Health Beat: Putting the Mold On Hold

As evidenced by the miniature squeegee hanging in our shower stall, my mother's latest nemesis seems to be the infamous toxic molds that lurk undetected in apparently many of our homes.

Mold in the home stands as a legitimate problem. In its most severe form, toxic molds can cause skin irritations, respiratory problems, and even immune suppressions. Many less severe molds can also induce any number of allergic reactions and even asthma.

Upon discovering the pertly hanging squeegee, my brother and I confronted our mother, and were promptly instructed to wipe down the shower door after every shower.

"We get rid of the moisture, and then mold can't grow," she insisted.

Basically, molds need two things to survive: an organic food source and moisture. Molds reproduce through the spores in the air, and its airborne capabilities are what cause problems for humans in the first place.

For every moist bath rug, every damp spot of carpet, every dewy window sill, there lies an opportunity for mold to make a comfortable home for itself. To steer clear of inadvertently making a home for these crazy spores and, more specifically, avoid the discovery of mushrooms growing in the corners of your bathtub like a friend of mine did, the rule of thumb is simple: keep it dry.

This means nursing a wet spot of carpet with a hair dryer until it is dry, using mold-killing cleaners in the bathroom and kitchen, and making sure that all windows and doors are adequate in keeping the water out.

Unfortunately, many times the mold goes undetected and, especially in apartments, is hiding in inaccessible areas, such as behind wallpaper, within walls, in basements, or other hard to see and reach areas. Especially if you are experiencing allergic symptoms, or smell mold, you should report it to your landlord or manager right away for further investigation.

If needed, it is also possible to contact your local health authorities and they can come to your home to run tests for the presence of moldy spores in the air. Although there are no set standards for hazardous levels of mold, it is still considered a public health problem and a concern in many local health codes, and will be taken seriously.

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