Mold In Your Home? What Are the Health Risks Involved?
Have you ever thought mold infestation in your home is hazardous to health? Apart from the damage to houses and property, mold infestation is a serious problem.
Favorable conditions like temperature and moisture lead to the breeding of mold. You can find mold anywhere in your home on walls, clothes, books, air ducts, HVAC appliances, and many more. But how would you locate mold infestation in your home? And what are the potential health hazards caused by mold? So, keep on reading the full guide for more practical information. You will also get a bonus tip to effectively get rid of mold.
What Is Mold?
Basically, mold is fungi of different types growing both indoors and outdoors. Black mold is the most toxic form of fungus. Outdoor fungi are not of major concern, as they help the ecosystem thrive. But the indoor fungus is problematic and needs to be prevented.
Mold can be of any color, like black or white, or can grow on any surface. They produce spores that spread through air and direct contact with hands or clothing and reach other places in your home. You cannot prevent the spreading of spores as they reproduce in damp and moist conditions.
Astonishing Stats about Mold
- About 50% of US homes have mold issues by 2022
- 28% of the population is sensitive to mold
- 45 million buildings in the US have mold at an unhealthy level
- Mold can form within 48 hours if your home has water damage
Do these stats trigger your will to check and prevent mold in your home? First thing is you should immediately treat the water problem in your house. Moisture and water is the leading contributor to mold reproduction.
How to Locate Mold in Your Home?
You might see spots in your home at different places, including:
- Doors, windows, walls,
- Attics, spaces, cracks
- Around and inside leaky pipes
- Fabrics, paper, wood
- Wallpaper, insulation, or paint
But how would you differentiate ordinary spots from mold? Here are a few things that will help you a lot.
- There will a water source near the spot
- It will smell earthy, musty, or like decaying wood
- Mold spreads to its nearby area, causing cracking or peeling
A simple 2-minute easy test will help you find mold. Take 2 drops of bleach and add on the spot. If it discolors, then there is mold in your home.
Health Hazards of Mold
Most people have to check the mold presence in the home. But people who are sensitive and allergic to mold feel certain reactions. These include:
Allergic Reaction
Mold also affects the upper respiratory tract of humans. Spores and mold inhaling induces the following symptoms in the patients.
- Runny nose
- Eye irritation
- Lung irritation
- Sore throat
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Nasal congestion
Several Infections
Most people breathe in a mold environment without any significant reaction. But for people with asthma and other respiratory issues, mold presence worsens the conditions. The mold spores release pollens and other toxic substances into the air. These toxins and irritants cause breathing problems and lung infections.
Mold can cause the following infections:
- Sporotrichosis-starts as a slight bump that may turn into an ulcer with time
- Aspergilliois – includes respiratory infection, breathing problems, coughing, and fever
- Histoplasmosis- includes fever, cough, chest pain, chills, headache, and body aches
- Valley fever-causes fatigue, cough, rashes, shortening of breath, and muscles aches
Mayoclinic reports that 93% of sinus infections are caused by mold. Mold presence also increases asthma attack rates among patients.
Allergic Alveolitis
Allergic alveolitis is a group of lung diseases caused by mold. Both acute and chronic alveolitis affects patients. Acute allergic alveolitis lasts from a few days to weeks with temporary symptoms. While chronic allergic alveolitis can cause permanent damage to the lungs. It can also decrease lung capacity and oxygen intake.
Other symptoms of allergic alveolitis include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and weight loss. Bedroom wall mold contributes a lot to allergic alveolitis.
Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis
Home, school, or workplace mold in the heating or ventilating system causes hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The inflammatory syndrome is characterized by common symptoms of chills, headache, and cough. The symptoms go away after a few days if the patient avoids further exposure to mold.
How to Get Rid of Mold. Do you need a Licensed Expert?
You can easily remove mold in your home with basic things, including soap, water, or bleach. Take a brush and scrub all the mold prone surfaces. Remove the water leakage to prevent mold breeding. But for the furniture and carpets, you have to throw them as mold will not go away.
But if the mold infestation is higher, seek a licensed professional mold removal expert. We at FMC have experts and trained inspectors to locate the mold and effectively treat them. Our expert inspectors use technology to confirm the mold presence and then treat your commercial or residential property for safe living. Contact us today to hire an HVAC-licensed mold remediation and assessment expert.
