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KANSAS CITY CHIMNEY & DRYER VENT SERVICE

Toxic Mold

As most people know, many molds can create allergens that can affect some of the population, but some molds can also cause toxins, which can affect everyone, depending on the length of exposure. Approximately 25 million Americans suffer from allergic reactions to molds yet most of them don’t even realize that when they’re sneezing and sniffling the cause could be from fungi.

The molds that produce airborne toxins that can cause serious symptoms, such as breathing difficulties, memory and hearing loss, dizziness, flu-like symptoms, and acid reflux.

Common ailments from toxigenic mold - including allergies (hypersensitivity after initial toxicity), and
excessive bruising - usually can be treated and reduced after people leave their contaminated environment. Often medication, diet and other treatment protocols are necessary. But other health problems may remain permanently, such as brain damage and weakened immune systems. Eyesight, memory, coordination/balance, and hearing are generally the most common residual effects that often do not improve after treatment in most cases.  Repairs in and around your chimney and fireplace by a professional chimney sweep can help remedy this problem.

Molds grow in our homes in moist warm areas like damp basements, closets, and bathrooms, even after the moisture has dried up. The worst place that molds can grow, however, is inside wall cavities and flooring of our homes, wherever there may be cellulose materials they can feed on, such as wood, ceiling tiles, or plasterboard, even if they are not visible, and they have sustained water damage at one time or another. This is very common if there has been a plumbing leak or an inadequate roof, especially around chimneys and fireplaces.

Many people are either unaware, ignorant, or in denial about the severe health hazards involved with some types of indoor household molds. Molds come in thousands of different varieties, here are a few who are some of the offenders that invade our homes.

Alternaria and Cladosporium are the molds most commonly found both indoors and outdoors throughout the United States. Aspergillus, Penicillium, Helminthosporium, Epicoccum Fusarium, Mucor, Rhizopus and Aureobasidium are also common. One of the mycotoxins, aflatoxin, is produced by the fungi Penicillium, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus.  Four different aflatoxins, B1, B2, G1 and G2, have been identified with B1 being the most toxic, carcinogenic and prevalent. Another very dangerous family of toxin producers is Fusarium.  The toxins zearalenone, trichothecenes or moniliformin can be formed by various types of Fusarium including F. moniliforme, F. oxysporum, F. culmorum, F.avenaceum, F. equiseti, F. roseum, and F. nivale.

Trichothecenes are potent inhibitors of DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis, and have been well studied in animal models because of concern about their potential misuse as agents of biological

The disturbing factor about airborne mycotoxins is that it is impossible to know how much damage they have caused to one's health until it is too late. Therefore, It is imperative to not knowingly expose oneself even for brief periods of time in any place that smells moldy or has an appearance of mold or mildew.

Some molds are cryophytes (these adapt to low temperatures), some are thermo tolerant (they adapt to a wide range of temperatures) and some are thermophiles (they adapt to high temperatures). Depending on the species, these microbes will grow just about anywhere. Not even a fire in excess of 500 degrees Fahrenheit has been able to destroy some molds such as Stachybotrys. Mold requires a compatible temperature for each species. Environmental factors (temperature, nitrogen, oxygen, etc. ) are necessary compounds for indoor molds to thrive.

Mold also needs an organic source of food. People might be confused as mold can grow on glass, tile, stainless steel, cookware, etc., but it is generally feeding off of some organic source deposited on this material (oils, film, dirt, skin cells, etc. ).  Mold also grows on things such as wood, fabric, leather, gypsum, fiberboard, drywall, stucco, and many fibrous insulation materials.

All molds require some form of moisture to grow, however, like temperature, the amount of moisture varies for different species. Some are xerophillic (colonize under very dry conditions) some are xerotolerant (colonize under a wide range of moisture levels) and some are hydrophilic (colonize at high moisture levels). It does not have to be a leak.

Humidity or moisture content of the substrate can often be sufficient (relative humidity of 50% starts becoming problematic in many indoor cases). Mold can spread very easily through any HVAC system.

Mycotoxins are examples of chemical substances that molds create generally as secondary metabolites, thought to possibly play a role in either helping to prepare the substrate on which they exist for digestion, as defense mechanisms, and some have suggested that they may be produced when the organisms are under stress, which could be related to competition/defense, or simply due to inhospitable environmental conditions. The mycotoxins, which are also neurotoxins (a toxin that is determined to cause neurological damage), most commonly reach people from the air, via spores from the molds in question. They are also found in small particulates at times which may often represent mold dust, small particles of mold that has dried and turned to dust. Spores, when inhaled, can begin to colonize in the sinuses and throughout the body, including the brain, lung and gut after a period of time.

Sick buildings are one of the major causes of fungal illness, primarily mycotoxicosis, in industrialized nations today. The United States is the least developed in fungal illness research and assistance to the community due to the high costs and fear of reprisals, so sadly, most American physicians have little or no education in treating this health crisis. The average American physician knows only how to identify a mold hyphae under a microscope, at best.

Mycotoxicosis, often mistakenly called "Toxic Mold Syndrome" out of ignorance, has reached epidemic proportions at a national level in the United States due to defective construction, lack of regular maintenance, shoddy and inappropriate building materials, ignorance, and lack of government involvement; all or in part due to the high costs of standard and substandard remediation.

FYI - The area in and around your chimney is prime area for water infiltration.  Water infiltration can cause water damage and potentially dangerous mold infestation including TOXIC MOLD.  
Protect  yourself and your family and get a chimney cleaning, inspection and maintainance by a
professional chimney sweep.
 

Our certified chimney sweeps will be happy to assist you in safety inspections, chimney repair, chimney reline questions or any fireplace, dryer venting needs.

 We service all of Johnson County, Kansas City Missouri, Northland KCMO, Lee´s Summit, Blue Springs, Desoto, Shawnee Mission, Lenexa and everywhere in Between.