Mold and Spring-The Two Does Not Mix

6/7/2018 (Permalink)

If you have an allergy that occurs over several seasons, you may be allergic to the spores of molds or other fungi. Molds live everywhere. Upsetting a mold source can send the spores into the air.

Mold and mildew are fungi. They are different from plants or animals in how they reproduce and grow. The “seeds,” called spores, travel through the air. Some spores spread in dry, windy weather. Others spread with the fog or dew when humidity is high.

Inhaling the spores causes allergic reactions in some people. Allergic symptoms from fungus spores are most common from July to early fall. But fungi grow in many places, both indoors and outside, so allergic reactions can occur year round.

Although there are many types of molds, only a few dozen cause allergic reactions. Many molds grow on rotting logs and fallen leaves, in compost piles and on grasses and grains. Unlike pollens, molds do not die with the first killing frost. Most outdoor molds become inactive during the winter. In the spring they grow on plants killed by the cold. Indoors, fungi grow in damp areas. They can often be found in the bathroom, kitchen or basement.

It only takes 3-5 mold spores to cause an allergic reaction, and some molds contain mycotoxins that are carcinogenic or deadly. Vibrations and movement will cause mold to release their spores; it's easy to accidentally knock hundreds of thousands of spores loose from a single patch of mold! And that's just a drop in the bucket: Recent research has shown that up to one billion mold spores can be found in just one square foot of drywall!

Mold removal experts have a variety of state-of-the-art equipment that they use to identify sources of moisture, dry out wall cavities, and safely remove mold that is growing in your home. Samples of mold may be analyzed in a laboratory to identify potentially toxic strains, and special cleaning agents may be used to restore property.