Can Black Mold Spread From House To House
Yes. If you have had mold in your old house and youre moving into another space, it is possible to cross contaminate this new environment.
Because mold spores are not visible to the naked eye, it is hard to tell which surfaces are contaminated. Therefore, the mold has to be completely cleaned before you renovate or move to a new home.
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Is There More Than One Type Of Aspergillosis
There are several types of aspergillosis.
Pulmonary aspergillosis is most likely to develop in people who have chronic lung disorders or damaged lungs. These people are likely to have abnormal spaces in their lungs where the fungus can grow. The fungus can also rarely infect sinuses and ear canals. The mold spores can colonize inside lung cavities that developed as a result of chronic diseases, such tuberculosis, emphysema, or advanced sarcoidosis. The fibers of fungus might form a lump by combining with white blood cells and blood clots. This lump or ball of fungus is called an aspergilloma or mycetoma. In some cases, a fungus ball may be present in other organs of the body.
Invasive aspergillosis, the most severe type, occurs when the infection travels from the lungs into the bloodstream. Other organs, such as the kidneys, liver, skin or brain, may become infected. This is a very serious condition that may result in death if not treated. People with very weakened immune systems are more susceptible to invasive aspergillosis. Other risk factors include a low white blood cell count, long-term use ofcorticosteroids, or hospitalization.
What Are The Symptoms Of Mold Sickness
If your Total Body Burden is high, or you are genetically predisposed to recycling toxins, regular exposure to mold can cause allergy symptoms, such as:
- Wheezing/shortness of breath
- Long standing or frequent sinusitis
And, serious pain and neurological symptoms, such as:
- Headaches and migraines
- Muscle cramping, aches and pains
- Persistent nerve pain
- Fatigue and weakness
- Poor memory, brain fog, difficulty with focus
In some cases, the spores from mold take root and grow in specific parts of the body, such as the lungs and sinuses. This can cause serious respiratory illnesses and infections.
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Watery Or Irritated Eyes
When allergens are present, the body releases histamines as part of its immune response. This histamine release is what causes the eyes to water excessively when exposed to toxins from mold.
This reaction from histamine may be the bodys way of flushing out allergens and toxins. It can serve as a warning to you that your environment may contain dangerous black mold.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Mold Allergy
Mold spores get into your nose and cause rhinitis symptoms. They also can reach the lungs and trigger asthma.
Symptoms can include:
- Mucus in the throat
- Asthma symptoms if you have allergic asthma cough, wheeze, shortness of breath and/or chest tightness
Mold allergy can cause an allergic reaction right away. But in some cases, it may cause delayed symptoms. This can cause a stuffy nose or asthma symptoms that get worse over time. If your symptoms often get worse in a damp, humid, or moldy room like a basement, this may mean you have a mold allergy.
Outdoor molds often cause allergy symptoms in summer and fall. But they may be year-round in warmer, humid climates. Indoor molds may cause allergy symptoms year-round.
Rarely, some people can have a more serious illness called allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. In this condition, there is both an allergic and an inflammatory response in the lungs to the mold or fungus. Symptoms may include severe wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath, much like asthma.
Food fungi, like mushrooms, dried fruit, or foods containing yeast, vinegar, or soy sauce usually dont cause allergy symptoms in the nose, eyes, and lungs. Reactions to food fungi are often caused by the foods direct effect on blood vessels.
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I Found Mold Growing In My Home How Do I Test The Mold
If you can see or smell mold, a health risk may be present. You do not need to know the type of mold growing in your home, and CDC does not recommend or perform routine sampling for molds. No matter what type of mold is present, you should remove it. Since the effect of mold on people can vary greatly, either because of the amount or type of mold, you cannot rely on sampling and culturing to know your health risk.
Toxic Mold Exposure: What Would Happen If Someone Kept Getting Their Skin Exposed To Mold
The dangers of toxic mold exposure when it comes to the respiratory system are, at this point, fairly well-known and well-established. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , toxic mold exposure can cause symptoms such as nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, wheezing, and skin irritation. People with serious allergies to molds may have more severe reactions including fever and shortness of breath and those with chronic lung illnesses, like obstructive lung disease, may even develop mold infections in their lungs.
But what else can be a result of toxic mold exposure? Can toxic mold exposure cause a skin rash?
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Diagnosis Of Mold Toxicity
The conventional medical community is slow to acknowledge that chronic mold-induced illness is common. However, many functional and foundational medicine practitioners have expertise in mold toxicity and CIRS.
A common and simple test for mold toxicity is a urine mycotoxin test. Excreting an elevated level of mycotoxins is a sign of mold illness. Still, if your body is holding onto these toxins, your level may be falsely low.
