Can mold in your house make you sick?
In some cases, mold in your home can make you sick, especially if you have allergies or asthma. Whether or not you’re allergic to molds, mold exposure can irritate your eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs. Here’s what you can do to combat mold problems, and take care of yourself and your home.
Is it safe to live in a house with mold?
The CDC, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warns about the dangers of living with mold in the home: Respiratory tract symptoms that include coughing, wheezing, and swelling of the throat. Those who have asthma and allergy problems are especially at risk.
Can mold in your house kill you?
In reality, all molds — including black mold — can produce toxins, but exposure to mold is rarely deadly. People are exposed to mold through spores that are released and travel through the air.
What are symptoms of living in a house with mold?
If you’re sensitive to mold, you may experience the following symptoms:
- sneezing.
- nasal congestion.
- runny nose.
- skin rash.
- itching.
- watery eyes.
- asthma.
- chest tightness.
What are the harmful types of mold?
A few of the most dangerous molds are named: stachybotrys mold or black mold, penicillium, and aspergillus; and they have been associated with respiratory illness, skin rashes, memory problems, and brain damage. Diseases are also associated with toxic mold exposure: kidney cancer, esophagus cancer, leukemia, and liver cancer.
How can mold harm you?
Mold spores can affect a home’s inhabitants through inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact, causing a runny nose, watery eyes, mild allergic reactions, a scratchy throat, fatigue, and general discomfort when breathing. In rare cases, mold can even be toxic!
How much mold exposure is harmful?
Any individual who lives in an area with a relative humidity that exceeds 55% is very liable to any health risk associated with toxic molds. How much mold exposure is harmful? Any quantity of exposure to mold is never ideal. However, there is no line that is defined to which mold becomes toxic beyond.
How to tell if there’s mold in Your House?
5 signs your home has mold (and how to deal with it) Stale and musty odors. Mold, whether it is visible or not, emits an unusual and unpleasant odor. Condensation and persistent moisture. Whether there is excess moisture on your windows, or condensation dripping from your pipes, a damp home is an ideal breeding ground for mold, and Previous water build-up and stains. Personal health symptoms.