If you are the type of individual who likes to stay well informed then you probably have at least some comprehension of what toxic mould exposure is. In recent years a greenish black colored mold called Stachybotrys Chartarum has been linked to Sick Building Syndrome, which has been the subject of much media attention. Some of the claims made about toxic mold exposure seem to have been exaggerated, at least to some extent. While toxic mold exposure can make certain individuals feel quite ill there is no concrete proof that links it to memory loss or infant pulmonary hemorrhage.

• A Few Facts About Mold

Mold grows inside buildings and thrives in a damp, moist environment. Mold loves the damp air and condensation of bathrooms and flourishes where there has been flooding or water damage. There are several different varieties of mold and small amounts of it can be found in most homes. If you have a severe mold problem in your home you will be able to see and smell it.  When people talk about toxic mold exposure they are referring to those varieties of mold that give of micotoxins, which can be hazardous to the health of humans and animals.

• Allergies And Other Ailments

The ailments that are most frequently associated with toxic mold exposure are allergy symptoms such as nasal congestion, wheezing and inflammation of the skin or in the eye area. However individuals who are subjected to toxic mold exposure every day for a prolonged period of time may experience more severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing and fever.

In rare instances exposure to toxic mold causes illness that is quite serious. People who have serious lung diseases or a suppressed immune system are at greater risk of becoming very ill as a result of toxic mold exposure. For instance, such individuals can develop a severe respiratory infection.

• What You Can Do About It

If you think that you or another member of your family is suffering adverse symptoms because of toxic mold exposure then don’t waste time trying to find out what type it is.  If you see mold in your house simply take the appropriate measures to get rid of it. Soapy water is often enough to get rid of mold, though in some cases you may need to use bleach.

When you take a bath or a shower always make sure the extractor fan is on or open a window so that the condensation can escape. You may also wish to consider investing in a dehumidifier for your home. They are especially effective at moving moisture from the air during the humid summer months, and this can help to control the problem of mold.

Every home has mold. Mold even belongs there, actually, because it’s naturally present in nature. However, when mold becomes present in too large a quantity, it starts to become a health hazard and that’s when houses need to be tested for toxic mold.

• Do I Have Toxic Mold?

In the early stages, mold growth may not attract your attention, especially since mold can’t even be seen until it starts to grow. However, there are some things you can look for and one of the first things you should be asking if you’re wondering if you need to start testing for toxic mold is: have I been feeling ill lately?

The health risks that exposure to toxic mold carries are too serious to put off for too long. If allowed to go unchecked, toxic mold exposure can cause a whole host of serious health problems and the list of ones that are actually serious is staggering: difficulty breathing, bleeding in the lungs, pulmonary hemorrhage, cancer, kidney failure, seizures, trouble speaking, hearing loss, and even osteopenia and damage to your digestive or respiratory system. (The non-serious systems include rashes, eye irritation, sneezing fits, fatigue and irritability.) However, since the symptoms can be so severe, if any of this sounds familiar, have your home tested for toxic mold!

Next, in its later stages, you will be able to see mold. One of the first ways people test for toxic mold is to do an “assessment.” Basically, one goes around the house and examines it. Experts can judge how much mold has infected the house by how much mold is visible to the naked eye. They also look for odor as part of their process of testing for toxic mold. They tend to zero in on places where there are visible signs of moisture problems like leaky pipes or a leaky roof.

The next step is actually testing for toxic mold. Experts take samples of everything in the home. They take samples of the air quality and test the level of toxic mold spores. They also take surface samples like dust samples to test. Once the tests are done, an expert can come in and remove both the mold and pinpoint the things that caused it to grow in the first place.

• Don’t Wait

If you think you may have toxic mold, start testing for it immediately. If you manage to cut the problem off at the knees, you’ll not only be able to avoid the health problems that come with exposure to toxic mold, you’ll also probably save a bit of money on house repair!

Mold isn’t naturally a poison. In fact, mold plays an invaluable part in the natural cycle of the world. There are at least 3,000 types of mold that have been identified by scientists so far, and it’s generally thought that there are more types out there waiting to be identified.

Molds naturally break down organic matter and help recycle it so that other living organisms can use it as energy. However, when mold gets into places it shouldn’t be, then it starts to cause health problems. How do you know if you have mold? Well, first off, look for a few key symptoms that point to toxic mold.

The list of symptoms associated with toxic mold is extremely long. And to make things worse, they are so mild at first that people assume that they simply have a cold or the flu, or that their allergies are just acting up, when in fact they have symptoms of exposure to toxic mold. And unfortunately because people wrongly assume that their health problems are not serious, they don’t realize that they need to have their home tested for toxic mold and the problem gets serious.

The symptoms of the toxic mold sound like the flu at first: nausea and fatigue. However, the symptoms that develop soon after are very different: difficulty breathing, headaches, a cough, red eyes, memory loss, dizziness, lack of concentration, and the development of rashes or hives. The worst of these toxic mold symptoms are bleeding in the lungs, irregularity in blood pressure and even damage in the digestive and respiratory system!

