Is your home KILLING you ??

Is your home KILLING you ??

A lot of people don't know and or understand the dangerous circumstances they are living in on a daily basis just by the fact that they have not washed there house in a few years.
Take a few seconds and go out side and have a look at the shaded side of your house and have a look to see if you can see mold grown on your house?? If you have not washed your house in a past two years there is a very good chance not only can you see mold but a large portion of your house will be contaminated with mold. 

Molds are organisms which are neither plant nor animal. They are part of the fungi kingdom.
Unlike plants, molds do not get their energy from the sun through photosynthesis. In fact the sun's ultraviolet light inhibits mold growth.
Molds also digest or "eat" the material they are growing on. Yes that's right mold is eating your house and your roof away, The role of mold is to break down decaying organic matter such as dead plants, leaves or dead animals.

Conditions for Mold Growth on your House

Besides oxygen and organic materials "Dirt" containing carbon to provide nutrients, the other main requirement mold needs to grow is moisture. You can find mold growing almost anywhere provided there is enough of a moisture source for it. 

Mold problems cannot develop on houses unless there is a moisture problem. The moisture accumulation might be caused through humidity, condensation, or water intrusion from leaks, spills, floods, etc. Most molds only require suitable materials to be wet for 24-48 hours before they can grow.

Molds that can survive using only humidity as their moisture source are called Xerophilic, whereas other molds require an accumulation of moisture to grow. outside the house the best way to prevent mold growing is to limit moisture by limiting shade. 

Besides moisture, mold also needs the temperature to be right before it can begin to grow. Mold grows best in temperatures that we would consider warm, however there are some mold species that can even grow in temperatures as low as 2 degrees Celsius. If a mold colony's environmental conditions become unfavorable, instead of dying it can lay dormant until conditions become right again when it can continue to grow.

What is Toxic Mold?

Out of the several hundred thousand species of molds, there are about 16 different species which are known as toxic molds because they can release mycotoxins which are toxic to humans and animals. Some of the most common toxic molds are:

• Aspergillus
• Fusarium 
• Paecilomyces 
• Penicillium 
• Stachybotrys
• Trichoderma

All of these molds can be found on the exterior of your house or on your roof

Toxic Black Mold Symptoms

On this page you will find symptoms caused by the Stachybotrys chartarum species of mold, which is also called black mold or toxic black mold.

However not all mold that looks black is Stachybotrys and in fact most dark mold isn't even toxic. For a list of symptoms that other molds can cause visit the Mold Symptoms page.

Types of Toxic Black Mold Symptoms

Toxic black mold causes serious symptoms and health problems such as mental impairment, breathing problems, damage to internal organs and sometimes even death. The main groups of symptoms toxic black mold causes are:

• Mental and neurological symptoms
• Respiratory symptoms
• Circulatory symptoms
• Vision and eye problems
• Skin problems
• Immune system problems
• Reproductive system problems
• Tiredness and discomfort
• Other illnesses and health effects

Mental and Neurological Symptoms From Toxic Black Mold

The trichothecene mycotoxins produced by toxic black mold are neurotoxic. This means they can kill neurons in the brain and impair a person's mental ability. They also cause nervous disorders such as tremors and can cause personality changes such as mood swings and irritability.

Symptoms:

• Confusion
• Brain fog
• Shortened attention span
• Difficulty concentrating and paying attention
• Slowed reflexes
• Disorientation
• Dizziness
• Memory loss and memory problems
• Impaired learning ability
• Hallucinations
• Shock
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Aggression and other personality changes
• Tingling
• Trembling
• Shaking
• Seizure
• Numbness

Respiratory Symptoms From Toxic Black Mold

People living in homes with toxic black mold are exposed mainly through breathing in toxic black mold spores and mycotoxins. Toxic black mold mycotoxins create irritation and a burning feeling in a person's air passages such as the nasal cavity, mouth and throat.

The mycotoxins can even become lodged in the mucus membranes, sinuses and the lungs which then causes a burning feeling, breathing problems and bleeding in the lungs.

Symptoms:

• Difficulty breathing - breathlessness or shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• Coughing
• Pulmonary edema - swelling of the lungs
• Pulmonary hemorrhage - bleeding in the lungs
• Sore throat
• Burning sensation of the mouth
• Bleeding gums
• Runny nose
• Itchy nose
• Stuffy, blocked nose
• Nose bleeds

Circulatory Symptoms From Toxic Black Mold

Toxic black mold mycotoxins can be breathed in, ingested, or absorbed through a person's skin or eyes. Eventually the mycotoxins then find their way into the person's blood. This leads to heart damage, problems with blood clotting and internal or external hemorrhaging.

Symptoms:

• Irregular heartbeat
• Heart inflammation
• Damage to heart
• Low blood pressure
• Bone marrow disruption
• Bleeding tendency
• Blood not clotting properly
• Hemorrhage - internal bleeding
• Vomiting up blood
• Bleeding in the brain and in other organs

Vision and Eye Symptoms From Toxic Black Mold

Toxic black mold mycotoxins that are in the air can enter a person's eyes. The mycotoxins are cytotoxic (toxic to cells) and when they come into contact with eye cells they cause inflamed and injured eyes and create vision problems.

Symptoms:

• Eye inflammation and soreness
• Red or bloodshot eyes
• Eye damage
• Blurry vision and vision worsening
• Jaundice (yellowing of the eyes)

Skin Symptoms From Toxic Black Mold

Through the skin is one of the three main ways that toxic black mold mycotoxins enter the human body. There have been cases in the past where people have handled hay contaminated with toxic black mold and developed severe rashes and skin problems on their body where they touched the hay, as well as on sweaty areas like the armpits.

Symptoms:

• Crawling skin
• Dermatitis - skin inflammation, rash, blisters, itchiness
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin)

Immune System Symptoms From Toxic Black Mold

Toxic black mold puts out chemicals which suppress the immune system. In fact many immunosuppressive drugs are actually created from toxic molds. A person who is immunocompromised from being around toxic black mold will more easily get infections and sicknesses.

Symptoms:

• Immunosuppression - immune system not functioning properly
• Infections reoccurring

Reproductive System Symptoms From Toxic Black Mold

Mycotoxins from toxic black mold are teratogenic. This means they can cause problems in the fetus during pregnancy which then leads to birth defects. Toxic black mold mycotoxins are also cytoxotic and mutagenic (cause cell mutations) and inhibit protein synthesis including DNA and RNA.

Symptoms:

• Infertility
• Miscarriage
• Impotence
• Fetal development problems

Tiredness and Discomfort Symptoms From Toxic Black Mold

When a person is around toxic black mold the immune system may release a sedative called Chloral Hydrate. This is used as a defense to try to slow down the effects of toxic black mold. But this also makes a person tired and causes fatigue. Toxic black mold can also cause soreness of the muscles and joints.

Symptoms:

• Chronic fatigue
• Drowsiness
• Weakness
• Aches and pains
• Muscle pain
• Chest pain
• Abdominal pain
• Joint pain
• Malaise - general discomfort
• Headaches
• Cold or flu type symptoms or recurring colds
• Fever
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• 

Other Symptoms From Toxic Black Mold

Symptoms:

• Hair loss
• Weight loss, anorexia
• Hearing loss
• Liver disease
• Coma
• Death

All of this can be prevented by a simple house wash once a year, We also recommend you ask your house wash contractor to use a sodium hypochloride solution to wash down the house. 

We would like to Thank Mr Troy Hillard from Wash Rite House Washing for his expert opinion on how to clean a house to safely remove the mold.

If you believe you have medical issues relating to mold exposure please seek medical advise instantly.