Is Black Mold Dangerous
The short answer isnot really. But that doesnt mean you should keep black mold as a pet.
Everyone has different levels of tolerance to allergens like mold spores, but thats all black mold isan allergen.1 Those with asthma, respiratory allergies, or immune suppression will feel the effects of black molds mycotoxins more than most folks.
As one source put it, Previous reports of toxic mold syndrome or toxic black mold have been shown to be no more than media hype and mass hysteria. 2
But whether you feel black mold symptoms or not, its best to get rid of black mold as soon as you find it.
I Tested Positive For Mycotoxins Now What
Finding out that theres mold in your home or body can definitely be scaryand embarrassing, too. Fortunately, once you know that youre dealing with toxic mold exposure, you can take action:
If theres mycotoxins in your homeYoull need to consult with a professional mold remediation firm about eliminating the problem. Sometimes, when a mold issue is as simple as a small patch of gunk on a shower wall or a basement carpet that smells like dirt, its possible to clean the mess up on your own. However, large infestationsor infestations of highly dangerous molds, like Stachybotrys chartarum should only be handled by experts.
If theres mycotoxins in your bodyYou should see a physician right away. Explain your symptoms and bring a copy of your test results. Your doctor may want to give you another test to verify that yes, mycotoxins really are the source of your health issues.
Once you receive an official diagnosis, the doctor will be able to come up with an appropriate treatment plan. Meanwhile, it would be wise to have your home inspected for mold, as well, to stop the toxins at their source.
What Are Some Mold Remediation Actions
There are some basic actions you can take in stopping mold before it gets away. Some suggested steps are:
Most forms of mold are relatively harmless to humans unless youve had prolonged exposure or have a sensitivity like mold allergies. The exception is a black, toxic mold called Stachybotrys chartarum that can be lethal under some circumstances. Stachybotrys appears as a dark green to jet black mass of dots. If your mold colony looks like that, make sure you take personal precautions in handling this pathogen.
Recommended personal protective equipment for handling all moldy products should include:
Protective clothing like disposable coveralls or old clothes that can be discarded
Dust mask or for black mold, wear an N-95 rated respirator
Gloves like rubber or surgical, disposable types
Goggles that fit tightly around the eyes to guard against splash
Identifying and cleaning up after experiencing a mold problem is not a pleasant experience. Despite the possible health hazards, mold remediation can be time-consuming, not to mention extremely expensive. Some mold infestations are so severe, occupants are forced to move out and then struggle with insurance companies to compensate them for repairs to the damage.
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The Effects Of Mold On Your Home And Your Health
We all know that mold in our homes is a bad thing but exactly how bad is it for your health and your home itself?
Mold grows by releasing its spores into the air, which are invisible to the naked eye. It can spread and grow anywhere as long as moisture and oxygen are present, but commonly grows on surfaces such as insulation, sheetrock, tile, fabrics and wood. It can enter your home through windows, vents and doorways or it can attach itself to clothing and pets and be carried inside. It might be a shock to learn that you can have hundreds or even thousands of mold spores in one cubic foot of air in your home.
How Are Environmental Illnesses Diagnosed
An environmental illness can be hard to diagnose. You and your doctor may not know what is causing your symptoms. Or you may mistake your symptoms for another problem. Exposure to toxic chemicals can cause a wide range of common medical problems or make them worse.
An exposure history, which is a set of questions about your home, workplace, habits, jobs, lifestyle, and hobbies, can help you find out what is making you sick. It may point to chemicals or other hazards that you’ve been exposed to recently or in the past.
Keep a journal of your symptoms, and discuss it with your doctor. It may help you find patterns in your symptoms. This can help you and your doctor find out what is causing your illness.
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Moisture In Your Bathroom
Bathrooms are by far the most common rooms in your house to experience mold problems. Fortunately, theyre the easiest rooms to discover mold outbreaks in, and thats because youre probably looking for mold during routine cleaning.
Bathrooms are high-humidity rooms by nature of their intended use. Normal living creates high humidity from hot showers and baths. Using the sink creates moisture, as does flushing the toilet. Even standing water in the sink or plumbing traps contribute to evaporation and keep the bathroom’s relative humidity high.
