Saturday, September 22, 2012

The effects of black mold on babies



As a parent I have just been made aware of the dangers that mold present to young children and babies. Mold is a difficult substance to prevent and once it is present it can grow really, really quickly and be difficult to eradicate completely.
There are many different kinds of mold out there, but the most dangerous to health is known as black mold and this has been linked with health problems in babies and infants. With most types of mold, preventing moisture helps to stop the growth of mold as it needs continuous moisture to grow, and it can grow on a whole host of differing surfaces.
However, it is not the mold that is visible that is the problem; it is the spores that are released into the air that is the cause of ill health. Inhaling these spores can lead to serious short and long term health problems, especially for those people that already have health problems such as asthma. Of course the elderly and the young are also two groups that are at high risk of damage to their health, with newborn babies being the most vulnerable due to their immune system not being fully developed.
It is a scary thought that babies under 6 months that inhale these spores can end up with bleeding on the lungs and coughing up blood as well as nose bleeds, and that is something that no parent would wish for their baby. Scientific research has discovered that exposure of these mold spores can damage the cells in the lungs and babies with their smaller lungs are more at risk and when they breathe in mold spores they are more likely to die as a result of lung bleeding.
Like I said earlier the best way to prevent mold growth is to prevent excess moisture, ideally the humidity levels in your home should be somewhere between 40 and 60 percent. All water leakage needs to be fixed immediately and use dehumidifiers where needed, some surfaces should be wiped down using an anti-bacterial spray to prevent mold growth.

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