How Much Mold Exposure Is Harmful
Mold can grow inside and out, with many homes and buildings experiencing mold-related issues at some point. But how much mold exposure is harmful, and how do you know if mold is making you sick? While most healthy people are unlikely to experience significant side effects from living with mold, it is still an unpleasant substance that can make your home look and smell unappealing while simultaneously causing structural damage. If youre worried about mold in your home, The BrickKicker is here to help!
How Do You Know If Your House Is Making You Sick
Is Your House Making You Sick?
- Respiratory Symptoms congestion, aggravated asthma or allergies, sinus infections.
- Cognitive Issues foggy thinking, sleep disturbance, frequent headaches.
- Emotional Changes feeling agitated or depressed.
- Physical Symptoms stomach discomfort, muscle aches, fatigue, rashes, sore throat.
Effective Treatment For Symptoms Of Mold Exposure
Get Your Home Tested Properly
Proper mold inspection requires hiring an experienced Indoor Environmental Professional that uses various testing techniques to ensure there has not been water damage leading to mold growth in your home. When someone is sick in the household, the degree of mold testing needs to be more comprehensive than if someone was doing a general home inspection. I have witnessed mold inspectors miss water damage and mold growth in patients homes because they did not do a thorough investigation, or used the wrong testing methods.
Proper testing for mold helps to establish the scope of work for remediation. It is a conflict of interest to hire an inspector who also does remediation. However, most reputable inspectors can recommend a contractor who specializes in mold remediation.
To find a certified IEP in your area, visit www.acac.org and look for CIEC and CMC certifications. You will also find certified remediators with CMRS and CMR designation.
Treatments for mold Illness
Prescription medications and supplements referred to as binders are used to reduce the mycotoxin burden in the body. Technically these compounds do not bind mycotoxins, but they adsorb like static cling. Mycotoxins are secreted with bile from the gallbladder into the intestines. Mycotoxins adhere to binders in the intestines and then excreted through the stool.
Glutathione in Treating Mold Toxicity
Reduce Inflammation in Mold Toxicity
- Transfer Factors Enviro
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Symptoms Of Mold Toxicity
There are multiple ways mold can affect an individual. It is very important therefore, to know the differences between them, as each may require a different treatment approach.
Mold Allergy
Mold exposure can can cause a mild to severe allergic reaction, and can be tested by an allergist using a standard mold allergy panel.
With mold allergy, there are usually symptoms of an allergic reaction after the exposure such as:
- Itchy eyes and throat
Mold allergies are common. However, they are very different from mold toxicity, which typically cause many other symptoms that may affect the entire body.
Mold Toxicity
Some species of mold can induce what we term as mold toxicity. This is where individuals get sick by the poisons certain types of mold produce, also called mycotoxins.
Some of the most common culprit molds that are known biotoxin producers include Stachybotrys , Aspergillus, and Penicillium.
Unlike mold allergy that causes respiratory symptoms, mold toxicity may affect the entire body with symptoms such as:
Risk factors for mold toxicity include:
- Individuals who have a high toxic burden due to other exposures.
- Certain genetic profiles that do not filter mycotoxins as readily
- People over 65 or young children are generally at risk for more severe reactions to toxic mold exposure.
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How Do You Get Rid Of Black Mold In Water
Baking soda is one of the greatest ways to get rid of black mold in water. Its effective at preventing mold & absorbing mildew odors. Stir together baking soda & water. Applying it to the problem area. Use a small brush to scrape away any mold-stained spots. Combine baking soda with water & pour it into that trusty spray bottle. Shake before spraying it over the area you just cleaned. Dry into a protective layer to prevent future mold growth.
Is All Mold Toxic
Mold is not the only pathogen that grows from water damage. Fungal fragments, spores, mycotoxins, bacteria, mycobacteria, actinomycetes, VOCs, and other biotoxins can also form in damp buildings. These pathogens combine to produce a toxic soup that can lead to a multi-systemic and multi-symptomatic illness.
Not all mold is toxic, but many mold species from water-damaged buildings produce mycotoxins. It is the indoor concentration of mycotoxins and the rest of the toxic soup that can contribute to chronic debilitating symptoms.
