The Importance Of Investigating Environmental Issues

I recently had an environmental specialist conduct an environmental inspection on my own home because my family kept suffering from headaches, frequent allergy attacks, and sinus infections. It was amazing because the issues he found were not something that was easy to detect and our home seemed very “healthy” to the untrained eye. He said that we had small leaks in our air conditioner ducting which created a suction effect on our attic. This meant that the attic’s powdery cellulose insulation was blowing into our home through our ducting and light fixtures. Apparently that can create a host of health problems. In addition, when we opened our air conditioner unit in the attic to fix the duct leaks, we found black mold growing on two stickers on the fan unit. When I researched the symptoms caused by breathing mold spores, I was amazed that this explained our health problems as the common symptoms of mold exposure are:
• Nasal and sinus congestion
• Eye irritation, such as itchy, red, watery eyes
• Respiratory problems, such as wheezing and difficulty breathing
• Cough
• Throat irritation
• Skin irritation, such as a rash
• Headache

Nevertheless, in talking to the environmental investigator I was truly amazed at the inconspicuous things he said had found in people’s homes which negatively affected their health. First and foremost, the most amazing thing was how small amounts of hidden toxic mold can be easily missed.
Mold growth may occur in homes, schools, and any building if there is enough moisture because mold spores are everywhere. Some common sources of moisture are
• Flooding (one occurrence may be enough)
• Roof leaks, especially from improperly installed flashing around pipes and vents
• Plumbing leaks, drainage problems
• Damp basements or crawl spaces
• Condensation resulting from poor or improper insulation or ventilation
• Improperly maintained humidifiers or swamp coolers
• Wet clothes drying inside the home, a clothes dryer venting indoors, or sometimes even on the seal of a washing machine door
• Poor or improper ventilation of combustion appliances
Indications of a moisture problem may include discoloration of the ceiling or walls, warping of the floor, or frequent condensation on the walls or windows. The most important factor in preventing mold growth is to control all moisture problems.
Consequently, we were able to eradicate the small growth of mold and we installed HEPA air purifiers in every room. The environmental investigator did not believe that we needed to replace or have our ducting cleaned at the time because he said that the flex ducting we had would not harbor additional spores once the source was cleaned up. We did eventually regain our health, and I learned a very valuable lesson. In addition to always recommending a general inspector to my clients, I will now always recommend an environmental one as well. I learned firsthand how hard it is to function when you don’t feel well and when your home causes it, it can truly be challenging to find the cause. Here’s to good health for all and to healthy homes!!!!