Mold Can Be Anywhere. It can be behind those beautifully painted walls, beneath that nicely colored carpet and even in your flooring and ductwork. Mold can be a serious problem if it is reproducing in any part of your home or workplace, because when there is mold in one part of the structure it can quickly spread throughout the entire structure. Before it becomes noticeable, microbial contamination can make the indoor air quality of the structure an unhealthy environment in which to live, work or play.
'Toxic mold' can be potentially dangerous to the health of exposed individuals. Mold produces mold spores, which are like 'seeds.' When mold is actively producing spores, the inhalation of the spores may produce health problems for susceptible individuals. Mold spores need only to find food (any cellulose-based source, such as wood or sheetrock) and moisture (water, or even high humidity) to start producing 'colony forming units' of new mold growth. Mold spore inhalation can cause serious breathing difficulties, memory and hearing loss, dizziness, flu-like symptoms and in extreme cases bleeding in the lungs.
Bleeding in the lungs, or Pulmonary Hemosiderosis, critically infected many infants' respiratory systems during the 'Cleveland Outbreak.' The 'Cleveland Outbreak' was caused by exposure through inhalation of toxic Stachybotrys mold. In another case that gained national attention, Melinda Ballard and her three-year-old son were forced to abandon their dream home in Texas due to microbial contamination. The media has also taken notice of the public health concerns of mold contamination. Dan Rather, on the television news magazine program '48 Hours,' presented a feature called 'House of Pain'. The story illustrated the devastating effects of microbial contamination in our indoor environments. Finally, a bill has been introduced in Congress (the 'Melina Bill,' or H.R. 1268, 'The United States Toxic Mold Safety and Protection Act') to provide guidelines to attack mold growth on a national level with good science, public awareness and tangible relief.
If mold is actively growing in your structure, it is very important that the source of the mold growth be investigated as soon as possible. If you suspect that mold may be growing due to a recent moisture intrusion, please contact Colorado Quality Air Sciences. You will be retaining qualified, certified Indoor Environmental Professionals, and you will receive an accurate, objective report on the current status of your indoor environment.
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