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If you are allergic to mold then you suffer from Allergies Type 1, also called Contact Allergies. Mold spores are in your environment year round. Fresh air contains more mold spores than pollen. The higher the humidity the higher the mold counts.
When molds or fungi reproduces it sends tremendous numbers of spores into the air similar to plants releasing pollen into the air for reproductive purposes. Mold spores are microscopic in size and easily become airborne and will travel throughout the central air and heading system. If you are allergic to mold spores then whey come into contact with the skin or are inhaled, they spores trigger an allergic reaction.
Molds and fungi like an environment that is dark, damp and has a good food supply. Molds and fungi live off of decomposing plant and animal material. You home can become a prime breading ground for mold and fungi. Most homes have a large quantity of decomposing plant material, its call wood. Add a little bit of moisture from the air, rain leaking into the walls, or from a leaky pipe and the inside of your walls become a prime breading area.
Other areas in the home that you should look for molds that are commonly overlooked are foam pillows, garbage cans, refrigerator door gaskets, refrigerator cooling coils, the drip pan under refrigerators, under sink cabinets, closets, storerooms, air conditioner units, washing machines, dryer vents, and carpets.
Symptoms include coughing, sneezing, runny nose, headaches, congestion in the lungs, hives, and itchy and watery eyes.
A few years back home were being built in the Southern United States that used foam board as insulation with no air spaces to let in air. This type of insulation can act as a wick for any water on the floor and as a result Black Mold started to grow. This type of mold is extremely toxic and can be deadly for mold allergy suffers. When Black Mold infests a building, mold spores are continuously releases into the air and will easily travel throughout the central air and heading system.
For anyone with a predisposition to being allergic to mold, a home infested with Black Mold can become a lethal environment. Killing all Black Mold in a home, once it is well established is next to impossible and the best solution is to remove your self from the toxic environment.
Treatment includes cleaning of all of the hot spots for mold activity mention previously. Use mold killing solution on bathroom tiles, shower curtains, shower stalls, around the bathtub and toilet tank and always use the exhaust fan to reduce the humidity levels when you are using the bathroom and kitchen.
Add mold inhibitor to paint and repaint the kitchen and all bathrooms. Never use a carpet in the bathroom. Tile or linoleum is easy to clean and will not trap water. Keeping the humidity below 40 percent will help to deter mold growth. Invest in a good quality dehumidifier for all rooms that are use most often.
Air cleaners can make a really big difference in the severity and frequency of allergy attacks. The central heating system should have an electrostatic air filter to distribute clean air through out the house. These electrostatic air filters trap microscopic allergens. Consider investing in a HEPA room air cleaner for all bedrooms and in the family room.
Always consult your doctor before using this information.
This Article is nutritional in nature and is not to be construed as medical advice.
David Cowley
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/help-i-am-allergic-to-mold-137532.html
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
If you are allergic to Penicillin, are you allergic to mold in general?
You could totally save my life right now (if it needs to be saved). I ate mold – accidentally, of course – and I am deathly allergic to Penicillin. I know that penicillin is MADE of mold, so does that mean I’m just as allergic to mold?
Molds come in all sorts of varieties, not just those of the Penicillin family, so being allergic to one type means you’ll only be allergic to relatives.
In your case, it depends on what you ate, and what the mold looked like. Penicillin occurs on food as either a blue-grey or green mold generally.
References :
‘Mycology online’, university fungal disease module.
penicillin is made by a specific type of mold, and even if it was a penicillin producing mold that you ate the amount from that you would get from eating a little moldy bread or something is probably to small to cause a response. plus, the penicillin produced naturally by mold is a chemical called Penicillin G- which is quickly broken down in your stomach, that’s why when penicillin first becane widely used in the 1930s through the 1950s, they use to have to give it to you in shots. the penicillin that you take by mouth is Penicillin V or other derivitives like amoxicillin, which are chemically altered so it can withstand your stomach acid. so i wouldnt worry about it. but in the extremely unlikely event you do have an allergic reaction and have problems breathing go to the ER.
References :
In the case of medicinal penicillum, it is only a particular species of penicillum mould that is used. There are other types of penicillium mould that are used in food production. Other moulds used in foods may be of a different species. It’s highly unlikely that the species and type of mould that you ate was a penicillum or that you had an adequate amount of it to cause a reaction. It isn’t recommended that you eat food that has mould growing on it as the mould growing on the outside is usually a sign that there is mould growing all the way through the product (you only see the reproductive part of the mould on the surface of the product). Some other types of moulds can produce toxins which can be carcinogens or mutagens if consumed on a large enough scale. I wouldn’t worry, but avoid eating mould in future, and if you think you’re having a reaction (similar to that which you normally get from penicillum), see your doctor immediately.
References :