Air Purifiers and Mold in Your Home

There are various types of air purification systems out there designed for use in your home. They use a number of different types of technology and not all are created equal, as it turns out. You may be under the impression that mold spores are among the list of problems that they are touted to ameliorate, but in some cases, you’d actually be wrong.

Here’s a look at three of the most common types on the market.

Hepa Air Filters
Hepa Air Filtration systems were developed by the military during the Second World War for use in cleaning radioactive dust out of the air – so you can be sure they work well when designed and manufactured properly by a reputable manufacturer.

–          They’re 99.7% effective at removing particles from the air as tiny as 0.3 microns.
–          The technology captures the particles and they’re permanently removed from the air.
–          They remove mold spores along with many other allergens, including dust mites and pollens, and are popular with allergy sufferers as a result.
–          One caveat – the micro-organisms it collects can actually live and reproduce in the filter.
–          Air has to actually pass through the filter for it to work, so you have to consider the size of the room and placement of the filtration system.

Air Ionizers
Air Ionizing systems create negative ions that magnetically attract airborne particles. Basically what happens is that the particles collect and become too large to circulate in the air, so they drop to the ground or collect as dust on furniture and walls.

–          They can remove particles as small at 0.1 microns from circulation in your home.
–          They will circulate the air so that one unit can work through a larger space.
–          They may freshen the air while they’re in operation, but don’t do much about mold – they don’t permanently collect or remove particles from the air and don’t kill mold or other fungi.

Activated Carbon Air Filters
Activated Carbon Air Filters are essentially a form of carbon (sometimes charcoal) that has been processed to be very porous. The pores are extremely absorbent, and will attract fumes, gases, smoke and odours.

– They do not re-release collected materials back into the air, so they can be effective at “freshening” the air.
– This type of system doesn’t do anything about mold spores or other micro-organisms.

While Hepa Filters do present a viable, if limited, solution for removing mold spores from the air in your home, it’s important to remember that they are at best a bandaid solution. If mold spores are an issue, then your only effective solution is to have your home tested for mold and then take remediation action if it’s found.

If you suspect mold in your home, do yourself a favour and call Mold Inspections for a quote today.

MoldInspections.ca is the trusted leader for mold-free homes and breathable indoor air spaces in Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and beyond. Providing certified mold inspection, detection and testing since 2005, we service home owners, real-estate agents, landlords, property managers, insurance companies and businesses. Featured on CTV and recommended by contractors, we regularly serve as expert witnesses in court proceeding relating to Mold and Indoor Air Quality issues. Do you have mold? Call us today for a free quote at (416) 575-6111.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is – that’s the saying, and when it comes to buying a home, the majority of buyers know enough to get suspicious when the price is lower than market value and previous owners seem overly eager to close the deal. But a higher price and seemingly good condition don’t always guarantee a better deal.

Boxing legend Mohammad Ali and his wife are suing the previous owners of the home they bought for a cool $1.87 million about five years ago. The lawsuit alleges that the home presented with a number of serious problems they claim were covered up and misrepresented by the original owners, including roof and chimney leaks, defective waterline connections and – not at all surprisingly given those issues – mold.

Relatively new homes can also be subject to mold infestation, even toxic black mold. Kim Daniello of Flint Michigan thought she’d found the house of her dreams. It featured brand new flooring, a completely finished basement and even a newly renovated kitchen. Once she and her daughter moved in, however, they began to experience alarming mold symptoms like difficulty breathing and sinus headaches. She pulled up the carpet in the basement and sadly her suspicions were confirmed – she found mold.

Any home that has experienced flooding, and even newer homes that have been empty for periods of time and/or subject to dampness, can host mold. Both the boxing legend and the single mother from Michigan could have saved themselves the frustration , not to say health-related consequences, with proper testing and inspection of their prospective homes by an expert.

Mold inspections will detect the problem before you buy and find that your dream has turned into a nightmare. Let Mold Inspections give you peace of mind before you sign on the dotted line.

It’s always fascinating to see people more upset over seeing a pet or cuddly animal harmed than another human being. Perhaps, then, knowing that toxic mold is very dangerous to pets will finally motivate certain homeowners to have mold inspections done.

A study by the American Veterinary Medical Association documents what appears to be the first known case of toxic black mold poisoning pets. The case that produced the finding involved two cats. During a routine mouth examination of two Himalayan cats before their dental cleanings, a veterinarian noticed frothy blood collecting in the endotracheal tubes used to anaesthetize the cats.

