⋅Mold: a Deadly and Often Invisible Intruder⋅

In a previous blog, “Serious Health Risks to DIY Mold Removal“, we explained to you why popular do-it-yourself cleaning remedies don’t get rid of mold and why you should therefore contact a professional cleaning service with experience in mold remediation, like Advanced Bio Treatment, when you suspect a mold problem in your home or business.

But why should you be concerned about mold to begin with?

Sure, it’s ugly – if you can see it, that is. So why not just bleach it every time it appears, kind of like you vacuum and dust on a regular basis?

Good question, and it might just save your health – or your life.

As we explained in our previous blog, bleach does not kill mold. It just makes it temporarily invisible. Here’s why that should alarm you:

Mold spores exist everywhere in nature. They are common both indoors and outdoors and can be carried indoors on your clothing, through windows and doors, and on your pet’s fur.

When the spores attach to wet or damp places in your home, they grow. Allergy-like symptoms, upper respiratory infections, and asthma are the most common physical reactions to mold. People with allergies, according to the CDC, are more sensitive to mold, and people with compromised immune systems are more prone to fungai infections.

There over 100,000 different kinds of mold. To a layman, they all look similar or identical.

While many molds are completely harmless, many others can make you very sick. Some can even kill you.

They are often hidden in places where you can’t see them. All molds produce spores, which cannot be seen and are as dangerous as the mold itself. You don’t want those molds thriving in your home. And they will thrive and grow without your knowledge if they are not removed by a professional who has the right detection devices, chemicals, and equipment to permanently kill mold and its deadly spores.

Mold Types

Some of the most common molds found in homes and office buildings:

• Allergenic Molds
  • Cause allergy symptoms like scratchy throats, eye and nose irritations, and rashes.
  • Thrive all year round in the warmest places in the US, like Florida and Georgia.
  • Cause chronic rhinitis, asthma, and other lung and breathing problems.
  • “Cladosporium,” an allergenic mold commonly found in fiberglass and air ducts, causes nasty little problems like nail fungi and skin rashes.
  • Some species of “Aspergillus” mold spores grow and form fungus balls in the lungs. This mold can invade your entire body.

 

• Pathogenic Molds
  • Usually produce some kind of infection, especially in people with weak immune systems like
    • babies
    • the elderly
    • people with AIDS, pneumonia, bronchitis, and other respiratory infections
    • people undergoing chemotherapy
  • “Bipolaris” molds have been classified by OSHA as having the following health effects:

–Allergen

–Irritant

–Hypersensitivity pneumonitis

–Dermatitis

• Some species of “Bipolaris” molds cause cerebral infections, sinusitis, and, in people on dialysis, peritonitis.
• Many “Bipolaris” molds are also dangerous to animals.

• “Mucor” is a very common mold found in dust, dirt, and animal feces. That’s right — it might be lurking in your house plants, litter boxes, or pet “accidents” on your floor. It might be growing anywhere there is dust in your home. Mucor causes lung infections, especially in people with weak immune systems. It also causes sinus, brain, eye, and skin infections.

 

• Toxigenic Molds
  • Make humans and animals sick by producing mycotoxins (poisons), which are generated and released into the air with mold
  • Highest concentration of the mycotoxins is in the mold spores, which you can’t see.
  • Exposure to the toxins can happen via inhalation, ingestion, or direct skin contact.
  • “Memnoniella” mold grows on cotton, paper, and wood and is very harmful to both animals and humans.
  • “Stachybotrys” mold is very hard to detect and grows vigorously where moisture has accumulated. It can be deadly. Hidden in wall cavities and under ceilings, it causes headaches, asthma, and cancer.
  • Several species of “Aspergillus” mold contain mycotoxins that are among the most toxic substances known. They cause flu symptoms, nose bleeds, headache, fever, vomiting, coma, and convulsions. They are acutely toxic to the liver, brain, kidneys, and heart. Chronic exposure can cause cancer.

If you suspect a mold problem—if you experience symptoms of an illness that lingers and can’t be explained or treated, if you see evidence of mold, or if you have experienced any kind of flooding or water damage—don’t wait until it’s too late. Call Advanced Bio Treatment. We will, in the long run, save you money— and maybe your or a loved one’s life. If you have or suspect you have a mold problem, please call us at 800-295-1684 for a free quote.

 

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