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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:
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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What Happens If You Eat Food With Mold
The thought of eating something moldy likely makes you want to gag. Most of the time, this is the only symptom youd get after eating moldy food. If somethings not right with your immune system and you eat something moldy, you might experience symptoms like:
- If you are allergic to mold, those allergy symptoms may be triggered also
If you notice mold on your food that you dont want to throw away, consult the USDAs guide on handling moldy food.
Removing Mold From Your Home
Resolve any issues causing mold growth, and throw away anything affected by mold or contributing to mold growth that you cant clean.
- Wear protective gear. As youre dealing with the moldy area, cover yourself with a mask, gloves, goggles, and rubber boots. If youre cleaning a lot of mold, you can also wear disposable clothing or a mold-resistant suit.
- Ventilate the room. Open all doors and windows to increase ventilation.
- Sort and discard. Remove any objects from the area that havent been touched by mold growth. Throw away any items that cant be cleaned.
- Replace moldy housing materials. Cut away and replace mold-damaged drywall, ceiling tiles, and carpet.
- Scrub and disinfect. Cover and scrub nonporous surfaces affected by mold with bleach, a fungicide, or detergent and water, then dry them. Dont mix cleaning products together.
- Address any water issues. Make sure any water problems are fixed and the area is dry before you renovate the room.
You cant prevent all mold, but you can reduce the amount in your home. Here are some dos and donts for managing mold and keeping it from growing indoors.
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The Facts About Mold In Your Home
Mold is a fungus that reproduces by creating small spores that work like seeds. Every home has mold. Mold spores can be unwelcome guests floating in on the breeze through an open window or door, hitching a ride on clothing or hiding in plain sight on packaging materials like cardboard or paper. Once established, it will look like fuzzy spots or blotches that can be black, green, brown, yellow, and even orange or white.
There are nearly 1,000 types of household mold. A few common culprits are Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium and Penicillium. The dreaded black or toxic mold that you see in the headlines, Stachybotrys chartarum, also know as Stachybotrys atra, isn’t a common mold, but it’s not rare either. It will look dark green or black.
You can’t keep mold out, but you can make it less welcome. Household mold needs hospitable conditions in which to thrive. One key ingredient in establishing and maintaining a mold colony is moisture. If you don’t have a consistent source of moisture, mold won’t be able to survive.
In the next section, we’ll take a look at ways to check for mold.
Reasons To Do Mold Clearance Testing
Testing an environment where mold exposure has occurred after cleanup to ensure that levels remain low is necessary to be sure that the remediation process is complete. Even after cleanup is over, it is often necessary to adjust indoor conditions to make it less likely that any spores that remain present will resume growth.
When a residential or commercial property owner is regularly cleaning mold-prone surfaces, contents and materials and maintaining low humidity levels indoors, a clearance test can determine whether these measures are sufficient to keep mold infestations at bay. If spore or mVOC levels remain elevated, additional remediation measures, including tearing out and replacing contaminated building materials or replacing contents, may be necessary to solve a persistent mold problem.
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How Do You Test For Toxic Mold Exposure
All in all, there is no simple way to diagnose mycotoxin illness, says McElroy. But testing is typically the first step. She prefers to start patients with at-home tests and also recommends a home inspection by a certified mold inspector. should only be ordered, in my opinion, once the environment is evaluated for the source of mold, explains McElroy. The most direct way to test for mold toxicity is a urine test that measures for metabolites of mold and mycotoxins as well as glutathione levels . That said, as McElroy explains, I never place the entire diagnosis of mycotoxin illness on tests alone. Why? Because mold tests have some major drawbacks, including:
- False negatives and false positives are common
- They are not covered by insurance
- You cant test all toxins there are hundreds
- The levels found on tests dont necessarily correlate with the severity of symptoms
These tests clearly arent perfect. In fact, McElroy says she has seen patients who were really sick have almost nothing show up on the test while the healthy spouses of those same patients register values off the charts, so having a clinician thats willing and able to do some extra investigation into symptoms of mold and toxic mold exposure is key.
Is Mold In Your Home Making You Sick
But when they land on a damp area in your home, the spores can grow. When mold is growing on a surface, spores can be released into the air where they can be easily inhaled. And this is how mold in your home can make you sick . Not all mold is toxic and not all mold that may be toxic is toxic to all people.
