The most ancient of toxins may be the next asbestos.
White, orange, green, black and blue: Molds can produce mycotoxins that lurk both indoors and out. But since Americans spend 90% of their time in enclosed spaces—at home, school, and work—indoor fungal contamination can be a killer, literally!
Mycotoxins—like Alternaria, Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Stachybotrys—can lead to such diverse symptoms as allergies, asthma, cancer, bleeding lungs, chronic bronchitis, chronic fatigue, depression, eye irritation, fibromyalgia, headache, hoarseness, inflammation of the ear, learning disabilities, lupus, memory loss, multiple chemical sensitivity, nosebleeds, rheumatoid arthritis, skin problems, wheezing, and even death.
Dorr Dearborn, MD, PhD, at Rainbow Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, has linked Stachybotrys (a toxic black mold) to pulmonary hemorrhaging and mortality in infants. This mycotoxin can also cause brain and nasal inflammation, even neurotoxicity.
Unlike many of the newer toxins, molds and mildew have been around since time immemorial—anywhere water stands for long periods. Once molds are disturbed, their spores become airborne, getting into noses, mouths, and lungs.
Dr. Ann Louise’s Take:
What I find most disturbing about airborne mycotoxins is that it’s impossible to know how much damage they’re doing to your health until it’s too late. For many sensitive or immunosuppressed individuals, molds—alone—are the leading cause of environmental illness. Infants and children, seniors, and anyone with respiratory conditions like asthma or emphysema are also vulnerable to molds.
One Cornell-trained physician developed multiple chemical sensitivities from mold growing unnoticed behind a fish tank, for instance. She and her entire family—even their dog—were later diagnosed with Addison’s disease and suffered a range of other health problems that continue today.
Use Your Senses
Wherever it’s damp and dark, you can expect to find mold, so your sense of smell may be your first clue to detecting molds. Besides the distinct musty scent of mildew, dirt and sulfur smells are highly suspect.
Also look for water marks in the basement or on walls and the ceiling—and fix leaks promptly. Make sure clothes dryers are properly vented outdoors, and run bathroom fans whenever you bathe or shower. Never install carpeting in bathrooms, basements, or any areas that tend to get damp.
Carpeting, drywall, fabric, leather, paper (like books), or any other absorbent material will grow mold if soaked. It can grow behind wallpaper, in low-quality insulation, and even on firewood. Molds interact with common chemical compounds like formaldehydes in fabrics and furnishings
Fight Mold Where It Lives
While these objects will probably need to be thrown out, you can clean glass, tile, and many other nonporous substances with diluted bleach solutions. Mix 1/2 cup Clorox bleach in 1 gallon water to clean moldy spots, then rinse with water, and dry. Wear protective gloves and, if you have allergies or breathing problems, a face mask.
Shower curtain liners harbor mold, as does grout (so look for a special grout cleaner). Even cold-water pipes can produce mold in warm bathrooms and kitchens, so check them and clean whenever needed. Believe it or not, wooden cooking utensils—like cutting boards and spoons—can accumulate molds as well as bacteria.
Watch what you eat as well! I recommend that anyone exposed to mold avoid all grains (especially corn), as they tend to be contaminated by mycotoxins during storage, for a couple of months.
Use air conditioning and dehumidifiers to keep your home dry as the humidity rises. Just be sure to clean the filters regularly and often, as even dead mold can cause allergies and sensitivities. Don’t over water your houseplants. Keep leaves, mulch, and compost away from doors and windows, where airborne molds can easily enter your home.
For truly clean indoor air, I recommend the Healthway Air Purifier with airborne infection control (Uni Key Health 800-888-4353 to order). This air purifier uses a newer technology HEPA-type air filtration that traps 94 to 100% of microorganisms (like fungi, molds, and even certain bacteria)—plus 99+% of viruses.
By contrast, air filters using HEPA and ultraviolet (UV) claim only 0.1 to 0.3 micron particle capture, so are not as effective. With its unique technology and listed by the FDA as a Class II Medical Device, the Healthway Air Purifier can provide the safest breathing air possible.
Sources:
How to Stay Young and Healthy in a Toxic World
https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=91026
www.cdc.gov/mold/faqs.htm
www.moldunit.com/cleaning-tips.html
www.moldunit.com/health-risks.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20392154
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20206065
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20132971
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18007011
