Monday, November 12, 2012

Toxic Mold

As an Indoor Air Quality Specialist and Mold Inspector/Assessor since 2003 I am encouraged by the educational information that is out there about toxic mold and it's potentially toxic affect on our health. Our family has experienced the devastation of illness created by living with mold in their indoor environment.  I do not think it was a mistake that my interest peaked when I learned about the need for clean air within a house or building.  This interest soon became a new career for me.  A career that has helped many people find solutions to their problems with toxic mold.

I say I do not believe it an accident because not long after I had finished my training one of my daughters and two of her children had many mysterious illnesses and they could not figure it out.  Her baby kept turning purple.  The physician who checked her out was alarmed and sent her to the hospital for testing.  Nothing came from all of the tests they performed.  My daughter lost a baby in her 4th month of pregnancy and she grieved for the loss.

It wasn't until she almost lost her next baby that I began to connect the dots.   We were called in the middle of the night to stay with the children while her husband took her to the hospital.  As my wife and I tried to go to sleep in their bedroom my nose plugged up immediately and I experienced problems with breathing.

My daughter was put on bed-rest.  We took her and her two children in our home to care for her during this time.  Meanwhile I took action to clean the air in the home.  We had already given them a Quality Air Purifier, knowing the toxic air from off-gassing that manufactured homes possess.  I added air purification system to their ducts.  Though the air purifier was working I realized that it was not reaching to the corner of the bedroom where my daughter slept.  The purification in the ducts carried the purification throughout the house into every room.

Everyone's mysterious symptoms were now controlled.  A few years later they discovered mold in their bathroom.  I inspected the room, took samples and sent it to the lab immediately.  The results came back and we learned she and the family were living in an environment with very high numbers of black mold.   Though the air purification was cleaning up the air they breathed they need remediation.

Do I think my daughter's family would have discovered the source of their illnesses had I not been in this field?  I highly doubt it.  At the time people were not so aware of toxic mold or the importance of Indoor Air Quality, breathing clean air indoors.   I have to give thanks to God that this problem manifested itself after I had started my profession.

I have been called to inspect beautiful new homes, old homes and commercial buildings.  The calls are made by homeowners, realtors or businesses who have either found a suspicious looking mold in the building or  home, have members of their household or employees who have developed mysterious illnesses.  Some clients contact me when they make the connection between a move and the illness, some consult me when they have discovered a longstanding leak in their bathroom or finding mold in the wall when remodeling.   Still others have consulted me after a flood invaded their home.

Many re-mediators claim to handle mold.  Unfortunately they have not been intensively trained in protocol for mold cleanup and remediation. I am thinking of the results of the samples I sent to the lab on a home a couple was looking to buy.   The potential buyers spotted the mold on the floor joists of the basement and hired me to assess the mold.

This home had been 're-mediated' by the current owners.  The year before the owners had discovered a leak in their bathroom.  They called in re mediators who supposedly took care of their problem.  They spent thousands of dollars on a tear out, re-mediation and rebuild.   Unfortunately the re-mediators failed to do pre and post testing on the floor joists in the basement.  Post testing would have revealed that mold spores were still on the joists. A re-cleaning with proper 'environmentally safe products,' followed by a post-test would have solved their mold problem. 

Many businesses have contacted me because of employees who are experiencing mysterious illnesses including headaches, sinus infections, bad colds that won't go away, bronchitis, frequent urination and more.   Getting rid of the source and cleaning the air they breathe is the solution to their problem

 Chris Fabry, famous Christian radio host was interviewed by CBN regarding the devastating affects on their family's health while living in a toxic mold environment and the continued health issues they face.  This family is endeavoring to spread the word as they share their Health Journey on Blogger.  There are many Toxic Mold Stories you can read about. These stories are about Real people who have lived through nightmares before discovering the root of their problem.  Many discover it early enough to solve the problem and save their health.  Others have become so sick that they will never fully recover.  

If you 'see mold,' in your home, suspect indoor air quality may be affecting your family's health or if you are purchasing a new home you need to enlist the help of a certified mold inspector/assessor.  Take action and learn all you can about the toxic affects of living and breathing toxic air in your indoor environment.