Typically when people see mold on their Suffolk or Nassau County property, the initial understandable reaction is that it is unsightly. However, mold and its risk to visitors, residents, or employees of a property goes far beyond just decreasing the aesthetics of a given area.
Mold presents serious health risks, and…
Here is it can do to people who remain in a mold-infested property…
Mold Gets Into Lungs
The most important thing to understand about why mold is harmful is to know how that harm is enacted. In some ways, mold is almost like smoke or gas; the damage mold presents must be inhaled. However, smoke is visible to the human eye, while gas often brings a strong smell.
Mold does neither of these things, at least not directly. Mold is a living thing, a vast colony of microorganisms that collect in a local space. The texture and discoloration people see when mold appears on a wall or even a piece of food like bread or fruit is that colony of microorganisms growing. That colony reproduces by sending spores, tiny one-celled reproductive units, drifting into the air. Under ordinary environmental conditions, spores are always in the air and nearly impossible to eliminate, as opening any door or window admits them into an environment.
Only meticulously controlled environments with airlocks and other extreme contamination procedures can keep these out of the air. The reason that mold poses a health risk is that people in a building inhale those spores.
The Health Risk
Of particular concern for mold on a property is the immediate threat to people with chronic respiratory conditions. Asthma and other illnesses are prone to a rapid, more frequent, higher intensity of their disorder shortly after spending regular amounts of time in an area with a mold infestation. They tend to display symptoms faster, but that doesn’t mean people with no respiratory conditions are in the clear. If a person works or lives in a space with mold, it’s a matter of time before the hours of inhalation daily run the risk of an illness. Some early symptoms of mold inhalation include:
- Lung irritation
- Wheezing
- Runny nose and/or congestion
- Eye irritation
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Rash
- And many others.
The type of symptoms and the severity of the illness that people experience is a mix of personal health and the type of mold infestation in a home. For example, “black mold” is one of the most dangerous types of mold because it releases mycotoxins into the air, affecting both lungs and the brain.
For some people, a toxic reaction to black mold can include severe symptoms such as:
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Confusion
- Memory loss
- Inability to concentrate
- Loss of fine motor control
- And can even lead to death
Professional Response To Mold Is Essential
Unfortunately, mold is not usually the kind of problem that can be taken care of with a DIY solution of buying some disinfectant and wiping down an area. Mold requires extensive procedures with highly specialized equipment to ensure that it is not only visibly eradicated but microbially as well. Only proper mold remediation can render a property once again safe for residents, employees or visitors.
If you have found mold, or think you may have mold in your Suffolk County or Nassau County home or place of business then call Bright Side Restoration for a mold inspection.