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Mold & Mildew Allergies
As you probably already
know, molds are something you should stay away from. Inhaling or
touching them can cause immediate or delayed symptoms, including
sneezing and runny nose. Exposure to mold can even affect non-allergic
people, irritating the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs.
Mold reproduces through tiny airborne spores. When they land on a wet surface, mold can start to grow indoors. Since mold needs moisture to survive, the trick is to keep your home dry. Places to guard against mold are: basements, bathrooms, shower stalls, refrigerator drip trays, house plants, humidifiers and garbage pails.
Mold reproduces through tiny airborne spores. When they land on a wet surface, mold can start to grow indoors. Since mold needs moisture to survive, the trick is to keep your home dry. Places to guard against mold are: basements, bathrooms, shower stalls, refrigerator drip trays, house plants, humidifiers and garbage pails.
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Specific reactions to mold growth can include the following:
Specific reactions to mold growth can include the following:
- Allergic Reactions
Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Allergic reactions to mold are common - these reactions can be immediate or delayed. Allergic responses include hay fever-type symptoms, such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash (dermatitis). Mold spores and fragments can produce allergic reactions in sensitive individuals regardless of whether the mold is dead or alive. Repeated or single exposure to mold or mold spores may cause previously non-sensitive individuals to become sensitive. Repeated exposure has the potential to increase sensitivity.
- Asthma
Molds can trigger asthma attacks in persons who are allergic (sensitized) to molds. The irritants produced by molds may also worsen asthma in non-allergic (non-sensitized) people.
- Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis may develop following either short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic) exposure to molds. The disease resembles bacterial pneumonia and is uncommon.
- Irritant Effects
Mold exposure can cause irritation of the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs, and sometimes can create a burning sensation in these areas.
- Opportunistic Infections
People with weakened immune systems (i.e., immune-compromised or immune-suppressed individuals) may be more vulnerable to infections by molds (as well as more vulnerable than healthy persons to mold toxins). Aspergillus fumigatus, for example, has been known to infect the lungs of immune-compromised individuals. These individuals inhale the mold spores which then start growing in their lungs. Trichoderma has also been known to infect immune-compromised children.
Healthy individuals are usually not vulnerable to opportunistic infections from airborne mold exposure. However, molds can cause common skin diseases, such as athlete's foot, as well as other infections such as yeast infections.
We can help
Mold and mildew can be very dangerous to you and your family. Protect them as soon as possible. It's easy to get rid of the dangerous, slimy film on your tile. Just fill out the following form, and we will schedule the work as soon as possible. Most mold removal and re-grouting can be finished in one day. Contact us today.