Dampness and Asthma's Definitive Link

<Is dampness a major health risk?>

Given that administering warm, moist air to asthma sufferers is a recognised First Aid technique for the condition, it's very difficult to say.....

I'm with you on that one. Score 1 from me.

Mold is definitely a problem with indoor health, however, it is not the only problem.

Mold likes damp enclosed spaces and material to grow on. A dehumidification system is important in an enclosed environment, however, it is more important to provide fresh clean air. Indoor environments recycle decaying material that bodies have sluffed off, viruses, bacteria, mold, mold spores, mites, any chemicals being used for daily use, and disintegrating building materials.

The problem has gotten worse with better insulation, tighter buildings and energy efficiency practices. The standard years ago was 80% fresh air and 20% recycled. Since the energy saving practices have come into effect, I have seen these numbers change to 50/50 and then to reverse, and even go to only 10% fresh air. In other words you are breathing the same used air as everyone else 9 times before it is replaced. Everyone in the building will get sick at the same time. The mold has allot more accumulated material to grow on. In this environment you are saving the energy to heat or cool the air but wasting it on dehumidifiers, filtration, etc.

Life (People, and mold) prefers a moist environment ~ 60%. Building health prefers a dryer environment ~40%. In the dryer conditions, mold has difficulty surviving, however viruses and chemicals will still survive. Mites will thrive.

Moist air as first aid for asthma --- wrong. Asthma can be caused by many irritants and results in the swelling of the walls of the passageways to the lungs. This reduces oxygen intake. Each case is different. The patient should have their own inhaler, if not, fresh air or oxygen and transport to hospital! http://www.stjohn.org.au/quick_pdfs/asthma.pdf

People, be advised: molecular water delivered directly into the mammalian airway is a natural bronchodilator. Temperatures are very important. There are three causes for shortness of breath. pulmonary dehydration is the primary cause. Studies at Harvard and Case Western Reserve proved this two decades ago. Aerosol therapy however is the wrong technology as it employs liquid phase water. Gaseous water is required. Not only does this technology dilate the bronchial tree, it is incapable of inoculating the patient with bacteria or virus. C-PAP, BI-PAP is also the wrong technology for sleep apnea. 50 PSI driven into the airway to open the airway of apnics will one day be against the law. The sooner the better. COPD and pneumonias will cease to be in the very near future. Avian Flu can be negated with the same molecular water therapy. Anyone interested in the work we have done may contact me for information. Pharmaceutical technology for COPD is the wrong way of treating the condition.

Have been a long diagnosed copd patient and have fond many technologies that work quite well. The main one for me has been wieght lifitng and exercise. Am always willing to learn more and your technology sounds quite intersting. Here in Erie the cancer machine creator John Kansas lives and I am sure he would have interest too. Thank you in advance.

Sincerery yours,

iarep

Odors produced by mold and your health

The 2004 Institute of Medicine study on damp indoor spaces and health shows that even in the absence of mold spores moist buildings can be connected to health problems, it also shows a connection between mold odor and health.

Most inspectors as well as people suffering with mold problems assume that spores are what make people sick, but is it possible that mold odor alone without spores can cause health complaints such as but not limited to allergy, asthma, and more frequent colds?

I have done mold inspections since 2003 and have long suspected a direct and strong correlation between mold odor and building occupant health complaints. It seems that mold odor has more to do with health complaints than spore levels in many cases.

It is a well known fact that many manmade volatile organic compounds such as benzene, methyl ethyl ketone, acetone, and formaldehyde to name a few not only have scary names, but can have scary health effects and can contribute to indoor air quality problems such as sick building syndrome and other IAQ problems.

Mold odors are also made of volatile organic compounds. Volatile organic compounds produced by mold include chemicals similar to alcohols, aldehydes, amines, ketones and many more. When volatile organic compounds are produced by mold or bacteria we stop calling them volatile organic compounds and refer to them as microbial volatile organic compounds. (mVOCs).

Mold odors or mVOC's are typically over looked as a source of health complaints by many mold inspectors who look for spores as the only source of potential health problems. Other inspectors are concerned about the health effects of toxins produced by toxic black mold. During many inspections because visible mold was not obvious and the lab report you receive states that spore levels indoors are low, inspectors will tell you that you do not have a mold problem, and that your health problems are not related to mold in your home. This inspector has investigated numerous cases where mold odors were produced inside AC units, behind wall paper, in crawl spaces, or inside walls in many such cases spores were trapped or simply not released by the mold and yet people became ill.

After years of noticing this correlation between the occurrence of mold odor and allergy and asthma like health complaints I started to find information on the internet to support these observations. Please note that the legal and health implications are powerful, even in the lack of elevated spore levels building occupants can still become ill from mold.

Samples of indoor odor can be taken for quantitative and qualitative analysis by accredited labs using proven and advanced methods of analysis, Prism Analytical labs AKA PATI is one of the few labs that specialize in not just voc analysis but also mVOC or microbial volatile compound analysis.

Do not rely on my observations, also see what academic and government mold experts say about this often overlooked issue. Do a search for mold odor and health for yourself and you will see that even if spore levels are low in your home there is no guarantee that you are free of mold problems.

But do not despair, there is hope, simply never rely on spore levels and lab tests alone, always hire an experienced inspector who does much more than take samples, he or she should know something about building construction or home inspections, AC systems, science, indoor air quality, and industrial hygiene. The mold inspector must do a very detailed investigation using his or her knowledge and experience and should not just take a few samples.

A Accredited Mold Inspection Service, Inc.