Bathrooms have many surfaces where mold can start. There are plenty of places like smooth tile faces and porous grout spaces that quickly harbor mold if moisture isnt controlled. Inside vanity cabinets is a common spot for mold to start. Another common place for mold is behind toilets where air circulation is blocked. All this is due to the presence of moisture that rises from these sources:
General plumbing problems like leaks and overflows
Water evaporation
Poor ventilation, like fans or opening windows
Frequent running water like tap drips or toilet run-ons
Damp shower areas including shower curtains and doors
Standing water in sinks and tubs
Leaky drain pipes
Condensation on cold surfaces such as toilet tanks and chrome fixtures
Broken toilet seals
Wet floor mats and towels
Low heat to allow evaporation of excessive moisture
Failed grout or caulk around shower and tub enclosures
How To Get Your Home Tested For Mold
Tests to identify mold can only show that mold spores were present at a particular moment. They cant tell you when you may have been exposed, if you inhaled any mold spores, or what your health risks might be.
Large areas of mold are easy to see, and sometimes to smell, so testing isnt generally necessary. Also, all mold is cleaned the same way, so it doesnt matter what type it is.
The CDC does not recommend routine sampling for molds. The agency states that reliable sampling can be expensive and there are no established standards for judging acceptable levels of mold.
If you do want to get your home tested for mold or need professional mold removal, there are a few places to find a certified mold inspector in the United States.
finding a professional to remove mold
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How To Control Mold Growth
While it is impossible to completely get rid of mold spores in the air, you can prevent mold growth by controlling moisture levels in your home. Taking the following basic measures can help you keep your home mold-free:
- Keep your indoor humidity level below 60 percent, ideally between 30 and 50 percent, and open windows to let fresh air in if it isnt too humid outdoors.
- Dont let water build up anywhere and be sure to ventilate damp rooms.
- Be sure to transfer wet clothes in the washing machine to the dryer immediately.
- Fix any leaks or seepage in the house as soon as you notice them.
- Use dehumidifiers and air conditioners in crawl spaces, basements and other areas of the house where mold tends to grow.
Mold can be a health and safety issue if it becomes a problem in your home, so avoid the issue by taking steps to prevent its growth. Youll thank yourself later!
Actions You Can Take To Reduce Mould
The most important actions you can take to prevent mould in your home are those that minimise moisture.
- Fix leaky plumbing and roofs and other building faults
- Ensure gutters are cleared and maintained
- Reduce condensation by using exhaust fans, or open windows in the bathroom and kitchen when showering, cooking or using the dishwasher
- Wipe up excess water caused by condensation such as on single glazed windows and on shower glazing
- Air the home regularly by opening windows and doors on warmer days
- Vent clothes dryers to the outside and clean lint filters according to the manufacturers instructions.
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Know When To Clean And When To Call
Its easy to take care of mold as a homeowner, but its also a good idea to know when to call in the pros. Mold is great at hiding in hard to detect locations such as in drywall, under sinks, and in carpet. 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 you smell a musty odor in your home or have health problems associated with mold, its time to call in the professionals.
To learn more about what mold removal really looks like check out our post: Home Mold Remediation.
Q: Can Eating Mold Make You Sick
A: Yes, it is possible that eating mold can cause health issues such as vomiting, diarrhea, and headaches. According to the Cleveland Clinic, if you can visibly see mold on food, dont risk it. Throw it out.
Mold spores are everywhere, and they can be found in food, water, air, soil, and plants. The best way to avoid getting sick from mold is to wash your hands frequently, and to keep your home clean. If you have a concern, wait the day and see if any symptoms show up. If not, you are probably ok.
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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.
How To Remove Black Mold
Protect yourself. You don’t need to worry about having mold tested if you find mold in your house. But you should get rid of it no matter what type of mold it is. Take precautions to protect yourself before you attempt to remove mold.
Use an N-95 face mask to avoid breathing in mold spores. Wear gloves to protect your hands and goggles without ventilation holes to protect your eyes.â
Find and destroy the mold. The most important part of removing mold is finding and removing its water source. Mold can’t grow without moisture. Keep the following tips in mind when you’re cleaning up mold:
- Items that can’t be dried quickly should be discarded if they show signs of mold or water damage. Porous items such as carpet, padding, drywall, and paper soak up moisture.
- Do not paint or caulk over moldy surfaces. Remove the mold and dry the surfaces before you paint. Paint applied over mold will peel.
- Use plastic sheeting to block an area with mold from the rest of your house and keep the spores from spreading.
- Scrub hard surfaces with mold with detergent and water and dry them thoroughly.
- Put any moldy items in a plastic bag before you take them out of the room to prevent mold spores from spreading.
- Use a HEPA filter in your air conditioner and furnace to capture mold spores that may be airborne in your house.
