What kind of sickness can you get from mold

Because of this, regular cleaning with agents that kill mold or professional mold remediation is always ideal. Mold remediation begins by identifying the source of the moisture and making any necessary repairs, then removing all of the porous material in a room to be replaced with sanitized material.

All non-porous surfaces need to be thoroughly cleaned with an anti-fungal detergent and thoroughly dried before porous materials like drywall or carpeting can be reinstalled. Occupants can reenter the building after the infected spaces pass a visual or environmental test and there are no remaining signs of potential mold-causing water damage.

Wellness Articles. Check on warm-weather trouble spots Mold is one word that can send homeowners into a panic, especially as we wind down from a summer of record-high temperatures and humidity. Keep an eye out for hidden leaks: Wet spots on your ceiling, at baseboards or on the floor are a telltale sign of a leaky pipe or roof.

Mold can grow behind those walls and filter into the air through ducts or pipes. A plumber or contractor can help identify weak spots or possible leaks and prevent mold growth. For example, Aspergillus mold is relatively widespread, and most people breathe it daily without any adverse effects. However, Aspergillus exposure can cause those with severely weakened immune systems to develop an infection called aspergillosis. Types of aspergillosis include :. Exposure to black mold can lead to a type of toxicosis that is often referred to as black mold poisoning.

Black mold releases mycotoxins as a sort of defense mechanism when the growth is disturbed. These mycotoxins travel through the air on mold spores and are small enough to be easily inhaled. The class of toxin produced by black mold, trichothecenes, has been proven to be detrimental to humans, according to Dr. Lauren Tessier, a naturopathic physician practicing in Vermont and New York.

Though exposure to mycotoxins can sometimes cause the allergic symptoms listed above, it may also present in non-allergic symptoms, including:. Note: Much of the information available on mold-related toxicoses comes from the functional medicine domain, which is a type of alternative medicine. This branch of medicine uses some diagnoses—such as chronic inflammatory response syndrome CIRS —that have not been accepted by the traditional medical community.

Mold exposure symptoms with no identifiable cause are often attributed to conditions such as sick building syndrome or dampness and mold hypersensitivity syndrome. Though the medical community does not widely accept these diagnoses, many people turn to them when they can find no other explanation for their symptoms.

Sick building syndrome SBS is associated with exposure to a specific building, usually an office building. There is no way to identify the source of SBS symptoms positively. However, they are generally attributed to air quality issues, such as volatile organic compounds VOCs , carbon monoxide CO and mold. SBS symptoms vary widely and can include headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, respiratory irritation and chest pains. Dampness and mold hypersensitivity syndrome DMHS typically begins with eye, nose and respiratory tract irritation, but can lead to other symptoms, such as sinusitis, headaches, fatigue and fibromyalgia.

However, more research is needed to make any firm conclusions about DMHS. The best way to avoid mold in the home or workplace is to prevent its growth altogether.

Because mold thrives in damp, warm environments, you can try:. If you do find mold in your home or workplace, the California Department of Public Health recommends :.

When you are removing mold growth from your home, you should take certain precautions to ensure that you eliminate both the mold and the source of dampness.

The EPA suggests scrubbing mold off of all hard surfaces using water and detergent and throwing away moldy fabrics such as carpets and curtains. For larger moldy areas, mold in air conditioners or mold growth caused by contaminated water, you may need to hire an experienced professional to thoroughly and safely eliminate the problem.

Use a wet vacuum to remove remaining dirt. Scrub cleanable surfaces such as wood, tile, stone with soapy water and a bristle brush. Thoroughly clean all hard surfaces such as flooring, molding, wood and metal furniture, countertops, and sinks with water and dish detergent. Dry surfaces quickly and thoroughly after cleaning. Mold growth can be removed from hard surfaces with commercial products, soap and water, or a bleach solution of no more than 1 cup 8 ounces of bleach in 1 gallon of water to kill mold on surfaces.

Never mix bleach with ammonia or other household cleaners. If you have an extensive amount of mold and you do not think you can manage the cleanup on your own, you may want to contact a professional who has experience in cleaning mold in buildings and homes. These decisions have to be made individually. If you believe you are ill because of exposure to mold in a building, you should consult your physician to determine the appropriate action to take.

If you can see or smell mold, a health risk may be present. You do not need to know the type of mold growing in your home, and CDC does not recommend or perform routine sampling for molds. No matter what type of mold is present, you should remove it. Since the effect of mold on people can vary greatly, either because of the amount or type of mold, you cannot rely on sampling and culturing to know your health risk.

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. Hazards presented by molds that may produce mycotoxins should be considered the same as other common molds which can grow in your house.

Not all fungi produce mycotoxins and even those that do will not do so under all surface or environmental conditions. Mold growth, which often looks like spots, can be many different colors, and can smell musty. Color is not an indication of how dangerous a mold may be.

Any mold should be removed and the moisture source that helped it grow should be removed. There are very few reports that toxigenic molds found inside homes can cause unique or rare health conditions such as pulmonary hemorrhage or memory loss. These case reports are rare, and a causal link between the presence of the toxigenic mold and these conditions has not been proven. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate.

Basic Facts about Mold and Dampness. Minus Related Pages. How common is mold in buildings? How do molds get in the indoor environment and how do they grow? How do you know if you have a mold problem? Large mold infestations can usually be seen or smelled.