Mold is a living organism that naturally exists in the outdoor environment. As part of mold’s lifecycle, it regularly produces and releases mold spores into the air as a means to propagate the next generation of mold to new areas and surfaces. Every time you open your door or window, mold spores are coming into your home.

While this is generally not an issue, when the conditions are right, mold growth is able to develop in our homes and businesses. This can create a number of issues in buildings, as mold can quickly contaminate previously unaffected rooms and even different floors of your property! As a result, it’s important to have mold issues resolved quickly by a qualified professional.

When mold spores land in an environment that is hospitable to growth, mold begins to develop. Essentially, mold requires only 3 things to develop – A food source, moisture, and time. Since most of the building components in our homes are ideal food sources, there isn’t much we can do about that. Similarly, time is difficult to control when you may not realize that a mold issue is progressing early on. What can be controlled is moisture; this is why addressing moisture issues such as leaks and humidity issues is so important.

When a leak or humidity issue occurs and is not addressed promptly, mold will be able to develop on these affected surfaces. Over time this mold growth can spread to cover more and more building materials.

Studies are ongoing to determine the full extent of mold exposure on our health. The understanding of the health effects of exposure to molds in homes and businesses still remains quite limited, but we learn more every day. While we have determined that a number of molds do produce mycotoxins, which have been shown to cause upper respiratory issues, trigger allergic reactions, and aggravate asthma, we have not been able to prove that any particular mold does not produce mycotoxins. In fact, many in the scientific community now believe that we simply are not yet able to test for the mycotoxin compounds produced by some molds.

Some studies have also shown a relationship between the extent or duration of exposure to mold growth and its spores to short and long term health effects from severe headaches, rashes, muscle pain, new or increased response to allergens, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, to more severe conditions such as hair loss, anxiety or depression, insomnia, fatigue, recurring infections, and autoimmune issues. This is known as “Mold Toxicity”, and an area of research that is of particular concern for individuals exposed to mold growth or its spores.

Possibly. Depending upon your insurance policy, you may have coverage for mold contamination that results from an otherwise covered loss.

For example, if you have a roof leak and mold develops as a result, your policy may include coverage to address the mold issue as well. It is extremely important however to ensure that you schedule mitigation and drying services immediately. Mold that results from failure to properly or adequately mitigate a water issue is generally not covered under the policy.

As part of the mold remediation process, a qualified professional will not only remove visible mold growth and contaminated building materials, but will also diligently remove the mold spores as well. This is particularly important, as the mold spores are believed to be the primary cause of mold related illness and allergic reactions.

Finally, your Disaster Blaster team will make recommendations to address the underlying cause, preventing mold issues from developing in the future! This is what we call The Disaster Blaster Difference, and what sets us apart from the rest of the industry!

Mold Remediation is the technical term for the removal of mold growth and the invisible mold spores that may be in the air and on surfaces. This process is incredibly detailed and requires specialized training, equipment, and procedures to ensure that the work is performed properly and the mold issue has been effectively resolved.

Your local Disaster Blaster specializes in Mold Remediation services and is able to evaluate the steps necessary to address your existing mold issue, including the visible mold growth and the invisible mold spores, and take steps to further prevent mold from returning in the future.