- Consult a specialist if you’re not sure of the best way to clean a valuable or sentimental item.â
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Mold Is Bad For Your Health
Mold is an insidious, invisible predator in your home. It hides in places no one ever thinks to look like under cabinets, in crawl spaces, and behind furniture. People may spend weeks, months, and even years fighting illness, and never know what they are really fightingmold. Many of our customers find us after a recommendation from their doctor, indicating that they may in fact have a mold problem, and not just an illness.
Mold is most often associated with allergies, but mold is much more menacing than people know. While all molds have the potential to cause irritation and allergy symptoms, molds can also cause much more dangerous health problems including: fungal poisoning from mycotoxins and mental health issues. Check out our post Mold Exposure Symptoms to learn more about what medical symptoms are associated with mold exposure.
Signs Of Mold In A Home:
When we visited this home, we were asked to clean up a little bit of mold. What you see here pales in comparison to what we found behind the wall and throughout the home.
Toxic mold can be hiding in any home that has been exposed to damp air. Sometimes its found in the places you would least expect such as your drywall, crawlspace, carpets, and more.
Mold spores are often invisible to the naked eye until they start to rapidly spread. Even if you cannot see mold in or around your property, there are still signs that indicate that you should inspect for mold.
Indoor Leaks or Floods:
It only takes 24-48 hours for mold spores to start growing on a damp surface. If your home experiences a pipe leak, flooding, or even a spill that is not fully cleaned up- mold can start to grow. Its best to conduct a mold test within 48 hours of water exposure in your home since mold grows rapidly.
Sudden Illness or Health Troubles:
If someone in your household is experiencing sudden health troubles, it may be a sign of mold. When left unchecked, mold can cause severe illnesses, especially in children and people with compromised immune systems. Sudden coughing, skin irritations, and difficulty breathing are potential symptoms of mold and a good reason to properly test your home.
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Danger Of Removing Black Mold By Yourself
Finding mold growing in your home is a major worry of homeowners, and everyone knows that the problem needs to be handled quickly before a much bigger issue develops. While household mold can come in many forms, few are more worrisome than dreaded black mold. This type of mold, scientifically known Stacybotrys chartarum and Stachybotrys chlorohalonata, can affect homes of any size, in any area of the country. The dangers of black mold come from its toxic spores, which can contribute to a variety of health ailments and greatly reduce the indoor air quality of your living environment.
So, what do you do when you find black mold growing in your familys home?
There is a lot of information out there on DIY methods for black mold removal, but that is rarely a wise idea. Done improperly, removing black mold yourself can exacerbate the problem and put your family at risk, and understanding the hidden dangers of DIY black mold removal is essential for protecting your loved ones for the long term.
Why Mold Causes Problems
Molds alone dont usually cause many health problems. Its when they land on damp surfaces and reproduce that you feel their nasty health effects.
Mold spores produce allergens substances that can cause you to have allergic reactions resulting in hay-fever-like symptoms: itchy, red eyes, runny nose and asthma. If these persist, you can develop respiratory infections. Its rare, but exposure to mold spores can eventually cause organ damage, cognitive difficulties and even death.
Whats more, mold spores can irritate your lungs even if youre not allergic to mold. When introduced to your body, spores irritate your airways in your nose, mouth and throat, Dr. Ibrahim says. They can also cause burning and bleeding if they become lodged in your mucus membranes, such as in your sinuses and lungs.
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Laboratory Tests For Human Exposure To Molds Or Toxins
Because fungi produce antigenic proteins that can lead to an immunologic response, medical evaluations of people concerned about exposures to mold or fungi may include laboratory testing. Trout et al recently reviewed the role of immunoassay for fungal antibodies in evaluating patients in various clinical settings. The authors concluded that immunoassays are a useful adjunct to a complete evaluation, but in general, the assays should not be used as the only means of primary assessment. Problems include lack of standardized fungal extracts and cross-reactivity among fungal species. Although the immunoassays are suggestive of exposure to mold or fungi , the current assays cannot specify when the exposure occurred or reliably identify the particular type of mold or fungus involved. Because of these limitations, results of the immunoassays must be interpreted in the context of the clinical setting and other supporting diagnostic tests.
Presence of antibodies to hemolysin produced by S chartarum has been suggested as a biomarker of exposure to S chartarum. However, additional studies are needed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of testing for these antibodies. A discussion of the possible misinterpretation of Stachybotrys serology is available.
