How To Avoid Experiencing Toxic Black Mold Symptoms
Prevention is the best way to avoid experiencing the symptoms associated with toxic black mold. Reducing the presence of this type of mold as well as its ability to spread is, therefore, vital for homeowners.
Here are some tips to consider:
After all this bad news, were left to wonder:
Are Toxic Black Mold Symptoms Permanent?
When youre no longer around toxic black mold, most of the symptoms should gradually decrease. Unfortunately, some of the health problems caused by toxic black mold are permanent. For example: after a person has lived with toxic black mold, their immune system wont be as strong as it used to be and theyll be more sensitive to mold and mycotoxins in the future.
If you have a mold problem in your home, its best to consult a mold removal professional.
Our state of the art dry fog technology is a guaranteed, go-to solution for your mold remediation needs. Our method is non-toxic, eco-friendly and hassle-free.
Understanding The Health Problems Associated With Black Mold
While certain molds are toxigenic, meaning they can produce mycotoxins, the molds themselves are not toxic or poisonous. However, that doesnt mean that certain types of toxic molds cant cause serious health problems. In fact, there are reports that Stachybotrys chartarum causes memory loss in adults in acute pulmonary hemorrhaging among infants. The sooner you have your home or business tested for black mold , the sooner the mold will be removed, and the less likely you will be to suffer from the following health problems.
Respiratory Difficulties People living in homes or working in businesses with toxic mold are exposed mainly through breathing in mold spores and mycotoxins in the air. Exposure to black mold can cause minor respiratory difficulties such as shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing. Long-term exposure can lead to more serious difficulties, including pulmonary edema and pulmonary hemorrhage .
Circulatory Difficulties The mycotoxins produced by black mold can be breathed in, ingested, or absorbed through a persons skin. After prolonged exposure, these mycotoxins find their way into the persons bloodstream. The circulatory difficulties stemming from black mold exposure include irregular heartbeat, heart inflammation, internal bleeding, and blood clots. If your doctor has diagnosed any such circulatory problems, schedule a mold inspection today.
What Is White Mold
Health Effects That May Be Caused by Inhaling Mold or Mold
White mold is a powdery fungus made up of different fungal species that can appear white, green, or grey, depending on the type of surface it has infected. Like most molds, white mold thrives in areas with high moisture like showers, crawl spaces, basements, and leaky walls.
Is it OK to eat white mold on bread? For food safety experts, the answer is clear: Moldy bread is bad news. Some molds, like those used for Gorgonzola cheese, are safe to eat. But the mold dotting bread isnt a benign source of extra fiber. Gravely says people who eat moldy food may suffer allergic reactions and respiratory problems.
Can you wash mold off your hands?
Mold spores are everywhere but invisible to your eye, as are the kinds of germs that make us sickthough the two are not the same. Washing your hands removes the mold from themat least for a short time.
How do you treat mold on your skin? The following may be used to treat your mold rash:
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What Does Harmless Black Mold Look Like
In some cases, mold in your home can make you sick, especially if you have allergies or asthma. Whether or not youre allergic to molds, mold exposure can irritate your eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs. Heres what you can do to combat mold problems, and take care of yourself and your home.
A blood test, sometimes called the radioallergosorbent test, can measure your immune systems response to mold by measuring the amount of certain antibodies in your bloodstream known as immunoglobulin E antibodies.
How Do You Test For Black Mold In Your Body
A blood test is done. A blood test, sometimes called the radioallergosorbent test, can measure your immune systems response to mold by measuring the amount of certain antibodies in your bloodstream known as immunoglobulin E . The test is done by taking a sample of your blood and sending it to a lab for analysis.
The results of the test will tell you if you have been exposed to the mold, and if so, how much mold youve had to deal with. If you dont have any symptoms, you may not need to see a doctor. However, its important to keep in mind that mold exposure can cause a variety of health problems, including allergic reactions, asthma, skin rashes, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
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Identifying Mold In Your Home
- Appearance or dark spots or clusters. Look for spots or clustered growths, especially in warm, moist rooms.
- Musty smell. You may be able to identify mold by a musty smell.
- Allergies or asthma. If you experience asthma attacks or allergy symptoms in your home, that may also indicate theres mold.
- Potential causes. Look for causes of mold growth, like a leak, water damage, lack of ventilation, or old food, papers, or wood.
