Water Damage Repairs - Prevent Harmful Mold From Forming

The harmful effects of mold span the immune system and respiratory system. Most molds grow on wood, fiber, or paper that has gotten wet for more than a few days. One of the main causes of household mold is water damage that is improperly repaired. Whenever these kinds of situations arise, it is essential not only to the vitality of the home, but to the health and well being of its occupants as well to repair the mold and damage from water whether you are in Houston or Hawaii. There are many methods that you can use to repair water damage in home depending on the location of the damage.

Knowing What to Repair

You can determine many of the repairs that need to be made by simply looking around the home for the places that water damaged. Sometimes basement water damage is easier to fix than water damage in other parts of the home because there is less furniture and other amenities in the basement. Once you have determined the places that need water damage, then you can start to make the repairs.

Completing the Repairs By Clearing The Air

When you have finished making the repairs, it might be difficult to know your indoor air quality has been affected because of the water damage. Sometimes there could be even the slightest amount of moisture in even the most remote locations of the home that can have a negative affect on the air. This is not desirable as it can lead to many health problems. At the very least, you need to get a good air purifier. Locating the right air purification equipment for you can be a challenge. You should also hire a professional to conduct an air quality lab report in order to determine if your air quality is safe for breathing. If the professional determines that pollutants are found at unsafe levels, then he or she will make recommendations as to what you can do to make sure the air is safe. For tips on selecting the air purifier that is right for you, click here >>.

Regardless of the location, water damage should be repaired so that mold does not grow inside the home and the air quality remains at a safe level.

By: Adam O'Connor, www.purehouseair.com

Advice Columnist

Mold Remediation: Saving your House from Mold Menace

How severe is Mold

Mold is a type of fungi that covers a surface in the form of downy or furry coating. Neither plant nor animal, it is part of a group of living organisms that are very common and serve many beneficial purposes. Mold remediation and its importance are more felt than said. Household molds are sign of decay or dampness. They can grow on the walls, floors and ceilings of your home, on furniture and carpets as well as on your personal possessions. Sometimes household molds are referred to as mildew, although the term can also apply to molds found outdoors. Household molds are destructive in character. They originate from a damp place and soon spread to the other areas. The most common item on which molds grow very easily are foods. Foods left open or those not used for some time are sources for molds. Mold spreads by creating reproductive cells called spores which propagate through the air. It can enter your house by attaching to your skin, clothing, shoes, shopping bags and belongings, pets, through open doors, windows and through the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of your house. Molds grow best in areas of your house that are not properly sunlit or ventilated.

Mold remediation - Your Solution to Mold Problem

Mold remediation involves moisture control program and a variety of mold cleanup methods to protect building materials and furnishings from mold growth. The purpose of mold remediation is to remove the mold to prevent damages of building materials and furnishings as well as human exposure. Clean up mold contamination is as important as killing of molds, because even dead mold is still allergenic, and some dead molds are potentially toxic. If there is too much of moisture in your house coming from a dirt basement or a leaking roof, then your house can be infested with moisture all the year. It requires serious mold remediation to avoid long term and permanent mold problem. If growth of mold is confined to specific part of your house then that part of the house require more sunlight and ventilation. For such problems you need a mold remediation program emphasizing on ventilation. If your home is too air-tight, it will be affected by molds in the warmer months as humidity reaches high levels inside the house and moisture is trapped. In drafty homes mold problems occur more frequently during cold, when warm air escapes from the living area into unconditioned space, and gets condensed. If the house is artificially humidified during the winter it will create favorable conditions for mold. In such cases your house will need yearly mold remediation. If neglected, the temporary mold problem will give rise to serious long term problems.

Selecting the Right Mold Remediation

A wide variety of mold remediation methods are available for mold cleanup and remediation of damages to building materials and furnishings. However, the specific method(s) used will depend on the type of material affected. If disinfectants or biocides are used for killing molds you must ventilate the area to allow fresh air to enter. Biocides are toxic to mold as well as to humans. The use of a biocide, such as chlorine bleach, is not recommended as a routine practice during mold remediation. Fungicides such as hexachlorobenzene, organomercurials, pentachlorophenol, phthalimides, and dithiocarbamates are used for outdoor purposes. Mold remediation using these materials is not recommended for indoor mold killing. You can use many chemicals and other manual mold remediation methods yourself. If you hire a professional agency for mold remediation, and they apply biocides, make sure they are properly licensed. Mold remediation is applied for protecting homes and humans from harmful effects of molds. However, if not handled properly, it may create other problems from the chemicals. Find local, qualified Mold Remediation Job. http://www.water-damage-mold.comFind the best Listing Of Mold Remediation Companies in your Area.
Find local, qualified Mold Remediation Job.

