Thursday, March 21, 2024

What Kind Of Sickness Can You Get From Mold

Could Your Symptoms Be From A General Mold Allergy

How to Get Rid of Mold | The Home Depot

Regardless of the species of mold in question, symptoms of a mold allergy can appear very similar, especially when looking at many individuals. So if you see black-colored mold and experience allergic symptoms, it could be Stachybotrys, or it could be another species of mold. That said, the same person can react differently to different molds. For example, one person may have severe dry eyes in response to a Cladosporium exposure, while Aspergillus exposure may cause wheezing and asthma-like symptoms.

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.
  • Use reverse cycle air conditioning and or mechanical dehumidification if available
  • Ensure sufficient exhaust openings to the outside of the building if using evaporative cooling. Evaporative coolers increase the moisture content in indoor air, so the manufacturers instructions should be followed to ensure airflow in the home.
  • Maintain heating, ventilation and cooling systems according to the manufacturers instructions.
  • Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter.
  • Avoid placing mattresses on the floor or surfaces without adequate ventilation.
  • Vacuum, and or turn mattresses if it can be done safely.
  • Increase air circulation around furniture by moving the furniture away from the walls.
  • Refer to information about cleaning up mould: refer to the information on the Better Health Channel website.

    How To Prevent Mold Growing On Clothes

    Prevention is better than cure and when it concerns as invasive a problem as mold, it is best to do everything you can to prevent the spread, or even the occurrence, of mold. For instance, it is important to conduct routine home inspections to ensure mold is not growing in your home.

    Another factor that helps grow mold on clothes is increased humidity and dampness. Check your ventilation systems and dehumidifiers to ensure that the humidity in your home remains below 50%, at the very least.

    Ventilation in areas that have a high risk of dampness, such as bathrooms and kitchens, should be monitored. If there isnt enough ventilation in these areas, the situation should be rectified as soon as possible.

    Most importantly, when dealing with mold, address the source of the mold problem instead of the symptoms. Mold on clothes, walls, and other surfaces are often the result of a much larger issue like water damage and high humidity, and must be handled accordingly.

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    Being In A Depressed Mood

    Mold in your home can affect you neurologically. There is a definite connection between home dampness, mold, and symptoms of depression. You may experience unusual mood swings or irritations mixed with feelings of elations. This is due in part because the mold interferes with your brain function. No doubt, some moodiness is from the stress of owning a home that is making you sick.

    Researchers studying mold-related illnesses found that damp homes also impact the people living in them and their mood. Again, they proved there was a definite connection between home dampness, mold, and symptoms of depression. Mental illness and the connection to less-than-ideal living conditions is not surprising.

    Psychological stress is normal when you have little control over your home environment and have poor indoor air quality that can affect your health. Take control of the stress by reducing moisture sources in the home, adding house plants to clean the air, and running a fan to keep air circulating.

    How To Treat Black Mold Poisoning

    Black mold exposure: Symptoms, treatment, and prevention

    Black mold, scientifically referred to as Stachybotrys atra or Stachybotrys chartarum, is typically black or dark green and often linked to serious health problems.

    In fact, exposure to black mold can lead to black mold poisoning, or stachybotryotoxicosis a condition thats dangerous, particularly for young children and the elderly.

    Even though black mold poisoning typically affects horses, cows, and pigs, humans can become infected if they inhale or ingest the spores.

    Symptoms of stachybotryotoxicosis include skin rashes , throat and sinus irritation, burning eyes, and a decrease in the production of white blood cells.

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    Abc Can Keep Your Family Comfortable And Safe

    Black mold is a serious problem that should be treated immediately and professionally. However, you shouldnt let worry about black mold growth keep you up at night. The truth is, this type of toxic mold is uncommon in air ducts that are regularly cleaned and maintained by professionals. With years of experience and licensed professionals, ABC Home & Commercial Services can provide proactive care for your air ducts and prevent black mold from ever rearing its ugly head in your home. Leave the air duct checkup, repair and cleaning to us.

    The Institute For Functional Medicine

    This website gives an explanation of functional medicine. It has the most comprehensive functional medical practitioners search tool for practices situated in the U.S. It has easy navigation and exceptional practitioners, like chiropractors, wellness clinics, and nutritionists. Inspectapedia This website is dedicated to building and environmental inspection. It as well, offers a detailed list, by country and state, of environmental medicine and also mold doctors.

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    Mould Effect On Health Mould Toxicity Symptoms

    Sometimes we dont get the opportunity to fix mould issues before they affect our health. But the earlier you discover that mould is the cause of your health issues, the sooner you can recover.

    It is important to note that some people will not experience any health problems from coming in contact with mould, while others will. It just depends on ones immune system, mould sensitivity, and duration of exposure.

    A test you can do yourself, is to leave the home for a period of time and stay elsewhere, monitoring for any changes in your health.

