Although mold is one of the most common organisms on the planet, an abundance is unwelcome inside our homes. The mold removal experts at M.A. Restoration receive many calls from concerned Framingham residents. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions:
Molds are very common in buildings and homes. Mold will grow in places with a lot of moisture, such as around leaks in roofs, windows, or pipes, or where there has been flooding. Mold grows well on paper products, cardboard, ceiling tiles, and wood products. Mold can also grow in dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation, drywall, carpet, fabric, and upholstery. The most common indoor molds are Cladosporium, Penicillium (yes- that penicillium), and Aspergillus.
Mold can enter your home from the environment via any access point: open doorways, windows, vents, HVACs. Mold can even attach itself to clothing, shoes, and pets. When mold spores drop on places where there is excessive moisture and a food source, they will grow. Many building materials provide suitable nutrients: wet paper products, cardboard, ceiling tiles, wood. Unfortunately, even materials such as dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation materials, drywall, carpet, fabric, and upholstery, commonly support mold growth. It is very important to have it removed as soon as possible.
Only some people are sensitive to molds. Exposure to damp and moldy environments may cause a variety of health effects for them. For such people, exposure to molds can cause many symptoms: stuffy nose, wheezing, red eyes, itchy skin. Some people with asthma, may have more intense reactions. Severe reactions may include fever and shortness of breath.
But keep a perspective. In 2004 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) found there was sufficient evidence to link indoor exposure to mold with upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, and wheeze in otherwise healthy people; with asthma symptoms in people with asthma; and with hypersensitivity pneumonitis in individuals susceptible to that immune-mediated condition.
Finally, people with immune suppression or underlying lung disease are more susceptible to fungal infections.
Keep your eyes peeled for evidence of water damage and visible mold as part of routine home maintenance, Correct conditions causing mold growth: water leaks, condensation, infiltration, flooding.
Inside your home you can control mold growth by:
If you can see or smell mold, a health risk may be present. You do not need to know the type of mold growing in your home, and CDC does not recommend or perform routine sampling for molds. Standards for judging what is an acceptable, tolerable or normal quantity of mold have not been established. Sampling for mold can be expensive, and standards for judging what is and what is not an acceptable quantity of mold have not been set.
No matter what type of mold is present, the best practice is to remove it. Since the effect of mold on people can vary greatly, either because of the amount or type of mold, you cannot rely on sampling and culturing to know your health risk.
Certain molds are toxigenic, meaning they can produce toxins (specifically “mycotoxins”). But not all fungi produce mycotoxins (and even those that do will not do so under all surface or environmental conditions.) Mold growth can be many different colors; color is not an indication of how dangerous a mold may be.
There are very few reports that toxigenic molds found inside homes can cause unique or rare health conditions such as pulmonary hemorrhage or memory loss. These case reports are rare, and a causal link between the presence of the toxigenic mold and these conditions has not been proven.
But any mold that can be seen (or smelled) should be investigated by a mold professional to assess the risk. Here in Boston, M.A. Restoration is the mold removal team to call.
When you find mold signs in your home, call the mold removal M.A. Restoration for immediate assistance. They have the knowledge and extensive experience in the construction industry to a) intelligently demo material that cannot be restored while b) saving material that is costly to replace.
Founded in 1994 as a remodeling company, M.A. Restoration rapidly expanded its business to include water damage restoration & mold removal services. The carpenters, project managers, certified technicians and entire staff understand how to care for your home after basement flood damage.