Can Mold Affect My Pets?

Any person who lives with mold can have their health affected by the home-invader. This is especially true for infants, senior citizens, persons with immune deficiencies and not surprisingly.. our pets. Pets are very susceptible to the harmful effects that come withmold because their noses go where mold grows and their lungs are typically smaller.
Mold induced illness that can affect your pet include sneezing, runny nose, itchy patches, ear infections, increased anxiety and barking, and in some cases pneumonia. Sometimes these illnesses are mistaken for allergies and as long as the mold is in your home, these symptoms will stay.
To help protect your beloved pet from indoor mold, here are three precautions you can take:

• Wash all your pets’ bedding weekly in hot water. Make sure the bedding is completely dry before you give back to your animal. If the bedding is foam and cannot be washed, it is recommended that you discard it after a year.
• Be sure to vacuum often and use a dehumidifier to prevent mold growth.
• Try to bathe your pet regularly if possible.

If you have any more questions or concerns, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Can Air Cleaners Aid in Removing Mold?

Roughly 80% of people who purchase air cleaners / air filters from stores or online have allergies. Many of them have allergies severe enough to include asthma. Although there are some cases of asthma that are not allergic in origin, a significant majority are related to allergy. These people frequently receive recommendations from their physicians to obtain air cleaners of some type. As reported in the May 2005 issue of Consumer Reports, many “ionizing” air cleaners do a poor job of removing particles from the air. As well, these ionizing cleaners usually produce Ozone which can materially exacerbate asthma and other lung diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ( COPD ) or Emphysema.

We recommend that people with allergies, especially those with asthma, avoid “ionizing” type air cleaners. Instead, use filtration type air cleaners for such people. Filtration air cleaners are generally less expensive, but they do require regular filter changes or filter cleaning. Forgetting to do this results in having essentially no filter at all.

We also recommend that, if you want to get the most out of your air filters, you should use them mainly in your bedroom, where you spend about 1/3 of your life. It is suggested that you keep your bedroom windows closed, because, otherwise, your filters will be attempting to filter all the outdoor air that comes in through the windows, and that is basically impossible for any filter. If you live in a hot or very humid place, this likely will mean you need to purchase a window unit air conditioner, if you don’t have central air conditioning.

Biodecontamination Cost Consideration

Like any other product or service, you get what you pay for. While new biodecontamination technologies can reduce total project costs when compared to traditional methods, there are no shortcuts or magic bullets to mold remediation. Mold remediation is a labor intensive process. This combined with equipment, insurance, and overhead comprises the majority of project expenses. In addition, most companies utilize job costing software that standardizes job costs.

A Word on Bleach

Bleach is not an effective product for removing mold from porous surfaces.  Chlorine bleach is NOT registered with the EPA as a disinfectant to kill mold. In fact, bleach has been shown to actually accelerate the return of mold and bacteria. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has even gone as far as to issue a special bulletin advising against the use of chlorine bleach for removing mold.

Can Mold Cause Hair Loss?

If you live in a house with a mold problem you could start to lose your hair. The allergic reactions humans suffer from mold can lead to hair loss, even in females or children.

The roots of your hair are nourished by tiny blood vessels called capillaries. If the circulation to these blood vessels is disrupted the hair can fall out or break.

When you breathe in mold spores they trigger allergic reactions in your body. During these allergic reactions your immune system creates a chemical called histamine. The histamine causes inflammation which disrupts the blood flow in the capillaries. This can lead to hairs not getting enough blood and eventually your hair can start to fall out.

If you don't take care of the mold problem in your home then eventually mold allergies can lead to baldness. Hair loss from allergies will usually be in a diffuse pattern.

Hair loss caused by mold exposure can be reversed. Although the regrowth might be slow, in most cases the hair will grow back once a person is no longer exposed to mold.

If you have lost hair from mold exposure you should fix the mold problem and talk to your doctor about treatments without delay for the best chance of maximum regrowth. Hair follicles which are dormant because of mold exposure can be regrown, however once a hair follicle dies you cannot get the hair back. 

A Flooded Home/Business and Mold

If your house has been in a flood there's a good chance you will end up with a mold problem. However there are steps you can take to try to prevent mold growing in your home after it's been flooded.  After a flood the best thing you can do is contact a mold remediation company or water damage specialist who performs clean ups of flooded homes. Mold can start to grow after just a day or two so it's important to act as quickly as possible if your home has been flooded. Make sure you only enter your home once it's safe though. 

Mold can start to grow on the walls, or inside the wall cavities, of rooms that were flooded. If a room with drywall walls was flooded then you'll need to cut away the bottom section of drywall that's at least 30cm (12 inches) above where it got wet.

If you see mold growing on any drywall then you'll also have to cut away the drywall and remove it. Mold cannot be properly cleaned from porous materials like drywall. Once you've removed wet or moldy drywall from your home you should dispose of it.

More Mold Infestation Reports in Chicago

Residents of a Mundelein apartment building (Lake County), where potentially toxic mold was found growing, were temporarily relocated until mold and structural problems could be corrected.

In a high profile case, the Lamka family was forced to abandon their Rolling Meadows (Cook County) home after members experienced a number of health problems possibly linked to mold. Carpeting was ripped out and many walls and ceilings were gutted.

Kerry and Jodi Strain of Muirfield were not able to occupy their new $360,000 home due to unhealthy levels of mold contamination. Testing revealed levels of penicillium and aspergillus, mold contaminants that cause health problems.