Mold


Mold or mould is a rather unpleasant element, which sometimes forms in home environments and with which coming into contact it is possible to run into unpleasant consequences for health, especially at the respiratory level. Although these are not serious events, understanding where mold may appear and how to deal with it is still important to maintain a healthy environment.

Molds are multicellular organisms that are part of the fungal family and that reproduce through spores; these are dispersed in the air, if inhaled or touched, they can cause health problems, especially in particularly sensitive people or if the amount to which you are exposed is quite large. 



Mold tends to proliferate in environments where there is an excess of humidity and for this reason the room at greatest risk is the bathroom. The kitchen can also be subject, especially if the ventilation is not optimal and while the stove is on, the vapors cannot escape properly from the area. However, mold can also form due to leaks in water pipes, rising damp in basements, poor insulation on ground floors, or rain that gets into holes due to damage to the roof, miro cavities or window frames.

Finally, air conditioners can also be responsible for the formation of mold, due to the phenomenon of condensation, which can occur when the system is not positioned in the correct way or does not work at its best.


What mold does to our health


The proliferation of mold indoors is favored by the presence of humidity, and both of these conditions expose you to the risk of respiratory disorders or infections, weakening of the immune system, asthma and allergies. Inhalation or tactile contact with mold spores can in fact cause an allergic reaction in predisposed individuals, who if affected by the phenomenon could develop the typical symptoms of almost all allergies that affect the airways, i.e. red and irritated eyes, runny nose, cough, sneezing, rashes and, sometimes, asthma and slight breathlessness.

Those most exposed to these risks are infants and children with immature immune systems, the elderly, people with pre-existing skin problems such as eczema or respiratory problems such as asthma, and people on immunosuppressive drugs. There are no blood tests related to an assessment of mold exposure.

On a scientific level, there is no longer any doubt about the ability of mold to act as an allergen, and therefore to trigger adverse reactions in people who breathe it, as well as its power to accentuate hypersensitivity pathologies. However, experts are preaching caution when it comes to any serious health effects of mould. In particular, there is no evidence of the extreme danger of toxic black mould.Above all there are theories circulating on the net but which have been promptly denied, such as those that indicate them as the cause of childhood pulmonary haemorrhages or that claim there is a correlation between black mold that can arise on the walls of houses and the onset of autoimmune diseases.

While the harmful consequences of exposure to mold are yet to be demonstrated, there is no doubt that it is still best to avoid dealing with it.

Sometimes the onset of mold within the walls of the home is caused by structural or design problems of the property, but when this is not the case, there are small measures that can decrease the chances of seeing it sprout, and which also allow the living environments to remain healthier. These are the main ones: