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Is Mold in
Your Home Or Office Making You Sick? How Invisible MVOC's Can Ruin Your
Health!
By
Charles Boday
Many of you have heard of the
black mold scare. The media has created an incredible monster relate to
black mold and health issues! There is a tremendous amount of controversy
surounding this issue which has resulted in a multitude of opinions, on this
subject. I've heard things as various as "mold causes cancer" to mold
doesn't cause any health issues at all. Usually its attorney's from
insurance companies spouting that line of claptrap and balderdash, (remember
how they used to claim smoking did not cause lung cancer?).
So if your reading this it is
likely that you have experienced some type of symptom and observed something
that you believe to be mold which may or may not be related. There a
several ways that mold can make a person sick who is being exposed. When i
first started my mold remediation business, I had no idea just how many sick
people I would meet!
I would estimate that almost
70% of my customers have health issues related to mold that they are aware
of and i am willing to bet that a percentage more are affected but unaware
of it. Molds can affect the body in multiple ways. The ones that are most
understood are from mycotoxin exposure and direct infections. Mycotoxin are
literal poisons that mold makes in a attempt to kill off competitors.
Mycotoxins can make a person very sick and the more potent of these have
been linked to cancers. Stachybotrys a black mold which is the mold the
media has hyped as "the black" makes these powerful poisons.
Unfortunately the label of
black mold has led many custumers with very toxic molds to have a false
sense of security because the mold in their home or office is white or green
or red or gray etc, not black. Another commonly understood way that mold
can affect ones health is from direct exposure. Many molds under the right
conditions can directly colonize people! This means that they can grow in or
on the human body. Gross! Common examples are athletes foot, jock itch,
thrush and candida which is technically a yeast infection. Other molds can
live inside of the body. They usually attack when the body is very stressed
or fighing other invaders. People who have auto immune disorders are
particularly at risk, as well as anyone rcovering from major surgery.
These two basic ways mold can
affect a person are commonly and widely understood. This article is about
MVOC's, which are not nearly as commonly understood. MVOC stands for
microbial volatile organic compound. When you enter a home with a mold
problem and you smell that musty odor, you are likely smelling the MVOC's
that the mold is producing. Mold off gasses powerful chemicals like
benzenes, tulolenes, aldehydes and many others. While research is still
being conducted on the effects on humans, much research has already been
completed on VOC's their man-made cousins which are often the result of the
off-gassing of manufacured petro-chemical goods!
You may not realize it - but
you and your family can be exposed to thousands of volatile organic
compounds on a daily basis. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are chemicals
that evaporate into potentially harmful gases at room temperature and may or
may not exude an odor. VOCs include a variety of chemicals which can cause
short- and long-term health problems.
According to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), concentrations of many VOCs are up to
ten times higher indoors that outdoors - regardless of whether the home is
located in rural or highly industrialized area, when the home is suffering
from mold, that number is likely to be far higher.
VOCs can be produced by a
number of common household activities or including:
- Paints, paint thinners,
varnishes and other solvents
- Aerosol sprays
- Air fresheners, candles and
incense
- Cleaning supplies and
disinfectants
- Stored fuels and automotive
products
- Hobby supplies
- Glues, adhesives and sealing
caulks
- Dry-cleaned clothing
- New carpeting
- Secondhand smoke
- Pressed wood furniture
- Newspapers
- Moth repellants
- Wood preservatives
- Cooking
Exposure to VOCs or mold
basedMVOC's can result in many adverse health effects depending on the type,
level and length of exposure. Health problems can range from minor ailments
to major, long-term health complications including:
- Eye, nose and throat
irritation
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Asthma exacerbation
- Fatigue
- Allergic skin reaction
- Memory impairment and loss of
coordination
- Cancer
- Liver damage
- Kidney damage
- Central Nevrous System damage
The EPA reports that high
pollutant levels and elevated concentrations of VOCs and MVOC's linger in
the air long after an activity such as dusting has been completed. Young
children, the elderly and persons with respiratory problems may be more
affected by VOC exposure than others.]
MVOC's caused by molds are
nearly identical with the only difference being their production is caused
by microbes, usually mold and bacteria! Mold odors are also made of volatile
organic compounds. Volatile organic compounds produced by mold again include
chemicals similar to alcohols, aldehydes, amines, ketones and many more.
When volatile organic compounds are produced by mold or bacteria we stop
calling them volatile organic compounds and refer to them as microbial
volatile organic compounds. (mVOCs).
Mold odors or mVOC's are often
over looked as a source of health complaints by many mold inspectors who
look for spores or mycotoxins as the only sources of potential health
problems. Often times, other inspectors are concerned about the health
effects of toxins produced by only toxic black mold, or stachybotrys.
Frequently during mold inspections because copius flowering visible mold
was not obvious and the lab report you receive states that spore levels
indoors are low, inspectors will tell you that you do not have a mold
problem, and many times that your health problems are not related to mold in
your home! This inspector has investigated numerous cases where mold odors
were produced inside AC units, behind wall paper, in crawl spaces, or inside
walls in many such cases spores were trapped or simply not released by the
mold and yet people became ill, in fact I have been a mold victim, and so
have many of my men due to occupational exposure!
For many years I have noticed a
correlation between the occurrence of mold odor and allergy and asthma like
health complaints. Recent studies cunducted with VOC'S support these
observations. Please note that the legal and health implications can be
powerful, even when the lack of elevated spore levels are present building
occupants can still become ill from mold!
Samples of indoor odor can be
taken for quantitative and qualitative analysis by accredited labs using
proven and advanced methods of analysis, Aerotech Labs is one of the few
labs that specialize in not just voc analysis but also mVOC or microbial
volatile compound analysis.
Don't take my word for it,
research what academic and government mold experts say about this often
overlooked issue. Do a search for mold odor VOC's and health for yourself
and you shall discover that even if spore levels are low in your home there
is no guarantee that you are free of mold problems.
Tere is goods! There is hope,
simply never rely on spore levels and lab tests alone, always hire an
experienced inspector who does much more than take samples, he or she should
know something about building construction or home inspections, AC systems,
science, indoor air quality, and industrial hygiene, and overall water
drying and restoration issues. The mold inspector must do a very detailed
investigation using his or her knowledge and experience and should not just
take a few samples, because ulimately, the best inspectors draw on a vast
personal databank gathered from thousnads of investigations!
If you do have a mold health
problem, after it has been professionally corrected it is usually a good
idea to seek the care of a competent Naturopathic Doctor. Natural Doctors
are often far more experienced at removing the remaining health issues and
mycotoxin from the body after the mold has been removed from the home!
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