You’ll no doubt seize a fire extinguisher or call the fire department to put it out if there was a fire in your kitchen. That’s because fire is an immediately recognizable threat. Fire is also a very visible threat to you and your family.
But you can’t spot all the threats to your family as easily as a roaring flame. Some threats quietly fester in hard-to-reach nooks and crannies as they slowly make your family sick. One of these threats is a noxious substance that you probably know as toxic black mold. The key to defeating this fungal menace lies in detecting and defeating it before it has a chance to spread.
Meet the Menacing Mold
There are many different species of black mold, such as Stachybotrys chartum. These molds get their name from their dark greenish or grayish coloration. A patch of the fungus has a unique smell akin to damp mildew. It prefers to grow on things that have an abundance of cellulose. These include paper, fiberboard furniture, and wooden surfaces.
Black mold needs to be in a warm and moist space, such as your laundry room or bathroom. Leaks and flaws in your ventilation system can turn your air vents into a breeding ground for black mold, hence the importance of getting expert air conditioning installation.
The danger of black mold lies in the toxins it spreads into the air. If someone inhales these toxins, they can get affected by black mold poisoning, a condition that mostly affects the respiratory system. Its symptoms can include runny or stuffy nose and coughing or wheezing. The toxins also cause irritation of the eyes, skin, and throat.
The symptoms are much worse for people with compromised immune systems or impaired respiration, as they can experience constant coughing, chest colds, breathing difficulties, and persistent fatigue. The worst cases lead to memory loss, selective numbness, and increased anxiety.
Detecting the Fungal Threat
Black mold symptoms are treatable. A doctor can prescribe medications, such as antihistamines or decongestants, to affected individuals. But the best way to deal with it is to stop the fungal spores from reaching your family at all. You need to know if you have patches of it in your home to prevent your family from getting sick with black mold poisoning.
The chances of black mold appearing in your home increase if your place was recently flooded due to heavy rain, or if you have a leak in your ceiling or pipes. You need to observe for fungus after such events. The best way to detect black mold is to trust your sense of smell. The fungus has a rich, earthy odor, which is similar to the smell of decomposing leaf litter and soil. If you can smell such an odor near an area that’s dark and damp, you may have black mold already.
Although you may discover patches of dark fungus, the only conclusive way to find out if its black mold is to send samples for testing. Since this is an expensive and time-consuming process, you should immediately call expert mold removers to do away with the fungal menace. It’s better to deal with the threat as quickly and as efficiently as possible, to prevent it from spreading. After all, you wouldn’t hesitate to put out even a small fire if you knew what it could do to your loved one
