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The first thing that you should understand about
mold is that there is mold nearly everywhere - indoors and outdoors.
It is a part of nature. It's in the air and can be found on plants,
foods, dry leaves, and other organic materials.
It's very common to find molds in homes and
buildings. After all, molds grow naturally indoors. And mold spores enter
the home through doorways, windows, and heating and air conditioning
systems. Spores also enter the home on animals, clothing, shoes, bags and
people.
When mold spores drop where there is excessive
moisture in your home, they will grow. Common problem sites include
humidifiers, leaky roofs and pipes, overflowing sinks, bath tubs and plant
pots, steam from cooking, wet clothes drying indoors, dryers exhausting
indoors, or where there has been flooding.
Many of the building materials for homes provide
suitable nutrients for mold, helping it to grow. Such materials include
paper and paper products, cardboard, ceiling tiles, wood, and wood
products, dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation materials, drywall, carpet,
fabric, and upholstery.
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Everyone is exposed to some amount of mold on a
daily basis, most without any apparent reaction. Generally mold spores can
cause problems when they are present in large numbers and a person inhales
large quantities of them. This occurs primarily when there is active mold
growth.
For some people, a small exposure to mold spores
can trigger an asthma attack or lead to other health problems. For others,
symptoms may only occur when exposure levels are much higher.
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Yes. If indoor mold is extensive, those in your
home can be exposed to very high and persistent airborne mold spores. It
is possible to become sensitized to these mold spores and develop
allergies or other health concerns, even if one is not normally sensitive
to mold.
Left unchecked, mold growth can cause structural
damage to your home as well as permanent damage to furnishings and carpet.
According to the Centers for Disease Control*,
"It is not necessary, however, to determine what type of mold you may
have. All molds should be treated the same with respect to potential
health risks and removal."
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Yes. An indoor air sample can be taken as well as
an outdoor sample to determine whether the number of spores inside your
home is significantly higher. If the indoor level is higher, it could mean
that mold is growing inside your home. Reliable air sampling can be
expensive, time consuming, and requires special equipment and a qualified
technician.
If you can see or smell mold, then you should take
steps to clean-up the mold. Mold growth is likely to continue unless the
source of moisture is removed and the contamination is cleaned-up.
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Shirley
Mazzeo