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Why Did Chicken Of The Woods Make Me Sick
Chicken of the Woods is a plant-based fleshless bird that many believe to be contaminated with a deadly toxin. The toxins in Chicken of the Woods have been linked to various health problems, including headaches, nausea, and vomiting.
While there is still much we dont know about this bird, its important to remember that consuming any flesh-based food can potentially lead to health concerns.
When To See Your Doctor
See your doctor if you experience any of the above symptoms, especially if these symptoms last for more than a few days and dont respond to typical over-the-counter treatments or home remedies. If you think you have a respiratory infection, like bronchitis or pneumonia, you need to see your doctor as soon as possible.
Let your doctor know if you think your symptoms might be a result of mold poisoning. It wont always affect treatment, but sometimes it may. If your doctor thinks mold is causing or contributing to your symptoms, he or she will probably recommend having the mold removed from the home as soon as possible. Treatment may be of limited effectiveness if you continue to be exposed to mold.
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How Do You Tell If Hen Of The Woods Are Fresh
There are a few key ways to tell if a hen of the woods is fresh. First, check for cleanliness. Second, look for the characteristics that indicate freshness- firmness, color and texture.
Lastly, taste to see if it has any flavors or smells like chicken.The green of a hen of the woods is a sign that it is fresh. The leaves are not browns or purples, but instead are a light green. When you smell the chicken, it smells like it is fresh.
What Types Of Mold Cause Problems
Youve likely heard of black mold or Stachybotrys chartarum, which sometimes makes news headlines. It is greenish-black in color and well-known to contribute to mold-induced toxicity.
But black moldis far from the only mold that can harm your health. And Stachybotrys chartarum is not the only mold that can appear black.
Examples of other types of mold often found in toxic indoor environments include:
- Sleep: Insomnia, frequent waking during sleep, night sweats
- Urinary system: Increased urination, urgency, incontinence
- Weight: Appetite swings, weight gain or weight-loss resistance
Many of these symptoms could also be due to reasons other than mold toxicity and CIRS. Thats why mold illness is often overlooked or misdiagnosed. The specific effects depend on your bodys unique vulnerabilities.
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Treatment Considerations For Mold Toxicity
Since mold toxicity affect people differently, the treatment may vary from one person to another. Thus, more advanced functional medicine testing that look at toxicity levels, nutritional stores, genetics and other factors more may help to personalize the ideal plan for each patient.
Some of the key components of mold toxicity treatment include:
How Mold Testing Works
There are two different kinds of professional-grade tests that experts tend to utilize to look for mold infestations. Both of them involve taking a small sample of material, which is then analyzed in a lab for traces of mold spores or the presence of mycotoxins. Urine test kits, as their name implies, require a small volume of urine from a human . These kits are used to determine if a person has a mold infestation in their body.
Meanwhile, home test kits require a small amount of dust or detritus from a buildings air conditioning or heating unit filters. Its not uncommon for professional environmental inspectors or mold remediators to use both kits in tandem after experiencing water damage, as they provide differentbut equally crucialinformation.
There is a third type of mold testing kit on the market its the kind that folks frequently see in hardware and big-box stores. These kits are designed to detect mold spores in the air, and they usually consist of a petri dish filled with microbial growth medium. The dish is exposed to the air for a set period of time in order to collect samples, and then its sealed and allowed to incubate. The idea is that any mold spores captured by the dish will then grow, allowing them to be seen and studied.
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If Mold Making You Sick Learn More About Mold Prevention At Your Home
There are a variety of symptoms that can indicate that you have mold in your home, ranging from a strange odor to feeling ill. If you personally believe you have mold in your home, getting it taken care of as soon as possible is critical because the situation will not improve over time. However, if you don’t resolve any inherent leakage, you haven’t really gotten things under control the mold will most likely return.
Mold is a common problem in homes, and while it isn’t always dangerous, it can end up causing structural damage and have a detrimental effect on health if left untreated and undetected. If you have a gut feeling that you have mold in your property, the best course of action is to tackle the issue as quickly and thoroughly as possible by enlisting the services of AmPm Restoration formold remediationassistance.
