How to Counteract the Effects of Black Mold Exposure

You can find black mold by tracking its scent around the house. Black mold gives off an earthy, musty odor that can become quite acrid when growth is heavy. “Sniff around” is the best we can do when looking for black mold growth because they can rarely be seen.

Particularly troublesome areas are hard-to-reach nooks and crannies in a room, small spaces behind furniture or kitchen appliances that are rarely cleaned, behind walls, and inside ceilings.

You could experience several different symptoms when exposed to black mold. The non-toxic variety can cause nasal congestion, coughing, sneezing, shortness of breath, headaches, and skin or eye irritation.

Since many doctors are not very familiar with black mold exposure, mainly because its symptoms are so similar to other illnesses, you should give them a little help. When you are at home, keep a journal. Try to keep a record of the rooms you enter and where or when you start experiencing symptoms.

This will help you locate black mold growth and eventually remove it. Once a particular area is cleaned, hopefully your symptoms will improve, but if not, there may still be other areas that require attention.

When exposing a certain section of the house, do not forget to turn off the air conditioning and heating systems. The ducts run throughout the house and airborne spores can easily travel from room to room. Also, always wear gloves to protect your hands and a mask to avoid inhaling the spores.

What about toxic mold?

Ordinary exposure to black mold may be easy to manage, but exposure to toxic black mold is another story. The spores can immediately attack healthy cells, damaging not only the respiratory system, but also the digestive and nervous systems.

It attacks myelin, a component of the covering of nerve cells, and has been linked to mood swings and severe depression. Worst of all, the effects can be long lasting and can remain in the body even after the toxic black mold has been removed from the home.

There is little that can be done to reverse the effects in someone with prolonged exposure to toxic black mold, but the insidious damage it brings can be stopped with a detoxification process. Your doctor may not be an expert in detoxification, but he or she can refer you to a detoxification specialist.

Asthmatics, people with a history of allergies, children, and the elderly all have weak immune systems and are therefore highly susceptible to the effects of black mold exposure. If you think you, too, have a weak immune system, don’t try to handle mold cleanup yourself — hire the services of experts who can do a quick and thorough job for you.