What Health Problems Are Caused By Mold In Your House?

Did you know that your health problem may be caused by mold? Mold is commonly found in homes and can cause a number of health problems that you may not be aware of. How can you tell if mold is the cause?

Have you ever noticed that your nose suddenly gets congested when you walk into certain rooms in the house? This is a sign that you might have mold lurking somewhere and it’s getting into your respiratory system.

Mold grows where it is wet, and it produces spores that can get into the air. Most health problems caused by mold involve these spores getting into your lungs.

Stuffiness or a runny nose may be the sign of mold allergy. Another health problem caused by mold is shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing. You may experience asthma-like symptoms even though you do not suffer from asthma.

In some cases, exposure to mold gives people headaches, fevers or skin rash.

Prevention of mold-related health problems

Mold also grows on rotten food. You may see mold growing on vegetables that have been around for a while. Cheese may also have mold growing on it. And, we’ve all seen moldy bread before.

If you have moldy food, you should throw it out, of course. If you accidentally eat mold, you are likely to experience a headache or nausea.

For the most part, mold is non-toxic. There are no major long-term health problems caused by mold. However, if you suffer from asthma or chronic sinus problems, mold will be a particular problem for you.

If you have asthma, you will want to avoid mold as much as possible. Mold will aggravate your asthma and bring on attacks. The constant exposure of children with asthma to mold has been shown to have long-term consequences, leading to trouble breathing when they are adults.

If you suffer from sinus trouble, mold will aggravate your sinuses. The symptoms of mold allergy are similar to sinus infections, so it is difficult to determine the exact cause of your symptoms.

Even though mold is not terribly dangerous, health problems caused by mold can be inconvenient and painful. It is recommended that you try to keep you home as mold-free as possible.

Every house has mold. If you have mold allergy symptoms, it may be a sign that there is mold hidden somewhere in your house.

The most common household mold is black and grows around your shower or in your kitchen. When you see this kind of mold, you should clean it immediately. Simple soap and water will usually do the trick, but detergent helps as well.

If you suffer from health problems caused by mold, but don’t see the mold, it may be a good idea to get professional help. There may be a build-up of mold under carpets, inside walls, in crawlspaces, and other hard-to-reach places that might be better handled by an expert.

Health problems caused by mold are common, but reducing the amount of mold in your home can help alleviate the symptoms.

What Is Allium Aspergillus Black Mold On Onions?

Have you ever seen the wet, black stuff that grows on onions sometimes? You know that it’s something bad, and that you should toss the onions as soon as possible, but do you know what it is?

This stuff is a type of black mold that grows on onions, called “allium aspergillus” or “aspergillus niger.”

It usually starts in areas where the onion is bruised or injured, and can grow on any part of the onion, like the bulb or the stem. Allium aspergillus is a major problem for onion growers and it toxic if eaten.

Most often, the mold starts between the different layers of the onion, and grows outward. The mold will give the onion a wet, water-soaked appearance. In the later stages of its development, the onion will become shriveled, withered and dry.

Black mold on onions thrives in warmer climates, such as Southern California or Florida. Even though mold is associated with humid climates, black mold on onions is a particular problem in desert areas where onions are grown.

Allium aspergillus mold can start either while the onion is in the field, or during storage. The onions can pick up the mold from dead matter in the soil. In the case of storage, the mold can be the result of too much humidity in the area where it they are stored.

Allium aspergillus is related to aspergillus niger, which is a common household airborne mold. So, you should never eat onions that appear to have black mold.

Black mold on onions is generally a problem for those who are growing or harvesting onions. You should be particularly aware of mold problems if you are growing onions. Onions with the disease rarely make it to the table.

However, if you do find an onion on your plate with black mold, you should leave it alone. Like other vegetables that develop mold, it should be thrown away immediately.

If you eat an onion that has allium aspergillus or another kind of black mold, you may experience typical mold exposure symptoms like a headache or fatigue. Some people who have eaten raw onions have experienced symptoms similar to those of mold exposure.

If you are harvesting your own onions, you should make sure to store them in a warm, dry place for curing, and a cooler place for storage. The most common cause of black mold on onions is humidity during storage. Make sure that the building where you are curing them is dry.