Some functional medicine doctors also check specific immune system and inflammatory markers via blood tests. Examples are C4a, TGF Beta-1, and MMP-9. Elevated levels of these markers dont prove you have mold illness, but they contribute to the evidence.
Urine mycotoxin and inflammatory markers are best considered in the context of other signs and symptoms of mold illness. These include the following five areas:
The more of these criteria you meet, the more likely it is you have mold-related toxicity. And if you meet all five criteria, its more likely your mold illness is advanced and longstanding.
For more information, watch this short video on mold toxicity testing and its availability. The video mentions two labs that offer urine mycotoxin tests. These are Real Time Laboratories and The Great Plains Laboratory.
Symptoms Of Allergies From Cross
Another allergenic protein can be so like your trigger that it puts your immune system on full alert too. It happens with tree, weed and grass pollen. So people with birch allergy might get allergic rhinitis from alder, hazel, hornbeam and oak pollen, as well as mugwort and grass. Its not their main allergy but a cross-reaction.
Pollen allergies can also give you mild local symptoms when you eat certain fruit, vegetables, spices and nuts. For instance, ragweed cross-reacts with cantaloupes. This is pollen food syndrome or oral allergy syndrome.
Its the mold spores. These self-contained seeds are even tinier than pollen grains. The mold releases them to float through the air looking for a damp spot to grow in. Its just that sometimes you breathe them in instead. That can trigger mold allergy symptoms if your immune system decides the spores are a threat.
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I Heard About Toxic Molds And Black Molds That Grow In Homes And Other Buildings Should I Be Concerned About A Serious Health Risk To Me And My Family
There is always a little mold everywhere in the air and on many surfaces.
Certain molds are toxigenic, meaning they can produce toxins . Hazards presented by molds that may produce mycotoxins should be considered the same as other common molds which can grow in your house. Not all fungi produce mycotoxins and even those that do will not do so under all surface or environmental conditions.
Mold growth, which often looks like spots, can be many different colors, and can smell musty. Color is not an indication of how dangerous a mold may be. Any mold should be removed and the moisture source that helped it grow should be removed.
There are very few reports that toxigenic molds found inside homes can cause unique or rare health conditions such as pulmonary hemorrhage or memory loss. These case reports are rare, and a causal link between the presence of the toxigenic mold and these conditions has not been proven.
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Mold Allergy Symptoms From Food
Eating certain foods can cause mild local symptoms if you have mold allergies. This is a cross-reaction known as oral allergy syndrome or pollen food syndrome. Foods linked to mold include:
You might get itchy or swollen throat, lips, mouth or face but its usually mild. This allergic reaction happens because proteins in the food and the mold spores are very similar.
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What Is The Outlook For People Who Have A Mold Allergy
Mold allergy cant be cured, but it can be managed with efforts to reduce your exposure to mold and with taking suggested medications if needed.
There are certain types of molds that are more dangerous to your health than others. These are molds that emit mycotoxins or cause infections, which can cause serious illness and even death.
What To Do If Your House Has Flooded
If your home has flooded, you need to act quickly to prevent mold. This could include anything from a busted pipe to a natural disaster. To prevent mold, your home needs to be completely dried out within 24 to 48 hours. This includes carpet, furniture, books, and walls. If these items are not completely dry, mold can hide.
If you are not able to dry your home out right way, you should assume you have mold. The presence of mold can affect your health. Protect yourself well before attempting to clean up mold. If possible, use a professional mold remediation company. They can clean up the mold while preventing the mold spores from spreading.
Using CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly® products in your home can help you have a healthier indoor environment, as well as reduce allergens. Learn more about the asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program by visiting aafa.org/certified.
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Getting A Diagnosis For Mold Sickness
While symptoms to mold exposure are not uncommon , many health care professionals struggle to pinpoint the cause behind these symptoms.
Often only a few people or one person and not everyone, in a home or workplace experience symptoms. This is frustrating and confusing for the sick person. When their doctors cant find any reason for the illness, they can start to feel like the sickness is all in their mind.
People suffering from mold exposure can often be misdiagnosed with disorders such as:
- Depression
Mold Can Cause Death In Infants And Children
There are many studies which have shown that infants and children who live in water-damaged buildings with mold will produce potent toxins known as mycotoxins that can compromise a childs immune system and will make them very sick. In fact, there have been so many illnesses, diseases and even deaths of infants and children associated with toxic mold that the nations largest and most prestigious pediatric organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued warnings and recommendations on water damaged buildings and mold to its 66,000 pediatrician members.
