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Healthy in
Houston: Is household mold affecting your health?
By Vince Sherry
www.news24houston.com
December 12, 2003
Soon after
identical twins Diana and Dawn Meier moved into the same apartment building,
they developed breathing problems.
"She had
been complaining of a lot of sinus problems when she had moved to the
apartment. She had been there about a year before I did. And so I started
getting -- like, my nose was running," said Diana.
Their
symptoms got worse, and the antibiotics doctors prescribed didn't help. Then
the sisters found out they were sensitive to household mold.
When airborne, microscopic mold spores can wreak havoc in sensitive people.
Researchers in one study found fungus in over 90 percent of chronic
sinusitis patients.
"They end up
inhaling it into their sinus cavities, and then it just breeds," said sinus
expert Jordan S. Josephson.
Dr.
Josephson says most sinus infections are bacterial and fungal. Antibiotics
treat only bacterial infections, so patients may also need anti-fungal
drugs.
"Each person
really needs to be evaluated by their ear, nose and throat physician or
their sinus specialist so that they can figure out which is the proper
combination of agents to use," said Dr. Josephson.
While
doctors treat your sinuses, you need to attack your mold problem. You can
start by washing off the fungus with bleach and water.
"If a
person's home has uncontrolled moisture, water leaks, etc, that needs to be
fixed," said Occupation Medicine Specialist Philip Harber.
Dr. Harber
specializes in occupational medicine and is a mold expert.
"Where
there's very extensive growth, it's sometimes useful to look for advice at
the EPA website or to call a professional," said Dr. Harber.
You can hire a trained dog to sniff out hidden mold for about $500. The
cleanup and repairs are left to you. Or look in the phone book for a "mold
remediator" who will do the entire job for you. It can cost a pretty penny.
And your homeowner's insurance may not pay up.
But as Diana
and Dawn found out, it's your health that could be at stake.
"I really
didn't think I would ever become disabled from something I couldn't see that
was in my apartment," said Diana.
Keep in mind
that homeowner's insurance may pay mold damage due to something like a
busted pipe. However, it is not likely you'll get financial help if the mold
has been allowed to grow and cause major problems.
Do-It-Best-Yourself Mold Solutions
Phil can help you fix your own property’s mold
problems at low-cost, more safely, and better-in- results than what is
done by many mold inspectors and mold contractors. How can Phil
help you?
1. Read Phil’s five plain-English,
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or commercial building.
3. Get FREE mold advice, mold help, and/or
answers to your mold questions, by emailing mold expert Phillip
Fry at
envirodangers@yahoo.com.
You can also email pictures of your mold problems
in jpeg file format as email attachments. |
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