    Most physicians are not mould literate as medical school doesnt teach doctors to recognise the symptoms of mould toxicity and the multi-system dysfunctions that occur as a result.

    Symptoms of mould illness are varied and can be different from person to person. Some of the common presentations include:

    • Running or blocked nose, irritation of the eyes and skin and sometimes wheezing.
    • Asthma
    • Neurological changes including loss of memory and inability to focus
    • Depression, rage and quick mood changes
    • Sleep disturbances
    • Autoimmunity .
    • Mould infection, usually in the lungs.

    The symptoms are so varied that most people with mould toxicity end up with multiple diagnoses such as chronic fatigue syndrome, inflammatory bowel disorder and depression and are subsequently medicated for each condition, without the underlying cause ever having been discovered.

    A Qualified Environmental Lab Took Samples Of The Mold In My Home And Gave Me The Results Can Cdc Interpret These Results

    Types of Mold

    Standards for judging what is an acceptable, tolerable or normal quantity of mold have not been established. Sampling for mold can be expensive, and standards for judging what is and what is not an acceptable quantity of mold have not been set. The best practice is to remove the mold and work to prevent future growth. If you do decide to pay for environmental sampling for molds, before the work starts, you should ask the consultants who will do the work to establish criteria for interpreting the test results. They should tell you in advance what they will do or what recommendations they will make based on the sampling results. The results of samples taken in your unique situation cannot be interpreted without physical inspection of the contaminated area or without considering the buildings characteristics and the factors that led to the present condition.

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    Why Does Mold Grow On Clothes

    Similar to the reasons why mold appears in your home, mold on clothes can grow because of dampness and lack of ventilation. Mold disperses spores and toxins that travel through the air and are attracted to damp materials that are fibre-rich, such as wood, drywall, and fabric.

    If your clothes remain wet for an extended period of time, mold will be attracted to it fairly quickly anywhere between 24-48 hours. Keeping wet or even moist clothes in unventilated areas or closely together becomes a breeding ground to grow mold on clothes.

    If you have recently washed your clothes, it is always best to dry the clothes in sunlight as soon as possible. If you do not have a way to dry clothes outside, dry them in the dryer. Do not let the clothes remain in the washing machine in their damp state for too long.

    Dampness is only one of the causes for mold on clothes. If your home is too humid, or if the room where your clothes are stored does not have enough ventilation, chances of finding mold on clothes increases significantly.

    Could Your Depression Anxiety Brain Fog And Insomnia Be Due To Mold Toxicity

    Toxic mold based illness is a very prevalent and under diagnosed condition that can manifest in many different ways, including with symptoms that are exclusively psychiatric, such as depression, anxiety, attentional problems, brain fog and insomnia. Vulnerability to mold toxicity is only present in 25% of the population, who in most cases, have a genetic predisposition which inhibits their clearance of biotoxins. A family can all be living in the same house with mold growth, but only one family member will become ill. This is because that person is the only one with the genetic vulnerability.

    Mold growth is initiated through water damage. Due to common building practices of using Drywall or Sheetrock, which was not a construction material used in the past, more people are now being exposed to toxic mold, as Drywall is a great medium for mold growth. In addition, the current practice of making homes more energy efficient, means that there is less ventilation with outside air, and toxic mold gasses can be trapped inside, potentiating their effect.

    Mold toxins can accumulate in the body, continuing to wreak havoc long after exposure ceases and require an extended course of treatment. But for everyone, the first and most crucial step in treatment, is to identify where the mold is located and to get away from it.

    Some of the common symptoms of toxic mold and CIRS are:

    1. Fatigue

    36. Metallic Taste

    37. Tremors

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    Sensitive Eyes And Headaches

    Redness in your eyes, itchiness, or blurry vision may be related to mold illnesses. Some people are sensitive to mold more than others. This causes their immune system to overreact, which in turn causes an allergic reaction.

    If your symptoms are similar to hay fever or seasonal allergies and are accompanied by a headache and other symptoms of a mold illness, seek medical attention, and explain those concerns to your practitioner.

    Abc Can Protect You Against Pests

    Signs Your Home Has Mold Contamination

    Prolonged moisture stemming from flooding or hot, humid conditions can result in a host of problems in your home, including mold and the pests which thrive in these environments. When you are dealing with these types of pests, ABC Home & Commercial Services can help identify the source of your problem and recommend ways to remove even the most persistent and pervasive pests. Homeowners rely on the pros at ABC to take care of pest problems in their home in rain, shine and even after storms and flooding.

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    And It Damages Your Sense Of Smell

    Michigan State University researchers found that a toxin produced by the black mold Stachybotrys chartarum can kill the nerve cells essential for the sense of smell, at least in mice. Even scarier, the team found this happens even with a low-dose. Black mold is also linked to a dangerous respiratory disease in infant humans called pulmonary hemorrhage, a bleeding disorder in the lungs caused by inhaling spores in the home.