Exposure to Mold Infestation Is a Proven and Serious Health Threat to Residents and Workers

 Many property owners, landlords, employers, and mold victim relatives in Canada, the USA, and worldwide often question or minimize the proven and serious health threat arising from exposure to elevated levels of indoor mold infestation, according to Phillip Fry, Certified Mold Inspector, Certified Mold Remediator, and author of the book Mold Health Guide.

Molds Harmful Effects

All molds have the potential to cause health effects. Molds can produce allergens that can trigger allergic reactions or even asthma attacks in people allergic to mold. Others are known to produce potent toxins and/or irritants, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

A number of commonly found mold species are, in fact, toxic mold, a description applied to any mold that produces mycotoxins in its spores. Stachybotrys (black mold), Aspergillus, and Penicillium are three of the most dangerous and commonly found indoor toxic molds.

Mycotoxins are cytotoxic, meaning they have the capacity to pass through the human cellular wall and disrupt certain cellular processes potentially causing serious health damage to workers and customers.

Studies on animals and cell cultures in labs have found toxic effects from various microbial agents, raising concerns about whether these same agents growing in buildings can cause illness in people, according to the 2004 mold health report from the Institute of Medicine (U.S. Governments National Academy of Sciences).

Mold Health Symptoms

Fungi can cause health problems to both humans and animals by several different biological mechanisms: infections, allergic or hypersensitivity reactions, irritant reactions, or toxic reactions---reported a 2004 University of Connecticut Health Center report

If exposed to elevated levels of indoor mold, some or many residents and workers can experience one or more of most common, mold health symptoms: allergies, asthma, bleeding lungs, breathing difficulties, cancer, central nervous system problems, recurring colds, chronic coughing, coughing up with blood, dandruff problems (chronic) that do not go away despite use of anti-dandruff shampoos, dermatitis, skin rashes, diarrhea, and/or;

Eye and vision problems, fatigue (chronic, excessive, or continued) and/or general malaise, flu symptoms (chronic), sudden hair loss, headaches, hemorrhagic pneumonitis, hives, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, irritability, itching (of the nose, mouth, eyes, throat, skin or any other area), kidney failure, learning difficulties or mental dysfunction or personality changes, memory loss or memory difficulties; and/or

Open skin sores and lacerations, peripheral nervous system effects, redness of the sclera (white of your eyes), runny nose (rhinitis) or thick, green slime coming out of nose (from sinus cavities), seizures, sinus congestion, sinus problems, and chronic sinusitis, skin redness, sleep disorders, sneezing fits, sore throat, tremors (shaking), verbal dysfunction (trouble in speaking), vertigo (feelings of dizziness, lightheadedness, faintness and unsteadiness), and vomiting.

Mold Health Studies

Where is the proof? ask skeptical moldy home sellers, landlords, employers, and unaffected relatives of mold victims. There is actually abundant evidence about the serious impact of mycotoxins and mold exposure in human disease.

Medical studies in both the military and agricultural environments have discovered that that significant health problems can readily arise from the inhalation of elevated levels of fungal spores and toxins by soldiers and farmers.

Laboratory studies in animals and at the cellular level provide supporting evidence for direct toxicity of fungal spores and mycotoxins in mammalian lungs (University of Connecticut Health Center report in 2004).

As to asthma (one of the most common health consequences of mold exposure), a health study by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health links adult-onset asthma to workplace mold exposure---

The present (health study) results estimated that the percentage of adult-onset asthma attributable to workplace mold exposure to indoor molds and development of asthma in adulthood. Our findings suggest that indoor mold problems constitute an important occupational health hazard.

The Finnish workplace mold study estimated that the percentage of adult-onset asthma attributable to workplace mold exposure to be 35% (Reported in Environmental Health Perspectives, May, 2002).

