MouldChek Environmental

MouldChek Environmental Mouldchek provides certified mold inspections and accurate air quality testing.

09/24/2015

Don’t Spray Mold!
There seems to be lots of mis-information on the Internet recommending that you spray chemicals on mold. This article explains why spraying mold will in fact make the situation worse.
WHAT IS MOLD?
Molds are a type of fungi and are neither plant nor animal. There are over 100,000 types of mold with at least 1,000 types found in North America and live in colonies growing on food, fabric, bathroom walls, construction materials, and soil. Mold proliferates through the release of spores into the air we breathe and are not visible to the naked eye.
Indoor molds cause two key problems.
1. They destroy the material that they feed on, including bathroom walls, carpets, insulation, and ceilings.
2. Exposure to high concentrations of certain types of mold creates health problems. For this reason, materials that are infected with mold need to be removed. In fact, mold is like a cancer, unless it is dealt with and removed, it will continue to grow. The only way to deal with mold is to eradicate it.
HOW DOES MOLD GROW?
Most homes and buildings have mold because they offer the three ingredients mold needs to grow:
1. Food, which includes materials high in cellulose content such as paper and wood. Drywall, wallpaper, carpet, ceiling tiles, dust, and dirt, are also food sources for mold.
2. Temperatures of 5 degrees to 38 degrees present the perfect environment for mold.
3. Finally, water is the key ingredient. Mold can not grow without moisture. Where there is moisture, you will find mold. This is one of the reasons that leaking pipes, roofs and ceiling, sewer backups, floods, and condensation end up causing mold issues.
Mold is a growing concern because we spend up to 90 percent of our time indoors, creating a situation ripe for health issues.
KILLING MOLD IS NOT THE ANSWER!
Getting rid of mold by applying bleach or chemicals is NOT the answer to the problem because dead mold spores are just as harmful to the human lung as live spores. You may have read or heard about the myth of the “Mummy’s Curse” in which all of the Archaeologists that discovered King Tutankhamen’s Tomb eventually died. They, in fact, died from dead aspergillus mold spores that laid dormant for centuries!
In addition, mold spores like Aspergillus and Stachybotrys (black mold) are toxic in both a live form and a dead form. The key to proper mold removal is to remove all of the mold spores.
Mold is toxic and can cause many health issues. In fact, mold produces mycotoxins that are pathogenic to animals and humans. In 2011 we posted an article on the uses of mold as a biological weapon to illustrate just how toxic mold is.

