Health Risks of Mould Exposure.

Your air conditioner could be a haven for mould and bacteria. Here’s why that is a problem and what you can do about it.

Moulds are simple, microscopic organisms that are present throughout our environment, both indoors and outdoors.

For moulds to develop they do not need sunlight and require only an organic food source, moisture and the right temperatures to proliferate.

Unlike plants, mould cannot manufacture their own nutrients and grow by digesting the organic material on which they are imbedded and absorbing the released nutrients. Because of this digestion, moulds gradually destroy whatever they grow on and can be seen in the form of discolouration, frequently green, grey, brown or black but also sometimes white and other colours.

Exposure to mould is unavoidable except when treated with the most stringent of air filtration, isolation and environmental sanitation.

It is common to find mould spores in the air inside homes, with most of these spores entering from outdoor sources by circulating through doorways, windows, heating, ventilation systems, and air conditioning systems and also by the deposition of spores on people and animals, providing carriers of mould into these indoor environments.

In the indoor environment mould proliferates in areas characterised by excessive moisture. Mould growth is especially common on materials or structures that remain wet for 48-72 hours and hence is a common problem after water intrusion from flooding.

The four most common indoor moulds are Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus and Alnternaria.

Individuals can be exposed to mould through skin contact, ingestion of contaminated foods, hand to mouth contact after handling mouldy materials, or more commonly through the inhalation of mould spores or mould-related products.

The effects on your health from mould exposure.

Those most of risk include the age susceptible and those with pre-existing respiratory conditions or allergy problems.

Typical symptoms people report (alone or in a combination) include:

• Eye irritation (burning, watery or reddened eyes)
• Respiratory problems (such as wheezing, coughing, or difficulty breathing)
• Skin rashes or irritation
• Headaches and fatigue
• Nose or throat irritation
• Nasal and sinus congestion

Mould elements can directly infect some tissues and cause fungal related pathological and inflammatory illness. Those infections in which there is deep tissue invasion are primarily restricted to people with low immunity, although some mould species can also infect healthy people. For example, acute sinusitis, although often bacterial or viral in nature, the problem of chronic sinus infections is often due to inflammation of the mucous membranes caused by mould elements.

HydroKleen are the ONLY Air Conditioning Cleaning company exclusively approved by the National Asthma Council Australia’s Sensitive Choice Program and we provide a written 12 month guarantee against Mould regrowth.

Click Here for more information about Hydrokleen.