What is toxic mold? Does it warrant mold home inspection?

Most people know mold when they see it: it’s that whitish, greenish, darkish, splotchy substance found on walls, shower curtains, upholstery, food and other places. But what exactly is this substance that can be so dangerous for humans to live around? As toxic mold inspection professionals, we want to tell you a little about mold.

The term “mold” can refer to any number of species of fungus that grow and create that appearance we described above. Mold home inspection finds mold in all sorts of places, though damp areas with poor ventilation are the most common.

Molds grow “hyphae,” which are multicellular filaments, which spread and can become airborne. Toxic mold inspection technicians find that many molds appear “dusty,” because of the very high numbers of asexual spores, conidia, that are created by differentiation at the hyphaes’ ends.

The classification of mold fungi is usually based on how the fungus forms and the shape it takes. When we are able to see mold, it’s because the spore types are colored. Toxic mold inspection, however, isn’t interested in just the mold we can see. We know that mold can exist in places that people never go, such as crawl spaces and HVAC systems.

The actual toxicity of mold has been under debate for some time, but the majority of researchers and experts believe it can be highly toxic when inhaled by humans.

But this doesn’t mean mold is all bad. It has proven useful in a number of industries such as food science and biotechnology, where it is used along with other substances to produce certain foods and drinks, pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics, and various enzymes. Mold home inspection teams are only concerned with the mold a person lives around on a daily basis.

Common molds include:

• Acremonium
• Alternaria
• Aspergillus
• Cladosporium
• Fusarium
• Mucor
• Penicillium
• Rhizopus
• Stachybotrys
• Trichoderma

As you can see, there’s more to molds than most people realize. While not everyone is equally sensitive to the spores, people who are allergically reactive to mold, if they inhale too much of it, can acquire symptoms ranging from eye and throat irritation to constant headaches and bronchitis all the way to the much more serious brain damage, bleeding lungs and, some believe, cancer.

MoldRemovalPhiladelphia.net performs toxic mold inspection services to help people safeguard their and their loved ones’ lives. If you suspect the presence of mold in your home, arrange for a mold home inspection by calling 833-277-3100. You can also contact us on our website.