How Does Mold Affect Your Health

What Are Pathogenic Reactions To Mold

Does Mold Affect My Health ?

Pathogenic reactions to mold exposure are divided into three categories:

Superficial: Superficial reactions are the most common pathogenic reactions to mold and include skin infections, nail infections and athletes foot.

Subcutaneous: When you experience a subcutaneous pathogenic reaction, more serious than superficial, an infection develops underneath the skin.

Systemic: Systemic reactions are the most severe of the pathogenic reactions and can be life threatening. The mold attacks the kidneys, lungs, liver or other organs.

What Can You Do

In addition to visible mould, other signs of damp problems may include: mould odour, water stains, frequent condensation, peeling or cracked paint or wall paper, damp basement, and standing water under or around the house.

No safe levels of indoor dampness and or mould have been defined. So health-based standards or guidelines do not exist.

Nonetheless, there are several practicable measures you can take to prevent or minimise indoor mould. These include adequately heating and, in colder climates, insulating your home to reduce air humidity levels and condensation.

Install and use appropriate ventilation, particularly in wet areas or areas where water vapour may be emitted, such as bathrooms, laundries and kitchen areas.

Its also critical to avoid water leaks by controlling and maintaining rain and surface water drainage. Where holes are created in the roof or walls to allow skylights, windows, doors, pipes or other structures to be fitted, make sure these are watertight.

If you find visible mould in your home, remove the mould and identify and address the cause of the excess moisture. Clean hard surfaces using soap and water or, if mould growth is persistent, a bleach solution could be used. You may need to throw away absorbent materials such as carpets, depending on the level of contamination.

In case of extensive mould damage, you may need to call on commercial mould remediation services.

Why Is Mold Important

Mold spores are invisible to the naked eye, and there are many different types. Some have beneficial by products such as yeasts and penicillin, while others live off of food products and the building materials in our home1.

Mold is important to our ecosystems as it helps break down organic material, but mold in your home can lead to property damage and health issues.

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Skin Irritation Headaches And Nausea

Mold is a fungus that can cause severe allergic reactions. If you have allergies, mold can easily trigger these symptoms, especially with frequent exposure. Mold can cause skin irritations, headaches, nausea, or other symptoms that affect your health.

A rapid increase in symptoms such as redness, swelling, or a rash that looks like a sunburn suggests you have come into contact with more than one type of mold, which is more dangerous. If you’ve got exposed for a long time, your reactions may get delayed and worsen over time.

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Concord Mold Removal Experts Share how Black Mold Affects ...

Nothing is more important than your health, which is why we often receive mold removal or remediation calls from families looking for relief. We understand that you are doing everything you can to protect your family, which is why we take our professionalism extremely seriously. We believe that no one should live or work in a building that makes them sick.

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Diy Vs Professional Mold Removal

Once you have had a home inspection, you may wonder if professional help is really necessary. Customers often ask us, Can I clean the mold myself or do I need a professional? Our answer depends several factors including:

how extensive the mold problem is
what building materials, furnishings, and belongings are affected

where the mold is located
whether or not you mind being in confined spaces such as your crawlspace, basement, or attic

If youre familiar with our blog, you know that the first thing to do when cleaning mold is to fix the moisture problem that led to the mold growth. Until you fix the moisture problem, mold will continue to grow and spread.

Its time to call in the professionals when:

you smell a musty odor in your home you cant identify
there is an area of mold larger than 10 square feet

you have health problems associated with mold

Mold is great at hiding in hard to detect locations such as in drywall and insulation. If the area of mold covers more than about 10 square feet, there is a good chance the mold problem is more than an isolated issue. If the area of mold is less than 10 square feet, you may be able to handle it yourself. To get all the details check out our post: Cleaning Mold: DIY vs. Professional.

How Does Mould Affect Health

Mould associated with damp buildings can trigger nasal congestion, sneezing, cough, wheeze, respiratory infections and worsen asthma and allergic conditions.

People who are more susceptible to these symptoms and other serious health effects include those with:

weakened immune systems
chronic, obstructive, or allergic lung diseases.

You should seek medical advice if you are concerned about the effects of mould.

