Black mold, a common household pest, is a toxic and potentially dangerous fungus. Because it is often hard to distinguish between regular mold and black mold, it is best to treat all mold growth as a threat. Further, it is important to understand the warning signs and symptoms of black mold, both on your home and on your health.
Black Mold is a genus of mold that is also known as toxic black
mold because of its inherent properties. This greenish black fungus can
lead to health issues in human beings. Not all types of mold are toxic;
however, this particular type of mold is very harmful, especially for
homes with babies.
Black mold thrives in moist and damp conditions
with no or little sunlight exposure. It attaches itself to different
hosts and has the ability to spread to different areas inside a home.
Since it requires moisture for growth, it is usually found in areas such
as wall paneling, ceiling tiles, bathroom walls, drywall, insulation
and even the floor. Usually, water seepage is the main cause of mold.
So, any plumbing problems and leaks must be kept in check from time to
time.
Black mold might seem to be an ordinary type of fungus
growing in damp parts of your household, but their very presence can
carry serious consequences for you and your family. It can cause
dizziness, asthma, bronchitis, urinary tract infections, headache,
cough, difficulty in breathing and worst of all it can cause respiratory
bleeding which can be fatal. So, even if you are proud of your spic and
span household, you might have a mold problem in one of those damp
corners because of excessive humidity or leakage. You must seek
professional help if your place is heavily infested because it could
pose a serious problem later on. More than 2 feet of infestation is
considered as very heavy. However, for minor infestations, various home
remedies can help.
Preventive measures must be taken if you think
your place is prone to black mold infestation. This includes keeping
adequate levels of ventilation inside the house. This applies especially
to areas like kitchen and bathrooms where water usage is more. Keep
overall humidity of the house down. Adequate level of cleanliness inside
your house is also very important. Check your bathrooms, carpets etc,
from time to time so that corrective actions can be taken on time. Avoid
using carpets inside your bathrooms. Also, take special care about any
leaks or plumbing problems in your water supply line as it is one major
cause of black mold. Check out for visible yellow or greenish black
spots regularly in mold prone areas. Use mold inhibitors in your paint
and use simple mold killing products to clean up small infected areas in
order to prevent them from growing into bigger areas.