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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Are Black Mold Dangerous
Asked by: Rico Roob
Based on current research, black mold exposure is no more dangerous than any other type of mold exposure. It is impossible to avoid exposure to mold the spores are almost everywhere around us. In high amounts or in people with allergies, exposure to any mold may cause allergy symptoms.
How Does Black Mold Get Inside A House
Mold spores find their way inside by hitchhiking on clothes, pet fur, and air currents into your home. But spores cant get comfortable without plenty of water. This is why youll usually find black mold around water-damaged areas impacted by plumbing issues like floods or leaky pipes.
Materials like drywall, carpet, or gypsum board can soak up water, creating a perfect home for a black mold colony. If you find water damage at home, its crucial to remove all the affected materials to prevent mold from growing.
A water leak sensor can alert you to leaks in hard-to-reach places where the water damage would otherwise go unnoticed.
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The Allergenic Impact Of Toxic Mold
As alluded to above, many people experience an allergic reaction to virtually all kinds of toxic mold. According to the CDC, people who are sensitive to mold can experience all of the following symptoms:
- Chronic rhinitis
- Throat irritation
- Eye irritation
- Skin irritation .
While these issues dont sound particularly risky, sustained allergic reactions can gradually result in the development of more hazardous conditions. Over time, the irritation associated with rhinitis and frequent coughing harms the sufferers delicate mucus membranes. This can lead to recurrent infections of the lungs, sinuses, and ears. Chronic allergic reactions have also been linked to a higher incidence of migraine headaches.
What Does Mold Feel Like
Some people are sensitive to molds. For these people, exposure to molds can lead to symptoms such as stuffy nose, wheezing, and red or itchy eyes, or skin. Some people, such as those with allergies to molds or with asthma, may have more intense reactions.
What If You Ate Moldy Bread by Accident?
What diseases are caused by mold? These include:
- Mold-induced asthma. In people allergic to mold, breathing in spores can trigger an asthma flare-up.
- Allergic fungal sinusitis. This results from an inflammatory reaction to fungus in the sinuses.
- Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.
- Hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
Can you live with mold in your house?
All indoor environments have some mold spores in them, but this does not affect most people. However, people with a compromised immune system may have a higher risk of illness, and especially lung problems, if there are mold spores and mold in the environment. Others may experience allergic reactions.
Is all mold black mold? Mold is a type of fungus. It is present almost everywhere, including the air. In general, normal amounts of mold in the environment do not pose a substantial health risk to healthy people with regular immune system function. There is no single type of mold called black mold many molds are black.
Why Dont You Get Sick When Eating Moldy Cheese
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Can Air Purifiers Reduce Mold Spores
To really protect yourself from the effects of breathing black mold spores, you have to address it in the air. The best way to reduce and eliminate black mold spores from your indoor air is by running a high-quality air purifier for mold. Not sure where to look? Weve got you covered.
At Air Oasis, we create superior air purifiers by utilizing the top purification technologies: activated carbon filtration, HEPA filtration, UV light and two types of ionization. In a 2018 study, our iAdaptAir® was able to reduce the airborne fungus Aspergillus niger by 99.9% after 10 minutes.
When youre ready to get serious about mold elimination, let our top-of-the-line air purifiers do the heavy lifting. By reducing and eliminating mold spores in the air, our air purifiers can prevent mold from recolonizing and help you to breathe safer. If you have questions about our air purifiers, reach out to us online or give us a call at .
How To Get Rid Of Black Mold
Depending on the severity of your black mold infestation, you can either clean it yourself or hire a professional. Hiring a professional is more expensive, but it prevents you from being exposed to the mold while trying to remove it. Youll probably want to hire a professional cleaner if you have wide-spread growth in multiple rooms.
If you choose to remove the black mold yourself, be sure to take the proper safety precautions. You want to avoid letting mold spores touch your skin or breathing them in by wearing:
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How Can I Be Exposed To Mold
People are exposed to molds every day, usually by touching or breathingthem. Because molds naturally exist outdoors and indoors, living in a totallymold-free environment is practically impossible. As molds grow, spores can bereleased into the air where they can be easily inhaled. People who inhale largenumbers of spores may get sick. Possible health concerns are an importantreason to prevent mold growth and to clean up molds in indoor environments.
