The Dangers of Mold in Your Charleston Home

Your home is one of the most important parts of your life. It's where you spend time with family, friends, and loved ones. So making sure that your home, and specifically your home's indoor air, is totally healthy is a major priority.

You need to always make sure that your Charleston home is a healthy environment, and mold is one of the things that can make your home extremely unhealthy. A GLS Engineering & Testing, our professionals can test for mold in your Charleston home and give you thorough and accurate results. Knowing when you have mold in your home can help you prevent serious problems for members of your household, so it's very important that you recognize and take care of mold growth as soon as possible.

What Are the Potential Health Risks of Mold?

Mold can lead to or trigger a number of health problems, including:

Eye, nose, and throat irritation
Coughing and phlegm build-up
Wheezing and shortness of breath
Asthmatic symptoms
Allergic reactions

If you suspect that the health of anyone in your Charleston home is being affected by mold, you should have your home tested as soon as possible.

Everyone responds to mold exposure differently, and the symptoms may carry depending on the amount of exposure and the person's overall health. Some people are vulnerable than others. Children, the elderly, and anyone with medical conditions (e.g., asthma) can have severe respiratory problems after being exposed to mold.

Toxic Black Mold Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins are carried on the spores of toxic black mold and are also found throughout any black mold colony. If they're inhaled, they can cause a number of serious health problem.

If you find mold in your home which looks like toxic black mold you should have it professionally tested to be certain. It's important that you determine whether it's mycotoxin-producing toxic black mold or a non-toxic species of mold. Our professionals will test for type of mold and help you find the best ways to eliminate it.

How Can You Recognize Mold?

Recognizing mold is one of the best ways to know if you have a problem. If you believe mold is growing in your home, call for a mold test as soon as possible so that you can be certain of the problem.

Common Moisture Sources

Condensation on surfaces due to excess humidity, which is very common in the Charleston area.
Excess moisture from baths, showers, laundry, or cooking.
Water leakage from the roof, a plumbing leak, a cracked basement, or flooding.

Common Materials for Mold Growth

Drywall
Damn carpeting or furniture
Paper products, like cardboard boxes
Wood, window sills, and wall framing

Not all mold will be visually evident, and it may grow in places like inside your walls or above ceiling tiles. Our Charleston mold tests will be thorough and accurate so that you'll be able to know exactly where any mold is lurking in your home.