June 26, 2008

We all know that mold poses a pretty good sized threat to our health, but the diseases that come about because of mold are some of the most serious around.  These diseases almost always end in the suffix of “mycosis” or simply “osis” and they can sometimes end in damage to your internal organs that is often irreparable.  They can also sometimes eventually result in death in the most extreme of cases. 

These diseases are the most threatening for those people who have weakened immune systems.  This can include small children (especially infants), those with HIV or AIDS, and the elderly who have any kind of health problems.  Perfectly healthy small children and elderly people might fight off these infections a little better than some of their peers, but it is still not recommended that these people be exposed to mold for a long period of time.

The symptoms of diseases caused by mold can be anything from flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, coughing, and sneezing all the way to more serious symptoms like the coughing up of blood.  Anti-fungal medications can also pose a threat, since these medications can sometimes cause the exact symptoms that they are being prescribed to treat.  Almost any doctor that gives a patient antifungal medication will request the patient to come back and lab work be done on a regular basis in order to spot these possible side effects before they move into their next stage. 

When you have a mold-related disease, one of the things that you should not do is eat foods that have been manufactured using funguses like mold.  This includes things like blue cheese and blue cheese dressing, roguefort, and gorgonzola cheeses, and especially foods that contain mushrooms.

Aspergillosis is caused by those molds that are in the genus Aspergillus.  One of the most intriguing and dangerous things about this is that what are called “aspergilloma” have been known to start growing in the lungs and other organs that have pre-existing cavities in them.  These cavities can be a result of cancer or a disease that has a similar effect to tuberculosis.  Unfortunately, aspergilloma typically do not cause the person to have any symptoms, although in later stages a person might cough up blood, experience weight loss, shortness of breath, and fever. 

Penicilliosis is an opportunistic infection that occurs mainly in southeast Asia where the mold that causes it is indigenous.  The vast majority of those who develop this infection are those that have HIV and AIDS and it is the third most common opportunistic infection for these individuals in the region. 

Water Removal In Miami 

June 19, 2008

Mold gets onto just about everything that we own at some point or another; it is whether or not the mold starts to actually grow on the item and stay there that tends to be the problem. Whether it is clothes, furniture, walls, floors, clothes, or food, mold can do quite a lot of damage to the things in our home and we cannot always see it coming. Even the items that we need to be clean the most, like our baby’s bottles that they drink their milk and juice out of.

The bottles that we have today are not just the cylinders that they used to be; sometimes they come in strange shapes that are hard to get completely dry and when this happens and they are put back into the refrigerator, they can often become moldy. How can you prevent this? All you have to do after you wash them is dry them inside the best that you can and then simply put them in the freezer until you are ready to use them again. Mold does not like these temperatures and this will inhibit any growth. It is a popular thing to put kitchen staples like flour, sugar, and cornmeal into the freezer to protect them from bugs and mice, so why not use this to your advantage to prevent mold, as well?

Mold also likes to grow on clothes that have been forgotten about in the backs of closets. Try not to pack your closets so full of clothes that air cannot circulate. The clothes being packed so close together creates the warmth that the mold needs to survive and if your house is humid enough, the moisture it needs is also there. The last thing mold needs to live is food and your clothing is more than enough to supply that need. It might also be a good idea to install a vent into the closet to help air circulate a little better, too.

Something else that causes mold to grow is when you throw damp and dirty clothing into a bathroom closet and leave it there. This is particularly a bad idea if you have carpet in it. Carpet in the bathroom is a bad idea all by itself, but when you couple it with dirty, wet clothes or towels, you are asking for a mold infestation to start in the back of your closet. The solution for this is to use a plastic laundry hamper and to empty it regularly, which should be around every day and a half. Mold usually starts to grow after about 48 hours.

Emergency Water Restoration