Is Alcohol Or Vinegar Better To Kill Mold
Don’t use vinegar to clean marble or granite because it can eat away at the surface and cause discoloration. To clean these fragile materials, the Organic Consumers Association suggests using rubbing alcohol or vodka with water. To clean mold with vinegar, just spray it on the moldy surface and leave it.
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Summary Of Health Problems
Many types of indoor mold, not just black mold, may cause health problems in some individuals.
Long-term exposure to high levels of mold in the home, however,
People who are most at risk of the symptoms of mold exposure are:
- infants and children
- people with allergies or asthma
- people with weakened immune systems
The main health risks related to mold exposure are allergies and irritation, which typically cause respiratory symptoms.
People with weakened immune systems may also have a risk of fungal infection.
Do I Need Professional Testing
In short, usually not! Because, remember the saying: no mold, no matter what color, belongs in a healthy home. And that is good news because a professional mold inspection with testing can run anywhere from $300-$750. In most cases where mold is clearly visible, knowing exactly what type of mold you have is unnecessary. We advise most of our clients to forgo the inspection process and just apply that money saved to the cost of fixing the problem. The EPA agrees that mold testing isnt necessary in most cases.
There are exceptions, however, such as when a mold inspection with testing is required as part of a real estate sale or if you require proof that a mold problem is present, such as for a legal dispute. If you think you may have a mold problem, but arent sure, then we recommend formal testing from a professional. And if you require clearance testing to verify an all clear after a mold problem is fixed, then professional mold testing is necessary.
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Navigating All Of The Confusing And Concerning Information About Black Mold Is Hard But Were Here To Tell You The Truth
Many of us have heard of the dangers of toxic black mold and may worry about black mold poisoning, but the truth is that black mold is a much more manageable problem than you might expect.
Few topics get us more upset than seeing misinformation publicized about toxic black mold, and mold in general, by unscrupulous companies and zealous media articles that seem more interested in sensationalism than fact-based reporting.
When you understand what youre dealing with, you can make informed choices to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy. Were here to cut through the mess and help you understand what having black mold in your home may mean, and give you some tips on how to fix the problem yourself and save big money in the process.
What Should You Do If You Accidentally Ate Mold
If you have accidentallyeaten mold, call your doctor immediately. They will want to know what kind of mold it was and how much you ate. They will also be able to tell if there is any danger to your health because of eating the mold.
If there is no danger to your health, then your doctor will let you know. They will also sensitize you on ways to protect your food from mold and other harmful microorganisms.
If your doctor suspects that you have some symptoms of mold poisoning, they will probably recommend some tests. These tests might include blood tests and urine tests to check for complications that occur as a result of mold poisoning.
You may also need to stay in the hospital for several days while your doctor monitors your condition.
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Side Effects Of Black Mold
With the current awareness of potential health problems associated with mold growth in houses people want to know if they have been exposed to harmful black mold. All molds are potentially harmful. However, a few types have frequently been associated with adverse human health effects. Generally people are concerned when they see black mold growth in their houses or offices. The colour of the mold, however, does not determine whether a mold is harmful or not.
Stachybotrys chartarum is the infamous species of mold known as black mold. Black mold grows in areas of excessive moisture and poor air quality. Though not rare, black mold ranks among the least common of mold species. It thrives in materials rich in cellulose such as gypsum board. Black mold also thrives in the presence of constant moisture caused by excessive humidity, condensation and flooding. People with allergies, suppressed immune systems, or chronic lung diseases are more susceptible to exposure to black mold. Even healthy individuals experience symptoms of black mold poisoning.
Black Mold Exposure Symptoms
There is a wide range of common black mold exposure symptoms, some of which you probably would not think were caused by exposure to black mold if you didnt know about the wide range of black mold health effects people can experience. Its important to remember that many other conditions can cause symptoms similar to mold exposure symptoms and youll need to see a doctor for an accurate diagnosis. You should also see a doctor if your symptoms are severe or if they last more than a few days.
Removing all the mold from your home will resolve many symptoms but others may linger on even if all the mold has been removed. Talk to your doctor about whether or not you will need ongoing treatment for your symptoms.
Remember, even if you are not experiencing any symptoms, if you have mold growing in your home you need to remove it. Left alone, mold will continue to grow and spread. Even if you are not currently having any symptoms, you will likely develop symptoms at some point if mold is allowed to continue to grow unchecked.
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