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Mold Health Impact : Paranoia And Anxiety

Paranoia can often be caused by high levels of toxic molds, such as the trichothecene black mold toxin or the Ocratoxin-producing Aspergillus Mold. Paranoia and anxiety can occur when a mold toxic brain produces excessive levels of glutamate and PEA, two powerful electrifying brain chemicals. These two chemicals in the brain cause an over-electrified nervous system. Since many doctors are unaware of the effects mold toxicity has on a patients body, doctors will address the symptoms produced by mold toxicity by prescribing drugs like Klonopin or Xanax to calm their over-electrified, anxious brain. Unfortunately, this simply masks a larger issue that can only be solved by detoxifying the body of these mold toxins.

How Mold Affects Your Health

Can Black Mold affect my health

Once mold begins growing in your home, it can negatively impact your air quality and affect the health of your family. Common symptoms of mold exposure include itchy rashes, joint pain, sinus issues, coughing, and wheezing. Exposure to some molds can cause more severe symptoms, particularly in sensitive individuals, which can include digestive, neurological, respiratory, and vascular health problems. If you think you may have a mold problem, consider mold abatement services to protect your familys health.

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Testing For Mould In Your Home

Where mould is visible, it is generally not considered necessary to test for it in the home. However, not all mould is visible, as contamination may be in cavities or the ceiling. Generally, if you can see or smell mould, you need to clean up and remove the mould immediately, as mould can damage surfaces it grows on.

If you suspect mould contamination but cannot find the source of the problem, or if you have already taken measures to prevent mould from growing and you are still having problems, you could employ an occupational hygienist or environmental health and safety professional. For a fee, these professionals can provide specialist mould testing and consultancy services.

Causes Of Damp And Mould

Mould and damp are caused by excess moisture. Moisture in buildings can be caused by leaking pipes, rising damp in basements or ground floors, or rain seeping in because of damage to the roof or around window frames.

A newly built home may be damp if the water used when building it is still drying out for example, in the plaster on the walls. Excess moisture indoors can also be caused by condensation.

If you have mould or damp it’s important to find out why you have excess moisture in your home. When you know what’s causing the damp, you can make sure your home is repaired or take steps to limit the moisture in the air. You may need to get a professional to remove mould for you, but if it’s only a small amount you may be able to remove it yourself.

Page last reviewed: 8 August 2018 Next review due: 8 August 2021

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Black Mold Inside Your Home

Molds can enter any home through open spaces. It can even attach itself through pieces of clothing, as well as pets. Once inside, mold can spread and grow in places with a lot of moisture. It also thrives on cardboards and other paper products. It can also grow in dust and wallpaper.

Aside from hiring a professional tile cleaning service in Provo, Utah or any other metropolitan area, you can control mold infestation by monitoring the humidity levels. You should also ensure that there arent any leaky roof and pipe around the house. Furthermore, cleaning and drying your home after getting flooded can help, too.

Mold also appears in different colors. An area infested with mold smells musty, too. If you already see mold in your home, clean it up and fix the source of moisture immediately. Commercial products are available at any store that will help you remove those molds easily.

Always read the instructions when using any commercial product for cleaning the mold. Experts highly advise never to mix ammonia with bleach. Doing so will only cause it to produce toxic fumes, which can be harmful to your health. Wear protective covering every time you use any cleaner to ensure your protection.

Mold can be problematic, especially if you dont manage it immediately. So, its best to keep your bathroom tiles clean to prevent any mold growth. You should also clean up the carpet if ever it gets wet from flooding. You can also add mold inhibitors to your wall paint before applying it.

What Should I Do If I Have Any Of These Symptoms Of Mold Exposure

Your first port of call is your doctor. He or she can rule out other health problems that might be causing your symptoms. Know that a physician cant diagnose mold exposure using just blood or urine tests. Youll need to have your home or workplace inspected by professionals. You might think that you can simply check with your family or colleagues to see if they exhibit similar symptoms. But unfortunately, some people are more sensitive to mold than others. So you might develop symptoms and the guy in the next cubicle is none the wiser.

Your doctor will prescribe a program of treatment. But there are things that you can do to help:

Don a protective mask and gloves to clean any visible mold in your home.
Report the mold to the building manager if its in your workplace.
Keep on top of mold growth to stop it from releasing as many spores.

Run a dehumidifier in the bathroom or kitchen to make them less attractive spaces for mold to grow.
Once youve removed the visible mold, have your air ducts cleaned regularly.

If youve recently had mold removed from your home call Fresh Aire Duct Cleaning at 275-5556 or contact us online to schedule a duct cleaning service in Los Angeles! You need to make sure youre not simply transmitting mold spores around your home.

