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What is Mold and Where Is It Found? Molds are microscopic organisms, found virtually everywhere, indoors and outdoors. Molds can be found on plants, foods, dry leaves, and other organic material. Also susceptible to mold growth are cellulose materials, such as, cardboard, paper, ceiling tiles, and sheet rock. Mold spores are easily detached and made airborne by vacuuming, walking on a carpet or sitting on a couch. In indoor environments, mold can grow in air conditioning ducts, carpets, pots of houseplants, etc. How Can Mold Affect Your Health? Exposure to mold is not healthy for anyone but the following individuals are at a higher risk for adverse health effects: infants, children, elderly, immune compromised patients, pregnant women, and individuals with existing respiratory conditions. When inhaled, even in small amounts, mold can cause a wide range of health problems including respiratory problems (wheezing), nasal and sinus congestion, watery and red eyes, nose and throat irritation, skin irritation, aches and pains, fevers, asthma, emphysema and in some cases even death. Mold
Can Be Found In Many Areas Of Your Home When moldy materials become damaged or disturbed, spores (reproductive bodies similar to seeds) can be released into the air. The following are sources of indoor moisture that may cause mold problems in your home or office: flooding, leaky roofs, humidifiers, damp basements or crawl spaces, constant plumbing leaks, house plants, steam from cooking, shower/bath steam and leaks, wet clothes, and clothes dryers vented indoors. Protection...Testing Is Your First Line Of Defense To find out if mold is a problem in your home or office, you must conduct a mold test! The PRO-LAB Mold Test Kit utilizes a patented laboratory analytical method for accuracy and reliability. The easy to use do-it-yourself test allows you to determine whether toxic mold spores are in the air that your breath. Visual sampling may also be conducted. Optional lab analysis is available to indicate the exact count and type of mold present. The Black Mold Stachybotrys Chartarum (atra) Stachybotrys Chartarum (atra) is a greenish-black toxic mold that colonizes particularly well in high-cellulose material, such as straw, hay, wet leaves, dry wall, carpet, wall paper, fiber-board, ceiling tiles, thermal insulation, etc. Stachbotrys, before drying, is wet and slightly slimy to touch. There are about 15 species of Stachybotrys, known throughout the world. This toxic mold grows in areas where the relative humidity is above 55%. This type of mold does not grow on plastic, vinyl, concrete products, or ceramic tiles. It is not found in the green mold on bread or the black mold on the shower tiles. Stachybotrys
produces a mycotoxin that causes human mycotoxicosis. This type
of mold is thought to be a possible cause of the sick building syndrome.
Children's exposure to Stachybotrys spores are thought most likely
to cause pulmonary hemosiderosis (bleeding in the lungs). The following
is a list of symptoms associated with exposure to Stachybotrys mold
spores: The
PRO-LAB Professional Mold Test Kit (patented) is designed to detect
dangerous molds that may be in your home or office. The test kit
offers three (3) different analytical sampling methods. |
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