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The first thing to understand about mold is that there is a little mold
everywhere - indoors and outdoors. It's in the air and can be found on
plants, foods, dry leaves, and other organic materials.
It's very common to find molds in homes and buildings. After all, molds
grow naturally indoors. And mold spores enter the home through doorways,
windows, and heating and air conditioning systems. Spores also enter the
home on animals, clothing, shoes, bags and people.
When mold spores drop where there is excessive moisture in your home, they
will grow. Common problem sites include humidifiers, leaky roofs and pipes,
overflowing sinks, bath tubs and plant pots, steam from cooking, wet clothes
drying indoors, dryers exhausting indoors, or where there has been
flooding.
Many of the building materials
for homes provide suitable nutrients for mold, helping it to grow. Such
materials include paper and paper products, cardboard, ceiling tiles,
wood, and wood products, dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation materials,
drywall, carpet, fabric, and upholstery.
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Everyone is exposed to some amount of mold on a daily basis, most without
any apparent reaction. Generally mold spores can cause problems when they
are present in large numbers and a person inhales large quantities of
them. This occurs primarily when there is active mold growth.
For some people, a small
exposure to mold spores can trigger an asthma attack or lead to other
health problems. For others, symptoms may only occur when exposure levels
are much higher.
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Yes. If indoor mold is extensive, those in your home can be exposed to very
high and persistent airborne mold spores. It is possible to become
sensitized to these mold spores and develop allergies or other health
concerns, even if one is not normally sensitive to mold.
Left unchecked, mold growth can cause structural damage to your home as well
as permanent damage to furnishings and carpet.
According to the Centers for
Disease Control*, "It is not necessary, however, to determine what type of
mold you may have. All molds should be treated the same with respect to
potential health risks and removal."
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Yes. An indoor air sample can be taken as well as an outdoor sample to
determine whether the number of spores inside your home is significantly
higher. If the indoor level is higher, it could mean that mold is growing
inside your home. Reliable air sampling can be expensive, time consuming,
and requires special equipment and a qualified technician.
If you can see or smell mold,
then you should take steps to clean-up the mold. Mold growth is likely to
continue unless the source of moisture is removed and the contamination is
cleaned-up.
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