During this period we have encountered many questions about mold and the impact it can have on health.
Listed below are the top 15 questions we have encountered with links to articles that provide detailed answers.
#1 Why is Stachybotrys Mold A Health Concern?
You often hear about black mold in the media. Why is it such a big deal? Can black mold actually make you sick? This article explains why!
#2 Why Do Some People Get Sick From Mold And Others Do Not?
The challenge mold poses is that it impacts everyone differently. This article explains why!
#3 What Is The Link Between Mold and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Considering the similarity of symptoms between those suffering from ME/CFS and those suffering from CIRS, it is likely that many individuals diagnosed with ME/CFS may have been exposed to mycotoxins produced by mold growth. Learn more!
#4 Is Mold Sickness A Hidden Epidemic?
Since so many health professionals are not aware of the health problems mold causes, many mold advocates believe that it is a hidden epidemic. In short, you could be sick from mold and not even know it. Learn more!
#5 Does Mold Cause Sinus Infections?
Chronic sinusitis costs the health care system more than 8 billion dollars each year. The cause is most likely mold, meaning most of the treatments prescribed are not effective. Learn more!
#6 Could Some People Diagnosed With Multiple Sclerosis Actually Be Suffering From Mold Sickness?
Dr. Rick Sponaugle of the Florida Detox & Wellness Institute strongly believes that environmental factors, such as mold, could be a cause of MS because mold toxins destroy the myelin sheath on brain neurons, causing the classic white spots seen in MS. Learn more!
#7 How Do I Know If Mold Is Making Me Sick?
Most people do not even know they are sick because of mold and or suffering from Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). Learn more!
#8 Are Dead Mold Spores Harmful?
There is a lot of bad information on the internet. One of the most prevalent myths is that you can kill mold. This article explains why this is not a good idea and why it can impact your health. Learn more!
#9 Why Does Mold Cause Depression?
Doctor Ackerley believes there is a strong correlation between mold and brain health, particularly depression and suicide. Learn more!
#10 Does Mold Cause Parkinson’s Disease?
Recent research suggests that that biologic compounds such as mold have the potential to damage dopamine and cause Parkinson’s symptoms. Learn more!
#11 Why Is Mold A Health Concern?
Mold is nature’s recycler meaning it is designed to break down dead, organic material. Now, imagine, what happens when you have mold growing in your home. It is breaking down the material it is feeding on. Since we spend up to 90 percent of our time indoors this creates a situation ripe for health issues. Learn more!
Four studies demonstrate a strong link between mold and asthma. Learn more!
#14 Does Mold Affect Pregnant Women and Infants?
This is a difficult topic to research, but there is some evidence that mold could have an impact. Learn more!
#15 Can Mold Poison Me?
There is evidence that toxins and poisons released by growing mold can harm one’s immune system and cause severe sickness. Learn more!
Got Mold and Health Questions?
If you are concerned about mold and think that it may be impacting your health, please do not hesitate to contact us because we specialize in helping mold sensitized individuals.
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These symptoms could be caused by the air you are breathing.
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We use OSHA, NIOSHA, and EPA testing procedures to investigate indoor air quality complaints or give you a profile of your air.
Hundreds of compounds can be tested for including gases, chemicals, dust, and biological samples.
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Our results are compared with controlled samples to ensure accurate data.
We offer services for both residential and business customers.
Mold Testing
Mold testing is done by taking air samples and comparing inside and outside spore numbers and can determine if a building has a high amount of mold present.
Mold and moisture testing will help assess problems by determining if high mold levels exist and if remediation work is necessary.
Mold inspections look for any areas affected by mold and moisture.
During our inspections, we take moisture reading of interior walls in the sample area to see if there is a suitable environment for mold to grow.
Our experts are trained scientists and have a background in the building construction industry.
We can relate mold data to a building and provide you with practical solutions if a problem is found.
We can identify and asses any mold problem you may have.
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Risk management services are offered to help asses environmental conditions present and to help determine if action should be taken to minimize risks and exposure.
The goal of Mold B Gone is to educate our customers about mold. We strongly believe that an educated and informed consumer can make better decisions when they have concerns about mold.
Included in this article are 36 links to articles that will help you learn about mold.
Please bookmark this page because we will update it with new articles as they are researched and published.
Top 3 Reasons Your Crawlspace Has High Humidity. This article explains why your crawlspace is humid, why this leads to mold and how you can fix the problem!
This article provides you with information to help you determine if you have a mold problem and explains what you should and should not do if you do find mold.
Recently a news article featured a woman who believes that she was poisoned by toxic black stachybotrys mold. This article explores this topic further!
Wondering if you are sensitive to mold? This article explains how to determine if you are mold sensitized, seeking treatment, and the next two steps to health!
Potential Health Complications Mold Exposure Has On Pregnant Women and Infants! Questions answered about SIDS, asthma, miscarriage, and pulmonary hemorrhage.
This article explains why many suffering from CIRS are diagnosed with depression caused by mold. Both scientific and anectodal data are cited. Learn more!
Top 3 Reasons Mold Sickness Is A Hidden Epidemic! You could be sick from mold and not even know it. This article explains why mold is a hidden epidemic!
37 million Americans suffer from sinusitis. Cause? This article lists the top 10 stats and facts citing MAYO clinic research that believes mold is the cause!
According to the CDC, rates of asthma among children in Georgia is 3% above the national average. Is mold a factor? This article cites stats and research!
Flood and water damage not only disrupts your life but can also be hazardous to your health! This article explains the top 3 hazards and prevention measures!
A flooded home or business is always a stressful situation. This blog provides you with the 3 steps required to reduce flood damage and most importantly, mold!
Home improvement is an American tradition. But, did you know that 6 out of 10 homes could have mold? Renovating can cause serious problems. Learn more!
