As mentioned in the saga of
my own ordeal with mold, there are three primary mechanisms
for mold infection. These are ingestion, contact
with the skin, and inhalation.
Ingestion
Consumption of contaminated food
is a common cause of illness. In severe cases, death can
occur either through anaphylactic shock—stemming from a
severe allergic reaction.
The most common source of such
infection is probably peanuts, but many foods can be moldy before
visible signs of such appear. Remember that individual
mold spores are microscopic in size; mold becomes viewable to
the naked eye only when colonized. Most people throw away
such food, but some people try to salvage what still looks all
right. They should realize that the hyphae have already
plunged into other parts of the food and that these filaments
are nourishing what is visible. To be safe, discard the
entire item.
As anyone who has cleaned a refrigerator
knows, refrigeration merely slows down mold growth; it does not
prevent mold from growing. Freezing food causes most types
of mold to become dormant, but they will activate when the right
growing conditions are restored.
Skin
Contact
People with cuts or open wounds
are susceptible to mold infection. Anyone doing property
maintenance, restoration, or remediation should be extremely
careful to avoid exposure of open tissues to infection. They
should also be cautious when using equipment that produces a
lot of dust that can cause spores to become airborne. For
instance, using high speed saws and sanders can disseminate a
lot more spores than more tedious procedures. Proper safety
precautions are required when handling anything contaminated.
One of the truly common mechanisms
of infection affects children (and pets) who crawl on the floor. They
are highly susceptible and can pick up infections from carpeting
and other objects on which mold is found.
Inhalation
Breathing of contaminated air poses
a number of risks. First, toxic odors can be extremely
irritating and potentially deadly. At minimum, they are
annoying and devitalizing; but the dangers should not be underestimated
by anyone.
Inhalation of spores offers opportunity
for the molds to incubate and establish colonies inside the body. If
anyone is in doubt of this, they should study the images as well
as written material on the University
of Adelaide web site. It's called Fungal Jungle!
What many remediators do not seem
to understand or appreciate is that dead mold spores and hyphal
fragments are as toxic as living ones. They can also cause allergic responses. However,
it is widely known that these non-viable remnants are as toxic
as the original molds were at the time they were actively colonizing
and sporulating.
Correct remediation entails 100%
removal of all infected building materials as well as decontamination
of furniture and personal belongings. Not one spore, dead
or alive, should remain following proper remediation.
Please
note: this section of the site is divided
into three main parts: allergies, immunity,
and toxicity. This
site is very new and the pages are going up as fast as
I can write them. To stay informed of new posts,
please subscribe to the site.
Ingrid Naiman
12 October 2005
