Didn't realize this was such a big business. I'm 46, when I was a kid I never herd of mold being so detrimental to your health. Tons of restoration companies in Houston cleaning, not just demolition
In Minnesota, our son discovered that the house they bought had mold. His kids always seemed to be getting sick with respiratory type illnesses. After the mold was taken care of, those issues disappeared. You are right about not hearing about mold 30-40+ years ago (kind of like nut allergies, gluten, lactose intolerance, etc.). Looks like the early 2000s is when it started getting attention: "In 2004 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) found there was sufficient evidence to link indoor exposure to mold with upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, and wheeze in otherwise healthy people; with asthma symptoms in people with asthma; and with hypersensitivity pneumonitis in individuals susceptible to that immune-mediated condition. In 2009, the World Health Organization issued additional guidance, the WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and Mould pdf icon[PDF – 2.65 MB]external icon {Summary} pdf icon[PDF – 167 KB]. Other recent studies have suggested a potential link of early mold exposure to development of asthma in some children, particularly among children who may be genetically susceptible to asthma development, and that selected interventions that improve housing conditions can reduce morbidity from asthma and respiratory allergies."
We learn as we go so I understand we didn't know about mold as a health risk till recently. Thanks for sharing your experience
KOTH had a pretty hilarious episode about it being a cash scam. That being said, mold can seriously **** you up.
I think it's a cash grab when they tell you that you have SCARY BLACK MOLD and you'll die if you don't fix it. King of the Hill did an episode on it. But if mold bothers you, then you have a legitimate reason to mitigate. EPA has a lot of info on it. I think in Texas, people hear mold and think one thing, but in most other states, even nearby ones like Alabama the awareness seems higher and you'll see people sealing off their crawl space or basement and using dehumidifiers. And even if the mold doesn't cause allergy issues for you, you still might get bad smells inside the home (or biz).
Buying a home taught me that a great deal of jobs and the economy is dependent on home services. Everything from Home Depot/Lowes, electricians, plumbers, pest control, landscaping, tree trimming, painting, security, lighting, grout cleaning, HVAC, it’s just endless.
Amen. I miss renting. Mold can be serious issue. It can be nothing. My take is to clean up water and remedy mold if it’s noted.
On new construction there are tons of electricians installing light fixtures. In college I worked a contract job for 3 months changing all light bulbs in a couple of Dillard's. It took two months 8 of us to complete the Galleria Dillard's
A lot of it also has to do with improved building practices, windows, etc. The more hermetically sealed and insulated your home is, the better for mold to thrive. Always use your exhaust fan in the kitchen and bathroom when there's water vapor involved.
This is true. The downside of increased insulation and energy efficiencies in houses is less air exchange. That's why issues like mold, CO and radon are much bigger issues now because in old drafty houses there was enough air exchange that it wasn't much of an issue. With new construction air circulation is mandated so why there is so much work done on heat exchangers that allow fresh air to be brought in while still keeping heat (or cool) in.
Maybe also why some poorly nations have less problems with Covid. All those air leaks are good ventilation.
I thought mold was a common issue for Houstonians and Austinites. For Austin, it's one of many yearlong allergies, plus it isnt that healthy for kids and elderly
Not to further derail, but I saw a great article on this somewhere. In Africa, for instance, you have people who have more regular immune system workouts and you don't have so many old people as you do in "the west." Anyway, it's not just testing. COVID just didn't have as big an impact on areas that habitually have all sorts of other serious illnesses to worry about. It hit affluent nations hardest and apparently not just b/c testing. Speaking of affluenza, we now rejoin our previously scheduled MOLD programming.
Just to be clear I wasn’t making the Trump argument of testing being correlated to actual infections Age certainly has a enormous effect on a lower number of deaths and hospitalization. Africa also having what I imagine is significantly less international travel amongst its population could also be a potential factor.
Were these existing issue in the past that went un or misdiagnosed or are they a newer human conditions?
Mold is dangerous and prevalent in humid places. Can cause alot of health issues if untreated. Doesn't have to be so expensive but anything with "health warning" will have price jacked up