If you or someone in your family suffers more frequently from colds or flus and you are not sure why, the cause could be poor indoor air quality. Learn more!
The purpose of this article is to explain how you air conditioner could be a source of mold contamination making you sick and what you can do to fix it.
Have a mold concern, wondering what it will cost to remove? This article provides you with a detailed explanation of how mold removal cost is determined!
Mold sprays, bleach, biocides, and fungicides are an ineffective “short cut” to mold removal. Killing mold is not the answer! This article explains why.
Mold Removal Is Referred To As Mold Remediation Because Professionals Follow These 8 Steps. This article explains the steps and why you need to hire a pro!
Many of the symptoms of Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) include the following:
Memory issues
Concentration issues
Confusion
Disorientation
Mood swings
Vertigo
Tremors
Similarly, symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease include the following:
Tremors
Slowness in movements
Balance problems
Muscle stiffness
Fatigue
Difficulties speaking and writing
Sleep disorders
Loss of smell
Depression
Cognitive changes
The purpose of this article is to explain why and how mold could be a possible cause of Parkinson’s Disease.
What Is Parkinson’s Disease?
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers.
Dopamine also helps regulate movement and emotional responses, and it enables us not only to see rewards, but to take action to move toward them.
Parkinson’s disease (PD), discovered by Dr. James Parkinson in 1817, is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system caused by the death of dopamine-generating cells in a region of the midbrain, substantia nigra.
10 Key Stats and Facts About PD In The United States
Currently, there is no cure for PD.
PD is treated with medications, exercise programs, speech therapy. Deep brain stimulation is another treatment option that has worked on some PD patients.
The cause of PD is not known. There are many theories, including environmental factors such as pesticide exposure from two pesticides, paraquat and rotenone, commonly used by farmers affecting populations living in rural communities. The other main thrust of research focuses on genetic factors because 15% of PD patients have first-degree relatives that also suffered from PD.
As many as one million Americans live with Parkinson’s disease, which is more than the combined number of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease each year, and this number does not reflect the thousands of cases that go undetected.
An estimated seven to 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease.
Incidence of Parkinson’s increases with age, but an estimated four percent of people with PD are diagnosed before the age of 50.
Men are one and a half times more likely to have Parkinson’s than women.
The combined direct and indirect cost of Parkinson’s, including treatment, social security payments and lost income from inability to work, is estimated to be nearly $25 billion per year in the United States alone.
Medication costs for an individual person with PD average $2,500 a year, and therapeutic surgery can cost up to $100,000 dollars per patient.
10 Key Stats and Facts About PD In The United States
Can Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds (MVOCs) Affect Dopamine?
According to EMLab, MVOCS are:
“composed of low molecular weight alcohols, aldehydes, amines, ketones, terpenes, aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbons, and sulfur-based compounds, all of which are variations of carbon-based molecules. MVOC’s have a very low odor threshold, thus, making them easily detectable by smell. They often have strong odors and are responsible for the odious smells (“old cheese”, “dirty socks” or “locker room”) associated with mold and bacterial growth….In the indoor environment, exposure to fungal MVOC’s has been blamed for headaches, nasal irritation, dizziness, fatigue, and nausea.”
One of the reasons that people get sick from molds like Aspergillus, Chaetomium, and Penicillium, is they release MVOCs.
According to researchers from Rutgers and Emory Universities–Arati A. Inamdara, Muhammad M. Hossain, Alison I. Bernstein, Gary W. Miller, Jason R. Richardson, and Joan Wennstrom Bennett–MVOCs can have an impact on dopamine production in the brain.
In their research paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: Fungal-derived semiochemical 1-octen-3-ol disrupts dopamine packaging and causes neurodegeneration, researchers hypothesized that MVOCs have the potential to damage dopamine and cause PD symptoms:
“Parkinson’s has been linked to exposure to environmental toxins, but the toxins were man-made chemicals. In this paper, we show that biologic compounds have the potential to damage dopamine and cause Parkinson’s symptoms.”
Lead researcher, Joan Wennstrom Bennett, who was a previous critic of Sick Building Syndrome, hypothesized that MVOCs made her sick because she experienced the health impact that mold can have after her home became infested with mold during Hurricane Katrina. In her words:
“I felt horrible – headaches, dizziness, nausea. I knew something about ‘sick building syndrome’ but until then I didn’t believe in it. I didn’t think it would be possible to breathe in enough mold spores to get sick.”
To prove her hypothesis, the team of researchers studied the effect that the MVOC, 1-octen-3-ol, also known as mushroom alcohol, had on the movement of fruit flies.
The researchers discovered that mushroom alcohol causes two genes involved in the packaging and transport of dopamine to malfunction causing the neurons to degenerate.
Not surprisingly, the fruit fruit flies’ movement was impacted.
The researchers proved that MVOCs impact dopamine which is one of the key causes of PD.
This is an important discovery because it creates further questions about the current hypothesis that the main cause of PD is pesticides and genetics. As stated by Inamdar:
“Our work suggests that 1-octen-3-ol might also be connected to the disease, particularly for people with a genetic susceptibility to it. We’ve given the epidemiologists some new avenues to explore.”
Considering the similarities in symptoms between PD and CIRS, and the fact that there is now some research evidence proving that MVOCs, a by-product of mold growth, can impact dopamine function in the brain, this does raise a critical question:
What percentage of PD patients are sick because of mold exposure?
Questions? Mold B Gone is here to help! If you suspect that mold is making you sick, call us, (470) 545-4467 or contact us via e-mail for further assistance.
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What Is The Link Between #Mold and Parkinson’s Disease?: Does Mold Cause Parkinson’s Disease? The purpose of this article is to explain why and how mold could be a possible cause of Parkinson’s Disease.
