Life Experience
The Harms to Health from Mold and Asbestos in Old Houses
The presence of mold and asbestos in the same home can have many negative consequences. Both mildew and asbestos create harmful spores that can cause various health problems.
However, the effects of these materials on people vary depending on where they are present in homes. Mold grows best in warm conditions, such as in homes with plumbing systems connected to heat sources like electric radiators or fireplaces.
This is because it uses up moisture as nutrients necessary for growth. In old houses with asbestos leaks, mold and other mold-like organisms thrive as they produce spores when air temperatures drop below 22°C (72°F).
These properties make homes with parts that once held water heaters or pipes connected to dangerous places for people with asthma or other lung diseases.
The gases produced by these pollutants’ buildup also can cause nausea, nausea, headaches, and even death when breathed in high concentrations.
Mold and asbestos can be found in old houses, attics, and crawlspaces. If left untreated, these materials can cause health problems. It’s important to remember that there are many situations where mold and asbestos do not mean people have a health risk.
Corners can be exposed to these toxins when people work in old houses, for example, or live near them.
People can also be exposed to mold and asbestos when visiting museums or other institutions with these toxins with historic properties.
Like many toxins, the health effects of mold and asbestos are cumulative. Exposure to lower levels of contaminants can produce harmful effects at higher levels, but the average person’s exposure to them is pretty low.
For this reason, it’s essential to have a household mold and asbestos filter. A good filter can remove most toxins, but a professional must remove some larger molds, like Cryptosporidium.
When you have a filter, you can test your water for specific toxins, like mold and lead. You can also test for asbestos, but this requires a special filter. An asbestos filter is more expensive, but it’s worth the cost to protect your health.
When you have a filter, it’s essential to protect your house from contaminants. This can be done by: Keeping the air in your home as clean as possible.
Keep appliances such as computers and televisions as far away from your house as possible. You are keeping openings in your home as small as possible.
You are keeping furniture and other complex objects away from walls and windows. Clean your Fridge The first step to protecting your house from mold and asbestos is to clean it.
This can be done using a foaming hand wash or dishwasher-safe brush to remove the biomass (mold and dead skin) from your kitchen and bathroom walls. It would help if you also cleaned your refrigerator every few months to prevent mildew from establishing.
Several health problems can result from mold and asbestos.
These include:
Asbestosis is an inflammation of the muscles and tissue in your lungs caused by the buildup of asbestos in the body. It’s often treated with long-term mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy.
Chronic Renal Disorders: Some studies link asbestos exposure with the development of rare chronic renal disorders, such as interstitial nephritis.
DNA Damage: The effects of high levels of organochlorine chemicals (like DDT and PCB) on human DNA have been widely studied. It’s been shown that these chemicals can cause mutations in the human genetic code.
Epilepsy: Long-term exposure to high levels of organochlorine chemicals like dioxin and PCB can create abnormal brain patterns that can cause epilepsy.
Hepatoma: A rare but severe complication of asbestos exposure is a form of liver cancer called asbestosis.
This can occur years after people have stopped working with asbestos. Impotence: One of the effects of high levels of toxic chemicals in the body is impotence.
This happens when the male sex organ can no longer get and maintain an erection. Mental Health: Finally, long-term exposure to high toxins can adversely affect your mental health.
This can occur when people are regularly exposed to mold and asbestos in areas where they sleep and spend time, such as bedroom walls and bookshelves or in the crawl space under the house.
Using a combination of kit and smell tests, you can determine if you have mold in your home. A mold kit is simply a swab, and a smell test is based on the density of chemicals in the air.
You can get a mold and chemical air test kit from a home building supply store. It would help if you also considered hiring a professional to test your home for mold and asbestos.
- These kits are often expensive, and a professional can test your home for much less.
You can do a few things if you think you have mold in your home. The first is to test the water for mold.
If the test results are not good enough, you can hire a professional to test your home for mold and asbestos. It would help if you also frequently cleaned the contaminated areas in your home to prevent mildew from establishing.
Suppose you think you have mold in your home. In that case, you can try to eliminate it by washing all your dishes and utensils in hot water, not using plastic containers, and not using metal utensils and a bleach substitute when possible.
Boric Acid for Exclusion: If you have a severe mold problem and want to get rid of it, you can try boric acid. Boric acid is an organic compound with many applications in the home but is particularly effective against mold. It’s a strong acid usually used as a Floor Stripping Agent (FSA).
This means you’ll have to apply it directly to the moldy areas in your home. You can purchase boric acid at a home building supply store. Although it’s not cheap, it’s well worth the money because it’s 100% effective against mold.
When it comes to mold and asbestos, do your research and know what you are getting into. Contact a contractor if unsure about a part of your house’s construction.
They will be able to tell you whether it is permitted. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for, and a contractor who knows what they are doing is usually a better choice than a repairman who is only in it for the money.