Not so fun fact: In 2017 the World Health Organisation has placed mould in the same hazard classification as asbestos.
Our ability to create artificial indoor environments has over the years, allowed us to spend more and more time indoors. However due to this ability we have unknowingly provided the perfect environments for nasty moulds to establish a home within our indoor lifestyles. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people in the world today that are unaware of the potentially life-threatening dangers that they could be living with. There are many reasons that the dangers of mould should be taken seriously.
Understanding mould:
In the world there are thousands of species of mould and not all mould is harmful. There are actually some very beneficial mould such as penicillium that naturally produce the antibiotic penicillin, which is an antibiotic that is used to treat infections caused by bacteria. Some mould like in blue cheese can be edible and add flavour.
However, a lot of the moulds can be very harmful and will cause some people to have symptoms such as: asthma, recurring colds & flu, bronchitis, pneumonia, headaches, hay fever, sleep disorders, chronic fatigue, muscular aches and pains, mood swings,
abnormal food cravings, skin irritations, rashes, and in some cases, it has caused death.
The mould we see is usually only a very small portion of it. The best way to visually describe how mould grows and reproduces is the life cycle of mushrooms, as mushrooms are of the same family as mould.
For example, the mushrooms growing on your lawn are only its reproductive cycle. Under the mushroom, in the ground lives a massive network of thin threads called Hyphae. This is the same for mould. This network of fibres likes to penetrate porous surfaces like timber, gyprock, concrete, carpet and fabrics.
A fact about mould is that it can remain dormant for years until the perfect conditions are met for growth and reproduction. These perfect conditions are when the temperature, humidity and moisture are just right. Once acquired, mould will show rapid growth potentially within hours and will release spores (similar to seeds) into the air to spread into surrounding areas.
One of the concerning things, is that not only are the spores a “bio-toxin”, but they are a “Living” organism meaning that they are actively looking for a place to feed and provide a good breeding ground, basically things that are warm, absorbent and/or damp are the perfect place for this, i.e bathrooms, air-conditioners, cupboards or get this, even inside human bodies! This includes pets too.
When mould becomes a massive problem:
Areas that experience high humidity, have poor ventilation or that are left wet for more than 48 hours, create the perfect environment for mould growth. You should keep areas such as bathrooms and kitchens well ventilated when having showers or cooking. Another recommendation is to wipe the shower down after use. If you see water on any hard surface it is advised to wipe it off immediately.
A massive problem we face is that studies have shown that mould grows up to 600 times faster and produces stronger and different bio-toxins when grown in close vicinity to electromagnetic frequencies or EMF. In today’s lifestyle, we are continuously introducing new EMF producing items into our indoor environments with new emerging technologies and now WIFI is accessible within most buildings and homes.
Now a major place within buildings and homes for mould to thrive is in Air conditioners. Most air conditioning units go without being inspected or remain unserviced for years. One well known fact is that mould hates to be disturbed but if the mould grows where no one looks it will just keep growing and as soon as that unit is turned on those spores are now airborne just waiting for you to breathe them in.
Current solutions:
Have you ever used products to treat mould that appear to work because you can no longer see it, but within a couple of weeks or months, the mould reappears and is sometimes much worse?
Many people won’t understand that they actually didn’t kill the “body” of the mould, they just cleaned off what is on the surface or made it transparent with chlorines.
Most everyday solutions you find only damage or kill off what is on the surface. They offer no ongoing protection from stopping the mould from re-grouping and growing into the environment as soon as conditions are right again. Sometimes this can also be dangerous as mould can also react to these products and often cause more serious health effects.
The solution:
There is no other way to effectively deal with mould outbreaks than to use lab tested and real-world trailed products. Coastal Air Conditioning continues to both source and trial new emerging products to provide the best possible outcomes and prolonged protection to both yourself and your building. We use an array of products to suit each situation that we come across and these products are all proudly Australian made.
If you are wanting your system cleaned of any mould, reach out to us and we will be happy to give you a no obligation free quote!