As the veterinarian, Douglas Mader, explained, “The circumstances of these cases are just not heard of. Anaesthesia doesn’t cause pulmonary hemorrage.”

Sure enough, both cats died – one the following day and the other two weeks later. Blood taken before their deaths was analyzed and showed high levels of the toxin produced by Statchybotrys chartarum, a.k.a. toxic black mold.

As it turns out, the cats’ home, based in Florida had been previously devastated by water damage from a hurricane. The moisture fostered the growth of mold and, within a few months, the walls of the home were completely infested with it.

It’s strange that the cats’ case is the first documented instance of pets being affected by toxic mold – but the results shouldn’t surprise us. We know that not undergoing a periodic mold detection process could allow spores to grow in our homes and that toxic black mold causes countless respiratory problems. Any mammals in particular, who breathe just like we do, are naturally just as much at risk.

If hearing about people getting sick from mold in their homes doesn’t spring you into action, maybe the sad story of innocent animals dying from mold exposure will do the trick. Take mold seriously and have a certified mold inspector check to make sure it isn’t growing in your dwelling.

Many home owners understand that toxic mold is dangerous but assume it grows at a snail’s pace and stays localized. A story out of New Brunswick this week illustrates why that isn’t true and why swift mold removal is imperative.

The Mill Cove Nursing Home was scheduled for a new, $23-million rebuild to happen next summer but a major mold outbreak has delayed the project. While they await the new building, seniors and staff at Mill Cove are struggling to deal with the effects caused by the mold. The New Brunswick government now has to delay the future to focus on fixing the problems with the present home (not to mention Grand Manan, another nursing home in N.B. plagued by mold).

The mold outbreak started in the building’s storage area. It’s not a surprise, as any certified mold inspector will tell you that moist, dank areas like basements or storage rooms are common breeding grounds for mold spores.

But the key lesson lies in what happened next. The real problem at Mill Cove was that the mold spread through the walls and into the adjoining wing. It caused numerous health problems for residents and staffers that were “mostly respiratory, a lot of difficulty breathing, coughing, runny nose, people with congestion and headaches, sore eyes and people missing work quite a bit,” explained Nancy Kierstead, Mill Cove’s director of nursing, to CBS News this week.

The problem wouldn’t have been nearly as serious if the home had professionals perform a mold detection process. The pros would have snuffed out the problem in the storage room and eliminated it permanently, preventing the spores from spreading at all.

Let Mill Cove’s story be a lesson to all home or business owners out there. Mold in a seemingly harmless place is still dangerous. If you find yourself saying “It’s only in the basement and I’m never down there,” – stop! Understand that toxic mold is a living thing that spreads. Take the right steps to destroy it.

The tale of flatland BMX rider Chase Gouin, hailed in his sport for his biking skill, provides an interesting case study into just how dangerous toxic mold is and what can happen to even the healthiest of people without a proper mold inspection.

The 39-year-old, born in Ontario, was a professional athlete and, by all accounts, a very active and healthy person. However, a few weeks ago he was diagnosed with internal fungus and a parasite. The fungus and parasites have invaded his body from the inside out, consuming most of the nutrition and vitamins from his food and severely weakening his immune system.

The culprit? You guessed it – toxic mold. According to Brandon Fenton, Gouin’s friend and a fellow rider, “Chase was exposed to toxic levels of mold in the basement apartment where he was living for over five years and unknowingly breathing in the mold spores has made him very sick.”

The list of symptoms is enough to make feel someone sick just reading it. Reportedly, Gouin has suffered for almost two years with “toxic headaches, a feeling of cracking pressure and pain in his face, many sinus issues, along with chronic fatigue and weakness leaving him unable to function normally.”

It may seem odd to relate BMX to the importance of certified mold inspections but a closer look at Chase Gouin’s tale makes the connection pretty obvious. There aren’t many more concrete examples of mold’s long-term effects than this. Live with undetected mold for five years and what happened to Gouin will happen to you.

As sorry as we feel for Gouin, the truth is that his illness was very preventable. Living in a moist place like a basement meant his dwelling was at risk from the start. If only he or his landlord had arranged for proper mold testing before the horrible damage was done to Gouin’s body.

Hopefully, his suffering won’t be in vain. We can at least use his story as a cautionary tale about the danger of toxic mold.

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