Mold Exposure Symptoms
I usually associate mold exposure with old food and with a very damp climate outside. But, you can have it inside your home. Mold is a fungi and can be found on old foods or in your home walls or flooring!
Living in Montana for 20 years, having mold never even crossed my mind. Since Montana has such a dry climate. But since we have moved to Alaska, the thought of mold has crossed my mind more than once. Especially seeing black stuff on my windows!
I think of mold exposure as being found on old food or outside where it is damp but it can be inside your home! I just thought it would never happen to us. Mold growth is encouraged by warm and humid conditions. I never think of Alaska as warm, so thought we would never have problems. Then I started hearing about black mold.
Molds are found where high humidity levels occur such as basements or showers. There are many types of mold. We had a home in Anchorage, AK and it had been inspected and there was no mold when we purchased it.
Two years ago we had horrendous rains that flooded many basements. Our “crawl space” didn’t flood, but we had sump pumps down there that barely kept up with the water that was coming in.
And over the course of 1 year, when we decided to sell our home, the inspector found black mold! You can get a mold testing kit but our home inspector evidently knew this was black mold.
Mold Exposure Symptoms:
If you are sensitive to molds, they can cause nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, wheezing or skin irritation. A serious reaction could include fever and shortness of breath. You could even develop a lung infection due to mold.
BLACK MOLD is a toxic type of mold called Stachybotrys chartarum and can produce toxic mold health risks! Health risks from Black mold are:
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Allergy causing Headaches or Migraines
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Irritated & Itchy Eyes
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Coughing or Excessive Phlegm
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Blood in sputum
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TOXICITY: can lead to blindness, brain damage, permanent memory loss, bleeding lungs, cancer and even death!
If you suspect you may have problems with mold, you will want to get a reliable mold testing kit and get rid of the mold! You may also want a check up with your health care provider.
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I really should look into mold in our house. I unfortunately have had some of these symptoms, and I haven’t had them explained so far.
This problem scares me, my friend dealt with black mold in a place she was renting and her landlord was horrible the whole time.
This is so scary! I too, only associated mold with old food. Thank you for the heads-up!
I once lived in an apartment building and I was having severe breathing problems. I was seeing a Dr. and on inhalers for quite a while. It turns out that there was mold. When we moved I got better.
I don’t mean to scare everyone, but my best friend’s parents had mold in their house. They did not know until it was too late. It’s been two years and last year her dad passed away and last month her mom did. It’s super important to get this checked out.
donna, thanks for your comments. The lesson is…don’t think it can’t happen to you and if you live in damp, high humidity areas…get flooded or you just plain have worries…have it check out.
Omg that is insane not to mention creepy i always get wierded out by mold
Holly, I get weirded out too!
That is crazy how fast it can grow. The humidity is so high here in TN that mold just loves it.
Justine, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised it grows fast….foods can go moldy very quickly….so all molds in right conditions just grow quick.
I knew mold was bad, but this post just scared the crap out of me. I have a working husband, a 6y.o, 3 y.o, and 3-month old….and I now worry how much mold I have in my house that I CAN’T see. 🙁
Char, I don’t mean to scare you or anyone. It’s just that mold can be a very serious issue. I think Black mold…which you can see….is the worst of the molds.
In January, we had a major flood in our basement because the empty house next door had a pipe burst in a cold snap (in Philadelphia). We discovered it when there was about FOUR feet of water in our dirt cellar. The landlord refused to clean it (even though it only required bleach, water, and a scrub brush) and only had a laborer scrape out the silt that accumulated. We had a quick and significant mold problem that was so out of control that the house smelled like a swamp (I was sick) and the county home inspector condemned it the minute the door was opened. We lived there for six weeks before being EVICTED by the landlord because we had caused such “problems.” That was one of the most stressful situations in my life.
OMG Kristin! I hope you are ok now regarding health issues. I bet it was stressful.
Thanks for sharing how quickly and bad mold issues can be and become!
Wow, that’s incredibly scary! Our master bathroom has no opening windows if you can believe it, so room is constantly humid. I just noticed mold in our sliding glass door tracks that lead outside. What’s the best way to kill mold?
katrina, it is scary! Use bleach 1 cup to 1 gallon water and wash the area & dry it.
Then put bleach on it and let it sit for 30 minutes before you wash it and dry it with water. If it comes back I would call a plumber for recommendations of a company that helps to clean mold. We had to use a company to rid our area of black mold.
I’m not too sure where to leave this comment about my last milestone I was proud of, but I’ve lost abt 40 lbs, and am very happy abt that!
Taswmom 40lbs! You should be proud and very happy!
Gosh, I had no idea that black mold could develop so quickly. Our climate is very dry, but we had a few very wet spells, including a horrible flood in our area. Maybe we should get it checked out.
artizzanne, I thought it took a long time for mold to develop myself and was very surprised!