The temperature for storing your onions should be from 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit. Definitely, make sure it is not over 55 degrees. Most importantly, make sure it is a dry place.

In handling your onions, be extra careful to avoid bruising. Areas of bruising are the best for mold to grow, so the fewer bruises the better.

During growing, fungus control pesticides will help reduce allium aspergillus growth on onions, but not particular pesticide has been found to be particularly effective against it.

Treatment Of People With Black Mold Exposure

Exposure to black mold in the home can be a serious health problem. Prevention is the key, but if you suffer from common mold allergy, or have been exposed to toxic mold, there are options for treatment.

Exposure To Black Mold In The Home

Most black mold found in the home is non-toxic. About one in five people experience an adverse allergic reaction to household black mold. The symptoms usually resemble a cold or sinus infection, with nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat and headaches. If there is a lot of black mold in your home, you may also experience eye and skin irritation, fatigue and other more severe symptoms.

The best treatment for black mold is prevention. This means identifying where mold is growing in your home and cleaning it up. Mold thrives in humid, closed-off places, so keep an eye on trouble spots such as your kitchen and bathroom.

If you experience any of the above symptoms and believe you may have mold in your home, keep a “mold diary.” Write down the times and places where you experience these symptoms. This will help you identify where you have a problem.

Over-the-counter cold and sinus medications will relieve symptoms of black mold exposure, but getting rid of the mold is the only true solution. If you suffer from severe allergy, consult your doctor and they will be able to prescribe a more effective medication. However, cleaning up the mold is the only cure.

Toxic Mold Exposure

Toxic black mold is a much more serious problem. Some kinds of mold are toxic and their spores can cause permanent nerve and cell damage in your body. Toxic mold is often the cause of “sick buildings,” where an old or badly insulated building seems to cause health problems.

Those who suffer from toxic mold allergy will find that their sensitivity increases with exposure. The longer you are exposed to mold, the more trouble you will have in the future. You may develop a reaction to smoke, for example, that you did not have before.

The best treatment to toxic mold allergy is to avoid contaminated items, and anything else that causes a reaction. You must be very careful in the future about being around old things which may be slightly moldy.

Another way to keep yourself healthy is to monitor your diet. Make sure that you get enough calcium and potassium. Your doctor can also prescribe inhalants which you can use to relieve symptoms.

In order to treat toxic black mold exposure, you must detoxify the body. These spores destroy cells in your body, which you can not get back, but detoxification will help stop the process. Most doctors are inexperienced in the field of mold treatment, so ask your doctor to refer you to a detoxification specialist.

Most people who suffer from toxic mold exposure greatly underestimate the health dangers. Make sure you educate yourself about your problem and get the right treatment.

Follow Your Nose: Detecting The Black Mold Smell

The best way to tell if your house has been infiltrated by black mold is simply to use your eyes and nose. That black mold smell will tell you right off that you have a problem.

Have you entered a part of the house where you have detected a musty odor? It might be that you have sneezed or felt a tightening in your nose. This is definitely the old black mold, at work again.

Mold often grows in places that are hard to get into. That’s where it thrives. You may not be able to see where mold is growing, but your nose will give it away.

The black mold smell is caused by little airborne spores that ordinary household mold puts into the air. These nasty little spores are what cause you to suddenly get a stuffy nose or headache when mold is present.

What Does Black Mold Smell Like?

The word most often used to describe black mold smell is “musty.” It has an earthy, wet smell. If you’ve ever poked around an old house or some place that’s been shut up with no air for a while, you’ve probably smelled it.

If you’ve ever been some place that has been waterlogged, you’ve definitely smelled it before. Water that has been sitting for a while may also carry a moldy smell. Mold grows on food as well, so you might have picked up the odor in an old unwashed coffeepot.

This musty, earthy smell is often accompanied by a couple of sneezes. If you can smell this moldy odor and also feel it in your eyes, nose or throat, you definitely have a mold problem.

Use Your Nose To Find The Mold!

If you are looking for black mold, follow the black mold smell. You will find that certain parts of your house smell the mustiest and cause the biggest reaction. Those are the places where mold might be hiding.

Your nose quickly gets used to the smell, so if you are mold hunting for an extended period of time, you might want to take little breaks. Go outside and get some fresh air. Then, come back in and start again. Your nose gets used to the smell of black mold particularly quickly.

