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WHAT
IS ASPERGILLUS ?
Aspergillus Doesn't Belong In A Healthy Home
Aspergillus
doesn't belong in a healthy home, according to Dr.
Chin Yang, a nationally-respected microbiologist.
Yet, I often find Aspergillus mold growing in the
homes of my clients.
WHY ?
There is food.
There is water.
Conditions are right, so Aspergillus grows. And so
does Penicillium, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Stachybotrys,
etc. - all molds that can cause allergic or other
reactions in humans and pets.
Aspergillus
is a common outdoor mold associated with decaying
vegetative matter. It feeds on dead plants and breaks
them down. The nutrients are returned to the soil,
so that the cycle of life can start again. Indoors,
mold does the same thing. When moisture is present,
it starts breaking down dead plants.
What dead plants are there in your basement?
Well, how about the wooden structures of studs and
joists?
Wooden shelves or work benches?
What about materials made from dead plants - such
as paper and cardboard or fabric?
Water can come from floods, leaks, water vapor passing
through foundation walls, and even relative humidity
of about 50% or more. Mold is just doing its job.
The only problem is that as it works, it gives off
waste products just like any living organism. Some
of those gaseous waste products are harmful to humans.
Called "mycotoxins" (toxins from mold),
they can cause neurological symptoms in susceptible
persons.
Typical symptoms from mycotoxins include: Allergic
responses, particularly respiratory symptoms Headaches
Flu-like symptoms - like you have a low-level virus
Fatigue and lethargy Asthmatic symptoms Aspergillus
is one mold that is commonly responsible for causing
these symptoms. However, other molds are perfectly
capable of producing them as well - such as Penicillium,
Cladosporium, and Alternaria.
WHAT ARE OTHER DANGERS OF MOLD ?
Suppose you started cleaning up a basement that had
a ton of Aspergillus in it. Your lungs maybe could
handle a reasonable amount of Aspergillus, but they
could be overpowered by too much. Aspergillus could
take hold, start to grow in that dark, warm, moist
environment, and you would have a difficult-to-treat
fungal infection of the lungs. Mold is not to be taken
lightly. A woman called to ask about a mold evaluation
of her home. She was hoping that her daughter would
be able to move back so that she could take care of
the 30 year old woman. The daughter was on dialysis
in another state, her kidneys destroyed by Aspergillus.
Another man went to inspect the damage to his parents'
condo. A flood had been cleaned up in the common area,
but too late it was discovered that their condo was
affected, too. In the process of inspecting the condo,
the man got a lung infection, which was expected to
be chronic for the rest of his life. A lawsuit was
underway.
A cleanup protocol resources for mold
Because of concerns about mold clean-up, the New York
City Department of Health worked with several other
agencies to develop clean-up protocols, depending
on the amount of mold present. You can do a search
for this protocol: Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation
of Fungi in Indoor Environments, available at
www.nyc.gov
and choose City Agencies at the top of the page. Then
click on the "Jump to" box at the top and
choose Health. Finally, do a search on "aspergillus
remediation." In the top choice, you should recognize
the correct URL.
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