09/14/2015

What is Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome?
Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), also known as Sick Building Syndrome (SBS), is a combination of illnesses or aliments that are in direct relation with an individual’s place of work or home environment.
DEFINITION
According to Dr. Shoemaker, the proper definition of CIRS is:
“an accute and chronic, systemic inflammatory response syndrome acquired following exposure to the interior environment of a water-damaged building with resident toxigenic organisms, including, but not limited to fungi, bacteria, actinomycetes and mycobacteria as well as inflammagens such as endotoxins, beta glucans, hemolysins, proteinases, mannans, c-type lectins and possibly spirocyclic drimanes, plus volatile ogranic compounds.“
CAUSE
The term “Sick Building Syndrome” was first coined by the World Health Organization in the 1980s and it is believed that it is caused by poor air quality that is likely caused by water damage.
According to Shoemaker:
“This illness happens after exposure to the interior environment of a Water-Damaged Building (WDB). There are many ways buildings become home to a toxic mix of microbes, fragments of microbes, and harmful chemicals. Buildings can host fungi, bacteria, mycobacteria, and actinomycetes as a result of construction defects like inappropriate ventilation; faulty construction of crawl spaces or inadequate building design; flat roofs or fake stucco cladding without adequate caulking; incomplete basements exposed to saturated ground water conditions; or not correcting water leaks.“
CIRS is an auto-immune reaction. Research has shown that 25% of the population has a genetic pre-disposition to CIRS and that women tend to report more symptoms than men. In other words, some people get sick because their “genes made them prime targets for an assault by their own innate immune systems….exposure to the interior environment of a Water-Damaged Building (WDB), [causes] an innate immune response that is going haywire.”
Someone exposed to the toxins in a water damaged building suffers from chronic illness because their bodies are constantly trying to eliminate the foreign substances that stay in the body. This leads to chronic inflammation resulting in the multiple symptoms listed below.
SYMPTOMS
There are about 37 symptoms of CIRS that someone suffering from this condition may have.
1. Fatigue
2. Weakness
3. Aches
4. Muscle Cramps
5. Unusual Pain
6. Ice Pick Pain
7. Headache
8. Light Sensitivity
9. Red Eyes
10. Blurred Vision
11. Tearing
12. Sinus Problems
13. Cough
14. Shortness of Breath
15. Abdominal Pain
16. Diarrhea
17. Joint Pain
18. Morning Stiffness
19. Memory Issues
20. Focus/Concentration Issues
21. Word Recollection Issues
22. Decreased Learning of New Knowledge
23. Confusion
24. Disorientation
25. Skin Sensitivity
26. Mood Swings
27. Appetite Swings
28. Sweats (especially night sweats)
29. Temperature Regulation or Dysregulation Problems
30. Excessive Thirst
31. Increased Urination
32. Static Shocks
33. Numbness
34. Tingling
35. Vertigo
36. Metallic Taste
37. Tremors
Unfortunately, because of the large number of symptoms and different combination that a patient can have, CIRS is often mis-diagnosed. If you have any of these symptoms and have made repeated visits to your doctor and your condition continues to worsen, you should consider examining your living or working environment to determine if this is the cause of your sickness.
SOURCES
Sick Building Syndrome
Sick building syndrome – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Research Shows Controversial Illness is Real and Treatable
Research Committee Report on Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome Caused by Exposure to the Interior Environment of Water-Damaged Buildings
Mold Illness Diagnosis & Symptoms

10/27/2014

Molds (also spelled "moulds") are ubiquitous in the biosphere, and mold spores are a common component of household and workplace dust.
Molds are ubiquitous in nature, and mold spores are a common component of household and workplace dust. However, when spores are present in large quantities, they are a health hazard to humans, potentially causing allergic reactions and respiratory problems.
Some molds also produce mycotoxins that can pose serious health risks to humans and animals.
Symptoms of mold exposure can include:

Nasal and sinus congestion, runny nose
Eye irritation, such as itchy, red, watery eyes
Respiratory problems, such as wheezing and difficulty breathing
Cough
Throat irritation
Sneezing / Sneezing fits
Mold exposures have a variety of health effects depending on the person. Some people are more sensitive to mold than others. Exposure to mold can cause a number of health issues such as; throat irritation, nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, cough and wheezing, as well as skin irritation in some cases. Exposure to mold may also cause heightened sensitivity depending on the time and nature of exposure. People at higher risk for mold allergies are people with chronic lung illnesses, which will result in more severe reactions when exposed to mold.

10/27/2014

Mouldchek Environmental Services provides certified mold inspections and accurate mold testing services including direct microscopic analyses (DME) of bulk samples (wood, drywall, carpet, wallpaper, dust), tape-lift samples and non-viable air samples (Air-O-Cell and Micro5 cassettes) by our team of highly professional microbiologists for Toronto and York Region.
We serve:

Environmental engineering
Construction firms
Building contractors
Homeowners
Home and Mold inspectors
Real estate agents
Seniors facilities
Industrial buildings
Insurance professionals
Day care, kids facilities

We offer:

rush analysis (24 hours)
regular analysis (3-5 business days)

We will not be involved in the remediation of any mold problems, since this would be a conflict of interest, but we can offer certified mold consulting services to help you with remediation process by your request.

We serve: Toronto, Markham, Newmarket, Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Bradford, North York, Keswick, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Maple, Innisfil, Scarborough, Woodbridge, Oakville, Mississauga, Milton, Oshawa, Burlington.

Call: 905-717-2713 or visit us at: www.mouldchek.com

Address

Newmarket, ON
L3X1X4

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 7pm
Tuesday 9am - 7pm
Wednesday 9am - 7pm
Thursday 9am - 7pm
Friday 9am - 7pm

Telephone

+19057172713

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