Is Black Mold Smell Bad For My Health?

If you can smell the black mold, that means that its spores are in the air. This can definitely be bad for your health. Most people suffer an allergic reaction to mold. It can resemble mild cold-like symptoms. If there is an abundance of mold, the symptoms will be worse.

If you suffer from asthma or respiratory problems, mold is definitely dangerous for you. Additionally, some molds are toxic. Mold can cause problems for you and your family, so if you smell black mold, the best thing to do is clean it up right away.

Use your nose! Follow the smell, and get rid of the black mold.

Tips On How To Get Rid Of Black Mold Off Walls

One of the best places in the home for mold to grow is your walls. If you have mold growing on your walls, it is important to take care of the problem right away. This article will tell you how to get rid of mold off walls.

You can often tell that you have a mold problem on your walls when you see peeling paint. This means that the wallboard is wet and may be getting moldy. If you have any kind of water damage on your walls, you will certainly have a mold problem.

It is particularly easy for mold to grow in crawlspaces and inside of walls. These places can easily become too moist, and have little ventilation, so it is an ideal place for mold to grow.

If you have mold growing on your walls, first try using soap and water, and scrub that mold away. If you have a minor mold problem, this will do the trick. After cleaning, the wall may still be discolored and you might want to repaint.

Detergent is also effective for cleaning up mold. If, after cleaning, you cover the area with detergent and wait awhile before rinsing, this can help prevent another mold problem in the future.

When cleaning mold, always wear gloves and a protective mask. Wear clothes that will keep the mold from touching your body. Mold is generally non-toxic, but most of us naturally have minor mold allergies, and exposure to mold can cause runny nose, headaches and other allergy symptoms.

It is not a bad idea to use goggles as well. Mold irritates the eyes, and it can be a problem for you when you are cleaning.

Also, try as much as possible to seal off the moldy area from the rest of the house. Make sure the area where you are cleaning has plenty of fresh air and ventilation. Open the windows or doors in the room where you are cleaning.

If you are cleaning mold off walls in a large area, you may want to cover the surrounding area with plastic, as if you were painting. During cleaning, the mold spores may become airborne, and if they find another good place to start growing, you may end up with another mold problem nearby.

If you have a large amount of mold to be cleaned, use plastic bags to contain the mold. Use your common sense and remember that you don’t want the mold getting anywhere else.

After the mold cleaning, clean up everything in the room. Vacuum the floor, wash clothes and anything else that can be washed. This is just a precautionary measure against more mold growing.

If the mold problem is severe, you may want to seek a professional cleaning service. Mold often grows in very difficult-to-get-to places, like inside walls, under carpets and in the crawlspace. It may be too big a job for just you to do.

Look under “Fire and Water Damage” in your local yellow pages. There, you will be able to find mold cleanup professionals for the difficult places. This may be worth the price. Even the simple scrubbing with soap and water is a big task for just one or two people if you have a large area of mold.

Testing Toxic Mold In Schools:  A Serious Issue

One of the most dangerous places for toxic mold to grow is in schools.  Many school buildings are old and moldy, and some were built at the time when building regulations were not so strict.  We’ve all heard about asbestos in old buildings.  Toxic mold poses a terrible health risk to kids that are exposed to it.  It is important that there is toxic mold testing in schools.

Mold is a problem in nearly every home, but there is also toxic mold.  A very small percentage of household mold is toxic.  It is fairly easy to remove mold from the home, and quite rare that a mold infestation would be severe or cause serious health problems.  But, buildings are an entirely different matter.

The most common toxic mold is stachybotrys.  Most cases of health problems from mold involve this species.  Probably the most famous case was of a school in South Carolina where the kids had to be evacuated and parts of the school classified as toxic waste!  The entire operation cost $1.9 million and made headlines across the nation.

Since this case, toxic mold in schools has become a hot issue.  Testing toxic mold in schools has become a commonplace procedure.  However, it is difficult to measure how much mold is in a building.  In order to find mold, we must go out looking for it.

Here are some places to look:

-Wet carpets or stained ceilings.  Look for any area that has been water damaged.  This is the place where mold likes to grow best.  Discolored ceiling tiles are a pretty good sign that you have mold.  Make sure that areas that become wet are dried quickly and completely.

