While invisible to the naked eye, airborne mold particles can cause health problems and increase in severity with one’s prolonged exposure to it. If you or a loved one suspects that you may have been exposed to mold and are being impacted by it, you should seek medical advice from a licensed professional immediately.

Is Breathing Mold Bad for You? Can Mold Infect Your Lungs?

The effects of breathing mold are not immediately noticeable. But in due time, one should expect to face certain health issues associated with their exposure to this microbe. Breathing in mold spores won’t affect you severely, unless you are in areas where there is a lot of mold growth, or if you have a compromised immune system (i.e. people with asthma, shortness of breath, etc). 

Unfortunately, prolonged exposure to mold can happen easily. This is because a lot of people do not bother to treat mold exposure as soon as it is discovered. 

If you live or work in a place where you can’t avoid breathing in mold, can it affect your lungs?

The short answer is yes. But it can affect on each individual can vary. It all depends on how healthy our immune system is and whether it is able to fight off foreign invaders efficiently.

Strong Immune System

A person with a highly functional immune system can experience allergies in the lungs due to continuous mold exposure. Symptoms like coughing & sore throat may become very common. In fact, mold exposure happens all the time, but in most cases, our bodies are able to fight off these foreign mold spores and keep our bodies safe.

If you often experience respiratory or other nasal issues, it is a wise idea to check for the growth of mold in your home as a precautionary measure.  These symptoms may be a sign of mold exposure and it is important to handle the issue at its source.

Weak Immune System

Unfortunately, a person with a weakened immune system & previous lung issues may develop serious complications and lung diseases when they breathe in high amounts of mold spores.  Their weakened immune system makes it easier for mold to take over their bodies and affect them negatively.

Although uncommon, those with a weakened immune system can succumb to illnesses such as Mucormycosis.  People that catch this disease are usually already immune-compromised and the mold is especially harmful to their bodies.  Mucormycosis is an aggressive, life-threatening disease, and if you or a loved one suspects they may be suffering from it, you should contact a medical professional immediately!

It is also important to treat the spaces in your home or business to prevent mold growth as soon as possible. You never know if you or a loved one are being negatively impacted by mold exposure. The only real way to be sure that you are not suffering from symptoms due to mold exposure is to have your home tested and, if there is mold, to have it treated. 

How Do I Prevent Mold Growth?

The simple answer: prevent damp environments from forming, and if there is a moisture issue, you should address it right away. It is also vitally important to maintain a well-ventilated home as this can draw excess moisture out of your home. Condensation from humidifiers, drip-pans, and leaky plumbing can set up the perfect moist environment for mold to thrive and should all be maintained properly. Lastly, it is paramount that you keep your indoor humidity levels below 50%.  This is vitally important for those with prior respiratory issues because in doing so, you can greatly minimize the risk of mold growing in your home.

How Do I Get Rid of Mold?

You cannot get rid of all mold in your home; however, it is essential to note that mold spores cannot grow and thrive without moisture. The first step is to remove all sources of excess moisture from your home and to make sure that all necessary repairs are made to leaky pipes and such.

If your pipes are leaking or if an appliance is creating excess moisture, you will never be able to take care of the problem completely.  As soon as you remove the mold colony, new spores will settle in the same area and begin to thrive off the source of moisture again.

Below are some things that anyone can do to avoid mold growth:

• Check drip pans often
• Control humidity levels in indoor environments
• Adding insulation to exterior walls
• Checking heating and cooling systems often
• Keeping the exhaust fan on in your kitchen/bathroom
• Making sure that your dryer vent leads outdoors

If caught early, you can clean up moldy areas with household products – even black mold. But for more severe problems, it is vital to contact a professional mold removal company like Mold Zero.  Highly dangerous and even less dangerous molds can also cause problems for those with asthma and weakened immune systems so it is always best to have a mold removal specialist address the issue. However, if you can not have a mold removal expert address the issue immediately there are a few steps that you can take to better protect yourself against mold exposure.

Ways to Clean Up Mold:

• Using Detergent and Water: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, if you notice that there is mold growing on a hard surface in your home, an effective way to get rid of what you see on the surface is to scrub it with some detergent and water. After you are done, you should dry the area completely to prevent the mold from taking over again.
• Getting Rid of Mold Infected Items: Materials that are absorbent or porous can harbor mold colonies deep within the material itself making it hard to clean with household products. Only mold removal professionals like Mold Zero can effectively remove the mold from these types of materials.  Our clean dry fog penetrates deep into porous material eliminating the mold colonies at the source. 
• Bleach (Special Mention): Oftentimes, people think about using bleach to clean up mold problems. Although sometimes bleach can remove the visual signs of mold, it does not treat the underlying issue. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED to utilize bleach as a household solution for mold growth.  Using bleach in an attempt to remove a mold problem only deals with the surface level issue while the background levels remain the same, or get worse.

Household mold removal can be dangerous. In the process of cleaning up the mold yourself, you may inadvertently increase your exposure to it, making you even sicker than you were before you try to deal with the problem. If you suffer from a weakened immune system or if your respiratory health has been compromised, it is even more important that you hire a mold removal expert to help you deal with the problem.  That is where Mold Zero can help!  With our process, we are able to take care of most mold problems with little to no demolition. In addition to that, because our process is minimally invasive, we are able to get most jobs done within one business day.  Find out more about our patented process and get a free estimate by contacting us today at (626)671-8885.