For those living in Humboldt County, mold and the issues that come with it are nothing new.
“Dust, something that’s mold food, some sort of water, like humidity, water intrusion, event flooding, rain. There’s some sort of water source as well. And then typically lack airflow,” said Ariana Thacker, CO and Founder of MoldCo.
“So, with that you can have mold growth and then there’s mold spores in your air. It’s outdoors. It comes inside. And that’s the mold triangle to essentially have, have mold growth in your home,” said Thacker.
Locations close to the ocean tend to have a higher humidity rate, which makes them more susceptible to mold conditions.
“Mold can be a hidden issue in your Hvac system or in your crawlspace or behind the walls,” said Thacker.
“Just because you see it on the surface doesn’t mean there’s not a larger issue happening. So we actually steer folks away from addressing it themselves, especially if they’re having symptoms indicative of mold related illness or sometimes known as mold toxicity or Sirs.”
Typically, Thacker says, you want your home humidity levels to be in the 30-50% range.
“So, for these more sensitive patient groups too, they shouldn’t be addressing the issue themselves,” said Thacker.
Some ways to spot mold in your home is an earthy, musty odor or smell, warping of the floors, and crack and discoloration in paint on the ceiling or floors.
“There’s a lot of different cues and signs, even if you don’t see visible mold in your home, where you can identify that there’s an issue,” said Thacker.
“Being exposed to mold for a period of time can cause health related issues including shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating, and a cough, to name a few.”
“This is tied to mold related illness, mold toxicity, chronic inflammatory response syndrome. And these are different characterizations of the health impacts of mold that are separate from a fungal infection, an allergy or asthma. How it shows up is a lot of the different symptoms. You see, often patients have at least eight of these different clusters, or at least 13 of these different symptoms. It’s not just a one off symptom. It’s a multi-system multisystem issue.”
“It is important to deal with the issue if you suspect that there is mold in your home.”
“Getting out of the environment is the first and most important step. And it is absolutely a priority to breathe clean air and being in a clean environment.”
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