Of course, there are other toxic mold symptoms that may develop as well. The most serious among these is pulmonary hemorrhage, osteopenia, kidney failure, cancer, trouble speaking, seizures, hearing loss and even an increased risk of tuberculosis. Less serious but just as annoying toxic mold symptoms include sudden hair loss, personality changes, sneezing fits, tremors, irritability, and diarrhea.

• Control Mold In Your Home

If you want to avoid getting sick because of mold – and thus avoiding any symptoms of toxic mold poising – make sure to always take very good care of your home. Things like leaking roofs and leaking pipes create the perfect breeding ground for molds, and that creates a serious health hazard. The symptoms of toxic mold can be very serious so make sure that, if you find toxic mold in your home, you go and see your doctor to make sure you don’t have any more nasty surprises waiting for you.

Although the word mold seems to only have negative associations these

days, mold in itself is actually a vital part of nature. Mold itself is an “umbrella term” that envelopes every species of a certain type of fungi. There are at least 3,000 different species of mold – nobody has been able to pin down an exact number – and while it’s true mold can be hazardous, the cycle of life needs mold to turn, because molds help break down organic matter, making it easier for other organisms to then recycle that matter.

But there are some molds that can be dangerous – even fatal – to humans. These molds types, known as toxic molds, are penicillium, aspergillus, stachybotrys, paecilomyces, and fusarium mold. These molds can cause everything from allergies to mucous membrane irritation, infections to mushroom poisoning, and even humidifier fever.

Mycotoxins are basically poisonous substances produced by fungi. These toxins are responsible for the illnesses that molds give people – when someone inhales or somehow ingests fungal spores, it allows the toxins to infiltrate the body and begin attacking it.

• The Health Affects Of Toxic Mold

Toxic mold affects everyone differently, so oftentimes toxic mold symptoms are written off as something else at first. Toxic mold can cause respiratory problems such as wheezing, nasal congestion, sore throats, chronic fatigue, fevers or skin irritation. In addition to those symptoms, they can cause severe allergic reactions as well as a disease known as Organic Dust Toxic Syndrome. Toxic mold can even cause Aspergillosis, a deadly lung infection that causes fevers, coughs and chest pain.

• Toxic Mold Locations

If you’re living a house and wondering if there is toxic mold in the building, you’ll need to know where the mold likes to hide. Fungi like moist, damp places because those conditions allow mold to flourish. Bathrooms with poor ventilation are popular hiding spots. If you have any leaky water pipes, check to make sure there isn’t any there. If your roof leaks, check the areas it leaks over. Even clothes dryer fans that are located underneath a house are prime places for toxic mold to hide. And if your house was recently flooded, chances are you’re going to develop mold no matter what.

• Be Very Careful

If you suspect for even a second that your home is infected with toxic mold, don’t waste any time: get your home tested! If you wait too long and it turns out your home is infected, you are putting your life at risk.

Mold is actually a kind of umbrella term for all species of microscopic fungi.

These fungi grow in the form of multicelluar filaments known as hyphae.

Molds are found naturally in nature and can even be found both outside and inside your house. So far, nobody has been able to come up with a definite number of mold species that are in existence, but estimates range from around 3,000 all the way up to the tens of thousands – but nobody knows for sure.

• Where Does Mold Grow?

Molds are a fungus, and like all fungi, they likes to grow in most, damp places that are often extremely humid. However, there are some types of mold that are extremely adaptable and can survive in harsh conditions where nobody would even think to look for it. Molds are even known to go into a type of hibernation when the conditions around it are not optimal for growth.

Unlike plants like grass or leaves, mold gets its energy not from photosynthesis but from organic matter. Basically, molds are excellent at breaking down natural organic matter and turning it into food. That’s why mold is considered an invaluable part of decomposition – it helps break down matter so it can then be recycled naturally.

In addition to what molds can do in nature, people have also discovered that molds can aid in the production of different foods as well. Foods like cheese, sausages, soy sauce and tempeh are all made with types of cultured mold! And molds are even used in some drugs. Alexander Flemming discovered penicillin thanks to the mold known as penicillium chrysogenum. A few cholesterol-lowering drugs are derived from molds and even an autoimmune drug called cyclosporine is derived from a type of mold.

• Health Issues

However, while molds are present everywhere in nature, molds that grow indoors can pose a serious health risk for anyone else living in the vicinity. Small amounts of mold do not cause issues, but larger amounts can cause significant health problems because they produce mycotoxins. A high amount of exposure to mycotoxins can lead to either neurological problems or death. Toxic mold refers to molds that produce those deadly toxins. Mold can also cause damage to structures as well so it must be kept out of the house at all costs.

• It’s Not All Bad

Without mold, organisms would decay slower; we wouldn’t have some of our best antiobotics; and we would even be missing out on some of our greatest foods! While it’s true that mold can cause health problems, it is in fact invaluable to the world.