Toxic Black Mold
Toxic black mold or what is chemically known as stachybotrys chartarum, a fungi that can breed in indoor or outdoor environments. Outdoors, they thrive on wet wood, compost, soil. Indoors, they breed very quickly and easily on damp and wet walls, wallpaper, drywall, carpet and old damp wood flooring. They literally multiply extensively in the presence of moisture and pose as grave health hazard to the building residents. This is the key reason why black mold removal is key to a good and healthy environment.
Conditions Under Which Black Mold Thrive
The greenish black color of toxic black mold gives it its unique and a little fearsome name. Others term it as mildew, toxic mold or sick building syndrome. A few factors give rise to the indoor breeding of black mold. The presence of wet and extensive moisture, low nitrogen high cellulose content and the existence of organic matter, are the key reasons that they thrive so well and spread fast.
These are also the reasons why you will find rampant black mold breeding in old and damp buildings with water damage, extreme humidity, water spills behind walls, leak plumbing, or houses which underwent flooding. Carbon substances also help mold to grow and the materials most susceptible to growth of black mold are gypsum board, wall paper, carpet, insulation, wood and especially wallpaper.
Toxic Black Mold Health Hazards
Although toxic black mold are not transmitted airborne, with rampant and extensive growth within an enclosed area, they can easily cause respiratory ailments to say the least. Long term exposure to black mold can critically worsen preexisting illnesses and it is no wonder that black mold removal is fast becoming a big concern to the well being of one’s health.
When you are exposed to black mold, you will experience sore throat, itchy and watery eyes, short of breath and wheezing, coughing, stuff nose, rashes, dizziness, tiredness and headaches, which are literally similar symptoms to having a bad bout of the common cold, except that they never go away.
Those with pre existing conditions of allergies and asthmas could literally experience a heightened deterioration of their conditions when exposed to toxic black mold in the home. Those with weak immune systems, cancer patients, or sick and elderly, pregnant woman or those with respiratory ailments will be gravely susceptible to the threat of ill health.
Signs Of Toxic Black Mold Infestation
Toxic Black mold is easy to detect as they have a very uniquely musty smell and you do sense that in your home, you should start searching for the root of the problem. First, check out the damp and moist areas of your home, like the kitchen sink cabinet, the bathroom, your walls, gypsum boards and corners of your ceiling. You need to be thorough with your search, which would include checking under the carpet padding, your laminated flooring, storage rooms, and the often forgotten basements and attics.
Look out for water stains, water seepage and leakages, warp wood and peeling plasterboards. If you should find discoloration and cottony growth turning green, gray, brown or black, you probably have mold infestation on your hands.
Note that you should never procrastinate. Immediately contact a reliable mold remediation company or otherwise known as one of the mold removal companies to run testing for mold infestation to determine the extensiveness of the black mold removal.