The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that when pediatricians are treating patients with idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage, prudence dictates that pediatricians try to ensure that infants under 1 year of age are not exposed to chronically moldy, water-damaged environments. The academy says, Pediatricians should ask about mold and water damage in the home when they treat infants with idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage. If mold is in the home, pediatricians should encourage parents to try to find and eliminate sources of moisture.
They also recommend, if infants who die suddenly of idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage, coroners, and medical examiners should consider using the recently published Guidelines for Death Scene Investigation of Sudden, Unexplained Infant Deaths, which includes a question about dampness, visible standing water, or mold growth.
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What Causes Mold Allergy
Molds produce spores. Allergies happen when your immune system is very sensitive to outside substances, such as mold spores. Your body produces antibodies against the mold spores. As youre repeatedly exposed to the mold spores over time, your body sees the mold spores as something to be destroyed and your immune system creates bigger reactions to protect you.
Its also possible to allergic to fungi in food, like mushrooms or fermented foods. This type of allergy generally causes local symptoms in the mouth and can cause rashes or even affect breathing.
Can Mold Affect My Asthma
If you have a mold allergy and mold causes you to have asthma symptoms, you may have allergic asthma. With this condition, your immune system overreacts when you breathe in mold spores.
Mold is an irritant as well as an allergen. That means mold spores in the air can cause irritation or inflammation even if you arent allergic to them. This can occur in your eyes, nose, sinuses, and lungs.
To help you manage your asthma and allergies, it is important to reduce your exposure to mold. It may also prevent children in your home from developing asthma and/or allergic rhinitis. Common household molds are also linked to childhood asthma.1
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Mold Inspection & Mold Testing
There is a difference between a mold inspection and mold testing.
A mold inspection is a visual assessment of an area to determine whether mold is present.
Mold testing is when a certified mold inspector conducts scientific air sampling and collects samples that will be analyzed in a lab. This typically takes place when you cant see the mold but suspect it may be present.
Can Black Mold Cause Respiratory Problems
In a residential setting, people are generally exposed to black mold through breathing in mold spores and mycotoxins. When ingested, mold spores have the potential to cause irritation and a burning sensation in air passages, such as the nasal cavity, mouth, and throat.
Some common symptoms for respiratory issues from black mold exposure include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Nose bleeds
- Runny, itchy, or stuffy nose
- Bleeding gums
- Burning sensation of the mouth
- Bleeding or swelling in the lungs
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Its All About Genetics
When you inhale mold spores and mycotoxins, if the immune system is suppressed enough, you can develop a systemic infection, meaning the mold goes throughout the body, not just the gut, explains Dr. Tim Jackson, who combines his background in integrative health and wellness with the emerging field of epigenetics to help others. Jackson also specializes in therapies to detoxify mold from the body. Approximately 25 percent of the population has some form of a gene that prevents us from detoxing mold toxins, also known as mycotoxins, in our bodies. When you cant detoxify mycotoxins, it disrupts every system in the body.
For the other 75 percent of the population, inhaling mycotoxins is not as much of a problem. Your immune system will recognize the mycotoxins, which will then be sent to the liver and gall bladder and be excreted. While it is not ideal for anyone to inhale toxic black mold or other mold, it can become dangerous for those with this genetic glitch, creating inflammation throughout the body, decreasing blood flow through the frontal lobe of the brain , and causing fatigue symptoms throughout the body. The genetic glitch is called HLA-DR, and a blood test can reveal if you have this condition.
Once you have identified a mold infection in your body, you need to remove the mold from your environment. Usually, the problem is in your home.
How Do You Get The Molds Out Of Buildings Including Homes Schools And Places Of Employment
Mold growing in homes and buildings indicates that there is a problem with water or moisture. This is the first problem to address.
Remove moldy items from living areas. Once mold starts to grow in carpet, insulation, ceiling tiles, drywall, or wallboard, the only way to deal with the problem is by removal and replacement.
It is important to properly clean and dry the area as you can still have an allergic reaction to parts of the dead mold and mold contamination may recur if there is still a source of moisture.
Remove or replace carpets and upholstery that have been soaked and cannot be dried promptly.
Clean up and dry out your home thoroughly and quickly after any flooding. Dig out mud and dirt . Use a wet vacuum to remove remaining dirt. Scrub cleanable surfaces with soapy water and a bristle brush. Thoroughly clean all hard surfaces with water and dish detergent. Dry surfaces quickly and thoroughly after cleaning. If you have a fan, air conditioner or dehumidifier that wasnt affected by flooding use it to help the surfaces dry after you finish cleaning
Mold growth can be removed from hard surfaces with commercial products, soap and water, or a bleach solution of no more than 1 cup of bleach in 1 gallon of water to kill mold on surfaces. Never mix bleach with ammonia or other household cleaners.
If you choose to use bleach to clean up mold:
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