Sunday, January 21, 2007

Does Bleach Remove Mold Spores?

I'm always on the hunt for new and fresh information on how to remove mold. One very common way to treat mold (mould) is to wash down the affected areas with bleach.

I found one source of information (from moldinspections.ca) that seems to say that cleaning mold infestations with bleach ISN'T the best way to go. Here is a direct quote from their mold inspection website:

Chlorine Bleach is ineffective in killing mold for 3 reasons: it's too weak because chlorine ions are constantly evaporating through the plastic container; it's diluted; it cannot penetrate the surface of porous materials and it is not an EPA registered product for killing mold.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Testing for High Levels of Mycotoxins in the Blood (Lab Tests)

Although rarely covered by medical insurance, there ARE blood level tests to determine if you have an unusually high number of mycotoxins (mold molecules) in your blood. Online searches for labs called Immunosciences will provide with the closest location.

This is a very important test to determine once and for all if it's high levels of mold that is making you sick. Doing a Google search for: "mycotoxin blood test" will also provide you with results.

What is Mold, Anyway?

Molds are the most common type of fungus found on earth, comprising approximately one fourth of the world’s biomass. Molds are amazingly resilient and adaptable. All they need to grow is a food source (which can be practically anything: wood, paper, paint, fabric, plant soil, dust…), moisture and time. Molds reproduce through the production of spores, which can survive for many years in dry, hot environments — needing only moisture and a food source to allow them to germinate.