

[10 Bears]

Any moulds or fungi spores have the potential to cause respiratory distress in anyone that breathe them in.

 

Its obviously worse in the elderly (compromised system), the young (immature/underdeveloped passageways/alveoli etc.), and those with a compounding issue e.g. asthma or similar.

 

There is a fungi spore, particularly found in wood chip that has not been rotated, that caused the death of a German farmer a few years ago. I have forgotten its name, but this was in an enclosed barn that he visited every day so presumably this is not your situation in any case.

 

The point is - with no images etc., I personally couldn't ID anything for you, but my general advice would be to avoid breathing in the spore cloud if you could avoid it.

[David Humphries]

There is a fungi spore, particularly found in wood chip that has not been rotated, that caused the death of a German farmer a few years ago. I have forgotten its name, but this was in an enclosed barn that he visited every day so presumably this is not your situation in any case.

 

Aspergillus

 

 

.

[10 Bears]

A very brief search and I cant find the farmer story - perhaps you want to try, but this is similar:

 

Acute Respiratory Illness Following Occupational Exposure to Wood Chips -- Ohio

 

Ive also been told that breathing in Oak dust when sawing is carconogenic. A little off topic but a quick search again turns up:

 

http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/twelfth/profiles/wooddust.pdf

 

CDC - NIOSH 1988 OSHA PEL Project Documentation: List by Chemical Name: WOOD DUST

[10 Bears]

Aspergillus.

 

Ah - thanks david.

 

So that bit of information leads me to:

 

Aspergillus and the lung

[Gillsgardening]

Cheers guys, I'll get a picture

[Gardenmac]

Aup all, I'm processing some sycamore which has been in the yard a while and some of it which has been in the shade is coated in a black powdery mould, when you go to split it a cloud of it is released. What is it and is it harmful cheers

 

I was rotating the log pile and came across the same black mould on sycamore. Very fine powder that looks almost like soot, slightest breeze and the spores are up. Moved all the sycamore out into the open to see if kills it off.

[Gillsgardening]

That's the stuff!!

[Farmer Tom]

So long as you've got the airflow, I'd keep the syc back inside.

Syc + rain = mush pdq.

same reason you need to keep it up off the ground.

[sloth]

Cryptostroma corticale, sooty bark disease of sycamore, maybe. Best nog inhaled if so...

 

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