A European Community respiratory health survey in 2002 reported that asthma patients experience more significant asthma symptoms after they become sensitized to molds such as Alternaria and Cladosporium species, and to dust mites.

Scientific evidence links mold and other factors related to damp conditions in homes and buildings to asthma symptoms in some people with the chronic asthma, as well as to coughing, wheezing, and upper respiratory tract symptoms in otherwise healthy people, stated the Institute of Medicine report.

We were able to find sufficient evidence that certain respiratory problems, including symptoms in asthmatics who are sensitive to mold, are associated with exposure to mold and damp conditions. Excessive dampness influences whether mold, as well as bacteria, dust mites and other such agents, are present and thrive indoors, reported the Institute of Medicine in its mold health report on May 25, 2004.

In addition, the wetness may cause chemicals and particles to be released from building materials. A rare ailment known as hypersensitivity pneumonitis also was associated with indoor mold exposure in susceptible people, reported the Institute of Medicine.

A 1994 Harvard University School of Public Health study of 10, 000 homes in the United States and Canada found that half had conditions of water damage and mold, which was associated in the study with a 50 to 100% increase in respiratory problems for the residents of water and mold damaged homes.

Dr. David Sherris of the Mayo Clinic conducted (1999) a study of 210 patients with chronic sinus infections and found that most had allergic fungal sinusitis. The prevailing medical opinion had been [prior to the Mayo Clinic study] that mold accounted for only 6 to 7% of all chronic sinusitis. The Mayo Clinic Proceedings reported on Sept. 13, 1999 that---

Researchers have found that chronic sinusitis, a condition that affects about 37 million people in the United States, is apparently caused by an immune response to fungus (mold).

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found an apparent link, announced in 1997, between mold contamination in the homes and cases of infant pulmonary hemorrhage.

The American Academy for Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Environmental Health released a statement (April 6, 1998) concerning the toxic effects of indoor molds and acute idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage in infants.

The AAP recommended that until more information is available on the cause of this condition, infants under one year of age should not be exposed to chronically moldy, water-damaged environments.

The AAP also recommended that pediatricians inquire about mold and water damage in the home when treating infants with pulmonary hemorrhage, and that when mold is present in a patients home, that pediatricians should encourage parents to try to find and eliminate sources of moisture.

At the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, approximately 15-20% of patients with leukemia die of fungal leukemia caused most frequently by the species Aspergillus.

In patients with leukemia who have undergone allogenic bone marrow transplantation or allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, 15-30% of deaths are caused by refractory fungal infections such as Aspergillus, one of the most dangerous indoor molds.

In recent years, comparative risk studies performed by EPA and its Science Advisory Board (SAB) have consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health.

Ninety four percent (94%) of all respiratory ailments are caused by polluted air according to the American Medical Association, which also reported that one-third of the U.S.A. national health bill is for causes directly attributable to indoor air pollution.

Suggestions

Any person at risk from mold should not be in an area that is likely to be contaminated with mold. If you or your family members have health problems after exposure to mold, contact your doctor or other health care provider, advises the Centers for Disease Control.

Residents and workers often differ significantly (from co-residents and co-workers) in their sensitivity and reaction to mold exposure. Even the smell of mold can make some residents and workers sick.

Consequently, there are no federal standards or recommendations, (e.g. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, EPA and the Centers for Disease Control) for airborne concentrations of mold or mold spores in either the home or the workplace.

Thus, if one or a few residents, employees, or customers experience one or more possible mold health symptoms, the property owner, landlord or employer should still inspect and mold test the residential or work premises for the health protection of both the mold-sensitive residents and employees, as well as others who may ultimately be harmed from time-cumulative mold exposure.

Homes and workplaces should be carefully and thoroughly mold inspected and mold tested all around by a Certified Mold Inspector, Environmental Hygienist, or an Industrial Hygienist if there are: (1) significant amounts of visible mold; (2) serious water leaks, flooding problems, or high indoor humidity; and (3) residents, employees, or business customers [such as hotel guests] report experiencing one or more possible mold health symptoms.

For more information about mold health and coping with mold problems, please visit---

http://www.moldinspector.com
http://www.certifiedmoldinspectors.com
http://www.mold.ph
http://www.moldmart.net
http://www.envirosurf.com
Certified Mold Inspector, Certified Mold Remediator, and author of the book Mold Health Guide