Control Mold Growth Inside Your Home

by following these simple things:

The key to mold control is moisture control

Keeping humidity levels between 40% and 55%

Promptly fixing leaky roofs, windows, and pipes

Thoroughly cleaning and drying after flooding

Ventilating shower, laundry, and cooking areas

Studies Link Mold to Childhood Asthma and Respiratory Illness

In November 2021, WPTV interviewed Kevin Kennedy of Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.  Dr. Kennedy treats and studies childhood asthma and reported that by some estimates, nearly half of all homes in the United States have some kind of mold in them.  That figure lends urgency to the development of better mold detection, awareness and treatment because as much as 21% of all childhood asthma is linked to dampness and mold in the home.  

On the world stage, the link between mold and respiratory ailments has been under study for decades. In 2004 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) found there was sufficient evidence to link indoor exposure to mold with upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, and wheeze in otherwise healthy people; with asthma symptoms in people with asthma; and with hypersensitivity pneumonitis in individuals susceptible to that immune-mediated condition. The IOM also found limited or suggestive evidence linking indoor mold exposure and respiratory illness in otherwise healthy children. In 2009, the World Health Organization issued additional guidance, the WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and Mould. Other recent studies have suggested a potential link of early mold exposure to development of asthma in some children, particularly among children who may be genetically susceptible to asthma development, and that selected interventions that improve housing conditions can reduce morbidity from asthma and respiratory allergies, but more research is needed in this regard.

HOW TECHNOLOGY TO COMBAT MOLD MAY BE USED TO DECREASE THE RATE OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA IN THE UNITED STATES

With a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Richard Shaughnessy of the University of Tulsa leads a team of researchers conducting state-of-the-art DNA research on mold, dampness, and fungi that exists in American households today. This DNA technology promises to reveal far more information about the fungi present in homes than what traditional testing has been able to yield over the past 30-40 years.  

Researches and healthcare professionals are optimistic that by ultilizing this technology in homes across the country, they can realize a reduction in the rates of childhood asthma and respitory illnesses.  The study will be ongoing for three years and should offer healthcare professionals, home inspectors and familes better tools to detect mold and ultimately reduce illness.