-Moldy smell.  Mold has an earthy, musty smell.  If you notice a musty odor in certain parts of the school, especially bathrooms, showers or other humid places, you should look here for mold.

-Humidity.  Even in dry parts of the country, you have to keep an eye on the humidity.  It should always stay below 60%.  Be especially careful about showers, bathrooms and other especially humid areas.

-Under, above and behind things.  Think about where mold can easily grow, in warm, humid or dark places.  This often means behind blackboards, under carpets, behind tiles and even behind furniture.  These are the ideal places for mold, especially in humid climates.

-Around plants.  Plants are a breeding ground for molds.  They must be watered and kept moist.  Check the leaves and also the soil to make sure you do not have a mold contamination problem.

-Painted-over stains.  Sometimes ugly, water-damaged walls have been painted over to make them look better.  Where tiles have been replaced you also may find mold.  In many cases the problem has been “fixed” by repainting or replacing parts.

Small mold problems can be fixed by looking for the mold and washing the area with soap or mold remover.  For bigger jobs, you must call a professional.  This is expensive, but in the long term it will save money.  Replacing roofs costs a lot more!

Once the mold is removed, the building must be kept as mold free as possible.  This means routinely checking trouble spots for mold, making sure the humidity is under control, keeping the building dry and well-ventilated, and cleaning up quickly.

Toxic mold in schools is a major health risk as well as a giant financial problem for already cash-strapped school districts.  This is why it is a concern for everyone.  Testing for toxic mold in schools should not be taken lightly.

How Can You Tell If It’s A Symptom Of Toxic Mold?

Nasal congestion, headaches, sneezing, fatigue, sore throat, itchy eyes… these are the common symptoms of toxic mold. But, these are also the regular symptoms of lots of other things. How can you tell if it’s a symptom of toxic mold?

Most people have an allergic reaction to mold that strongly resembles a minor cold or sinus trouble. You may get a little congested or sneeze. You might have a headache and feel tired. Itchiness or shortness of breath could be caused by any number of things. Is it a symptom of toxic mold?

Recently, we are becoming more aware of how our environments affect our health. Everyone knows that asbestos in old buildings has caused thousands of people to develop life-threatening health problems. But few consider mold to be a threat on that level.

The fact is that toxic mold can cause permanent damage to your lungs, nervous system, immune system, internal organs and brain. Among the most adverse symptoms of toxic mold poisoning are loss of memory, mood disorders and possibly liver and kidney cancer.

So, mold is a serious problem. But, how do you identify your health troubles as mold-related?

Here are a few factors to consider:

-Do you live in a humid environment? If you live in a place where there is a lot of moisture, you probably have mold growing in your house. Keep an eye on the wettest parts of the house, like the bathroom and kitchen.

-Has there been water damage, flooding or an especially high level of humidity in or near your home? If any water damage is not properly cleaned and dried, it will be a breeding ground for mold. Leaky pipes, bad roofs, cracked chimneys and any place where rain can get in are perfect places for mold to grow.

-Do you suddenly get congested or experience other symptoms when you enter a certain part of the house? One of the best ways to find mold is to simply follow your nose. Try to take notice of when you experience these symptoms. If you can pinpoint a certain room or place in the house, you’ve found the mold.

Most people suffer a mild allergy to mold, but mold can be very dangerous if:

-There are elderly people or children in the house. Mold is especially hard on them. Toxic mold can interfere with the normal functioning of the immune system, which can be deadly for older people. If kids are regularly exposed to mold, they can develop lifelong health problems.

-You suffer from asthma or another respiratory illness. Mold will bring on asthma attacks and intensify breathing problems. This is because mold spores most commonly enter the body through the lungs. There is still no concrete evidence, but many medical researchers believe that mold may be a factor in the development of asthma in children.

-The mold is toxic. Toxic mold is rare, but increasingly common health problems are being found to be toxic mold-related.

Some varieties of mold contain mycotoxins in their spores, which kill cell tissue and damage nerve endings. Toxic mold is rare but very serious, and should be dealt with immediately. Most cases of toxic mold poisoning have been found in very old buildings, often public facilities such as schools and workplaces.

Wherever you find mold, eliminate it immediately and take measures to keep it from growing back. The key to fighting mold-related health problems is simple prevention.