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Mold Health Impact : Irritability And Rage

Mold toxic patients often feel out of control in their own brain, describing the feeling by saying that it feels as if their brain is hot wired. This sensation can be hard to understand without personally experiencing it, often causing a mold-toxic person to feel misunderstood by their family and peers however, science has taught us that this hot-wired feeling is caused by the excessive electrical activity in the brain due to mold toxicity. With the understanding that those experiencing excito-neurotoxicity say that it feels like they have been plugged into an electrical socket, its easy to see why they feel aggravated or aggressive. Over time, as mold toxicity worsens in a patient, the over-electrified brain feeling causes a confusing emotional combination of anxiety and also depression. With this volatility of emotions, its no wonder mold toxic patients grow irritable and exhibit rage.

Household Molds That Can Lurk Inside Your Home

Mold is unfortunately, pretty much unavoidable in your home as most homes harbor some species of mold in its confines. Out of the 1,000s of mold species, there are some species that are more prone to growth indoors than others, and some that particularly grow inside homes.

There are six main species of mold that are commonly found inside homes, and each contain their own characteristics and potential health hazards.

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How Can Mold Affect My Health

Many molds can cause health effects. Molds produce allergens, irritants and,sometimes, toxins that may cause adverse reactions in humans. A reaction tomold depends on how much a person is exposed to, the age of the person and thepersons sensitivities or allergies. The same amount of mold may causehealth effects in one person, but not in another.

Exposure to mold can cause a variety of symptoms. Sensitive people who havetouched or inhaled mold or mold spores may have allergic reactions such as arunny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, watery eyes, skin rash and itching. Molds can trigger asthma attacks in people who are allergic tomolds, causing wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. A diseaselike pneumonia may also develop after exposure to mold, but this is uncommon.

Infectious diseases from molds can occur in people with weakened immunesystems, such as those who are immune-compromised or immune-suppressed fromdrug treatment. Some types of mold are known to cause infections inimmune-compromised people. Such infections can affect the skin, eyes, lungs orother organs. These are considered opportunistic infections that usually do notaffect healthy people.

How To Check For Mold In A House

Is Mold Affecting Your Health

If you suspect a mold source in your home the first thing you will want to do is test/check for mold in your environment. Even if you do not suspect mold inside your home, you should still do a simple test to ensure mold growth is not occurring in your home, particularly if you are experiencing unexplainable symptoms.

Mold toxicity can be a devious stealer of health. When checking for mold growth you should look for these three characteristics mold growth, moisture/water leaks, and health symptoms.

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What Medical Tests Are Available To Determine If I Am Allergic Tomold

There are medical tests to determine if you are allergic to a particularsubstance, such as mold. These can be performed on skin or blood. Skin testsare considered more reliable than blood tests to determine allergic reaction toa substance. Skin tests yield results more quickly, are less expensive thanblood tests and are generally considered more sensitive. If an individual hassymptoms year-round, which may indicate an indoor allergy, skin testing may berecommended.

Blood testing called the RAST test can be done to showif you are allergic to a substance. The RAST test detects levels of antibodiesto particular allergens. The test is expensive to perform and results areusually not available for about two weeks.

Health Effects Of Mold Exposure Symptoms

Even for people in good health, exposure to large amounts of mycotoxins and molds can overwhelm the immune system and cause symptoms of poisoning. Mycotoxins can be especially dangerous for people with compromised immune systems. Symptoms that are associated with allergic reactions are highlighted in italics.

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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.

Testing For Mold Toxicity

Health Check: how does household mould affect your health?

If you find mold in your home or workplace, it is important to test for mold toxicity in your body. Oftentimes, people who are struggling to get healthy , are dealing with mold toxicity.

Mold toxins increase the burden on the liver and create chronic inflammation in the body. These toxins are highly indicated in neurological disorders and symptoms like brain fog, depression, and anxiety. One very effective option for testing mold toxins in the body is the GPL-MycoTOX Profile.

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Mold Reactions: Who’s At Risk

For people sensitive to mold, inhaling or touching mold spores can cause allergic reactions, including sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash. People with serious mold allergies may have more severe reactions, including shortness of breath. In people with asthma who are allergic to mold, breathing in spores can also cause asthma attacks.

In addition to people with allergies and asthma, others who may be more sensitive to the effects of mold include:

Infants and children

People whose immune systems are compromised due to HIV infection, cancer, liver disease, or chemotherapy
People with chronic lung disease