How common is mold in buildings?In buildings and homes, mold is very common. Mold will grow in places where there is a lot of moisture, such as around leaky roofs, windows, or pipes, or in areas that have flooded. During the breeding season, mold appears on wood, cardboard, and paper products. Dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation, drywall, carpet, fabric, and upholstery can also harbor mold.
Molds are most commonly found indoors in the form of Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Aspergillus. Mold in buildings and homes is not a common occurrence in precisely defined numbers.
Chemical Sensitivity Air PurifierHow do molds get in the indoor environment and how do they grow?
In addition to indoor mold, outdoor mold also exists. Your home can become infested with mold through openings in doors, windows, vents, and heating and air conditioning. As well as attaching itself to clothing and shoes, external mold can also penetrate the air and be carried indoors by pets. If mold spores fall on places that have excess moisture, such as leaking roofs, pipes, walls, potted plants, or areas that have been flooded, they will grow. Mold can grow on many types of building materials due to the availability of nutrients. Mold is particularly attracted to wet cellulose materials, such as paper and paper products, cardboard, ceiling tiles, and wood. The growth of mold is commonly aided by other materials like dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation materials, drywall, carpet, fabric, and upholstery.
How do you know if you have a mold problem?It is usually possible to see or smell a large infestation of mold.
Molds affect people in what ways?
It is possible to suffer health effects or no effects from exposure to damp and moldy environments. Mold can be irritating to some people. People with these symptoms may suffer from red, itchy eyes, stuffy noses, wheezing, and stuffy noses after exposure to molds. Mold allergies or asthma may cause more intense reactions in some people, such as those with allergies to mold. People working in occupations that expose them to moldy hay, such as farmers, may suffer severe reactions. Fever and shortness of breath are symptoms of severe reactions.
As the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported in 2004, there is sufficient evidence connecting indoor mold exposure with upper respiratory tract symptoms, coughing, and wheezing in otherwise healthy people, asthma symptoms in asthmatics, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis in individuals susceptible to the immune-mediated condition.