Mold Health Problems: Every Home Owner’s Guide
The growth of mold and mildew, in itself, occurs naturally and is needed for the decomposition of organic materials. Mold and mildew feed on leaves, wood, paper, and other materials that we usually use for our home’s insulation. While mold and mildew may be necessary to keep the life cycle well balanced, its overgrowth can cause serious mold health problems in humans.
Among the negative effects of mycotoxins (harmful substances produced by too much mold spores) are allergies, fevers, asthma, eye irritation, dry cough, nose or throat irritation, skin rashes, and nasal and sinus congestion. The more serious mold health problems include headaches, mood swings, memory impairment, and severe body aches and pains. People with weak immune systems and those who already have respiratory problems are more prone to health hazards caused by mycotoxins.
The only way for you to get prevent mold health problems is to get rid of the mold. Once you detect mold growth, you should remove all infected materials as soon as possible. If the growth is below 10 ft. sq., you can probably clean the area on your own.
Watch out for areas that are kept damp (like your bathrooms, basement and kitchen), and scrub off the mold and the mildew with disinfectant. Make sure that you wear gloves and masks so you won’t touch or inhale the toxins in the process. Mold growth over 10 feet square should be left to professionals. You should also move out of the property until the mold problem has been evaluated and resolved. If you have a family member who has a compromised immune system or a serious respiratory problem, move him/her out of the house first until the mold problem has been dealt with.
Regular cleaning of areas which are prone to flooding should keep mold and mildew growth in control. Once you’re eliminated the mold problem, keep the area free from moisture to stop the mold from growing back.