Fighting Toxic Mold
Fungi in Homes May Cause Cough, Sinusitis, Headaches, Fatigue, Death
Toxic mold is a serious health risk. Molds such as Aspergillus, Stachybotrys, and Cladosporium are extremely toxic and hard to remove from homes.
Thousands of species of mold live in our homes and immediate environment, and certain moulds or fungi can be extremely hazardous to our health – causing respiratory symptoms, headaches, problems with the immune system, central nervous system, vision, memory, and even death.
What is Mold?
Mold, mould, or fungi are decomposers that reproduce with spores. Molds have existed for 10,000 times as long as humans: Fossil records indicate that human life began 80-100,000 years ago, but mold was here over a billion years ago.
Molds are pervasive and often overlooked. They live in our bathrooms (showers, bathtub), back yard, on trees and moist ground in parks, and on the inside and outside of buildings.
It may be hard to imagine that something that grows just about everywhere can be very dangerous. In fact, molds are used to produce foods (e.g. cheese, tempeh, soy sauce) as well as medicinal and therapeutic ingredients such as penicillin and cholesterol-lowering drugs. Yet one square inch of mold infestation can produce over a million spores, and many people suffer from symptoms and health conditions that are aggravated by mold spores.
Three types of mold in particular produce spores and toxins, called "mycotoxins", that are especially dangerous to human health.
What is Toxic Mold?
"Toxic mold" is a term used to refer to molds of the genuses Aspergillus, Stachybotrys, and Cladosporium that have been found in infestations in homes and buildings and have caused serious health problems. These molds, most commonly Stachybotrys chartarum, cause problems ranging from respiratory problems to kidney failure, and may be lethal.
- Toxic mold is a factor in "sick building syndome" usually associated with office buildings.
- Some people are more affected by mold than others; some are allergic to inhaling mold spores of any kind.
- In the last decade, the number of toxic mold infestations in homes has been on the rise.
- A study by the Harvard University School of Public Health examined homes in Canada and the U.S. and found that half of homes had leaks (e.g. roof, window, structural) or water damage resulting in mold growth that caused a 50-100% increase in respiratory problems for people living in those homes.
- A Mayo Clinic study found that most cases of chronic sinusitis and infections were due to fungal infections growing in the sinuses: "Research has shown that chronic sinusitis, a condition that affects 37 million people in the United States, is caused by an immune response to fungus."
- Only about 20% of molds are toxic, but they are also very difficult to kill: bleach and industrial chemicals do not work on these molds.
How Do You Kill Toxic Mold?
Despite the ineffectiveness of bleach and other industrial chemicals, natural solutions have been found that work against toxic mold. An essential oil blend of clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, lemon and rosemary has been shown to stop the spread of toxic mold and kill mold growing in infested homes.
According to Edward Close, Ph.D., the oil blend, called "Thieves," works where more conventional responses to mold simply don't. Essential oils such as cinnamon and clove have been used historically, and researched in the modern day, to have antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.
For more information on Thieves blend, see Thieves Kills Toxic Mold.
Reference: "Toxic Mold – A Breakthrough Discovery" DVD of lecture by Edward R. Close, Ph.D., EJC, 2006.