    The Rx: Studies on the effect on the human sense of smell are ongoing, so there’s probably more to come. Just try to stay away from black mold if at all possible. And to live your happiest and healthiest life, don’t miss these 100 Ways Your Home Could Be Making You Sick.

    How To Prevent Mold In Future

    Once youve taken care of the mold in air ducts, its important to make sure it doesnt happen again. Getting an HVAC preventative maintenance plan is a great way to keep an eye on the mold and keep your HVAC system healthy. It can help prevent the causes of mold by making sure there are no issues that can cause moisture leaks. Regular maintenance prevents breakdowns and keeps your cooling running smoothly.

    Another thing you can do to take care of your HVAC is consider a periodic duct cleaning service. Duct cleaning is usually not included in routine preventative maintenance. Youll definitely need duct cleaning after discovering mold in air ducts, but also consider getting a regularly scheduled cleaning, especially if you live in a humid climate or have trouble with mold that keeps coming back.

    You can also consider installing UV light and/or Ionization air purifiers that can kill mold as well as other particles such as viruses and bacteria. Passive systems can effectively destroy particles on surfaces in your HVAC system , while active systems can also destroy airborne contaminants, including odors and VOCs.

    If you have issues with mold after taking these steps, its time to look into an underlying cause of humidity in your home or business, which may be accumulating outside your HVAC system:

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    What Is Mold Toxicity

    Mold toxicity occurs when mycotoxins are produced by micro-fungi such as mold, that can affect your bodys system leading to chronic symptoms.

    It is estimated that 24% of the population is genetically susceptible to this illness and will begin experiencing chronic inflammatory immune responses as a result of this exposure. Toxins produced by mold will start to accumulate inside the body and begin its takeover of symptoms to an individual.

    International Society For Environmentally Acquired Illness

    How Mold Can Kill You | True Horror | Gizmodo

    This is a nonprofit professional medical society. It is aimed aims to raise awareness of the environmental causes of inflammatory illnesses. Also to support the recovery of individuals who are affected by these illnesses. This is carried out by the integration of clinical practice, education, and research. The website hosts a large searchable database of its approved professional environmental illness and mold treatment members. The medical professionals that are listed are usually approved for inclusion by the societys board members. They specialize in environmentally-acquired illness.

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    How Is Aspergillosis Treated

    Treatment options include oral corticosteroids, antifungal medications, and surgery.

    • Oral corticosteroid drugs: Solid or liquid oral medications may be prescribed to treat allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. These drugs reduce inflammation and prevent respiratory symptoms, such as wheezing and coughing, from getting worse. Some of the most commonly used drugs are prednisone, prednisolone, and methylprednisolone.
    • Antifungal drugs: These medications are generally used to treat invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Voriconazole is currently the drug of choice because it causes fewer side effects and appears to be more effective than other medications. Amphotericin B or itraconazole are also effective in treating infection. Caspofungin is sometimes used in cases where the infection is resistant to the other antifungals. Antifungal drugs are sometimes used along with oral corticosteroids when treating ABPA. Antifungals can cause serious side effects, such as kidney and liver damage.
    • Surgery: Surgery may be necessary in cases when aspergillomas are present and cause serious problems, such as excessive bleeding. Antifungal medications are usually not effective against aspergillomas, so surgery is recommended. Embolization may be an option to block blood flow to the artery supplying blood to the lung cavity where the fungus ball is located. This will stop the bleeding, but it may recur later.

    Types Of Mold Sickness: Signs And Symptoms

    Mold exposure has the potential to cause adverse health effects. Many people start researching mold sickness when they are faced with a set of symptoms that have no apparent cause. They begin to wonder, are they being affected by something in their environment? There is a wide range of mold-related illnesses, some of which are difficult or even impossible to diagnose. Below, we discuss the different types of mold sickness and the symptoms associated with each condition.

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    Exposure Sources And Prevention

    The primary sources of mold exposure are from the indoor air in buildings with substantial mold growth and the ingestion of food with mold growths.

    While mold and related microbial agents can be found both inside and outside, specific factors can lead to significantly higher levels of these microbes, creating a potential health hazard. Several notable factors are water damage in buildings, the use of building materials which provide a suitable substrate and source of food to amplify mold growth, relative humidity, and energy-efficient building designs, which can prevent proper circulation of outside air and create a unique ecology in the built environment. A common issue with mold hazards in the household can be the placement of furniture, resulting in a lack of ventilation of the nearby wall. The simplest method of avoiding mold in a home so affected is to move the furniture in question.

    Prevention of mold exposure and its ensuing health issues begins with the prevention of mold growth in the first place by avoiding a mold-supporting environment. Extensive flooding and water damage can support extensive mold growth. Following hurricanes, homes with greater flood damage, especially those with more than 3 feet of indoor flooding, demonstrated far higher levels of mold growth compared with homes with little or no flooding.

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