When Micro Toxins Become A Major Problem: Mold and Your Health
Musty smells and a permeating sense of damp air in one’s home or business is more than a mere inconvenience — it’s an indicator that action needs to be taken if mold is to be prevented or eliminated altogether.
After all, mold toxicity exists on a sliding scale and thus should never be taken lightly.
Defining Mycotoxins
Occurring as byproducts of mold and fungi, microbial toxins — also referred to as “micro toxins” in some cases — disable the immune system and evoke or exacerbate illness in those who are exposed for prolonged periods of time.
However, you’ll more often find the word “mycotoxin” associated with toxic molds than “micro toxin,” because mycotoxins are a variety of pathogens that fall under the umbrella term of microbial toxins.
And what else falls under the umbrella? Bacterial toxins.
But while mycotoxins are identified as poisonous chemical metabolites produced to protect mold from other predatory microbes, bacterial toxins have garnered a more positive reputation in society for their varied uses in modern medicine.
For example, one of the most commonly known bacterial toxins is that of the Botulinum neurotoxin, otherwise embraced as the revered dermal filler BOTOX. But mycotoxins, other studies have shown, “are capable of causing disease and death in humans and other animals” when mold growth goes unnoticed.
Mycotoxins and Your Body
How mycotoxins impact your body is entirely dependent upon the type of toxin present in your home.
For example, trichothecene — a mycotoxin byproduct of Stachybotrys chartarum, or black mold — has been identified as “acutely toxic” by the World Health Organization, as it can cause damage to both the skin and intestines.
There are also, however, hundreds of other varieties of mycotoxins, the likes of which may cause symptoms ranging from inflammation to infection and worsened allergies.
But those who suspect they have mold growth in their home may also want to be especially careful to protect their food, as the severity of one’s exposure to mycotoxins is heightened through ingestion.
In fact, one study found that, when ingested through food contamination, the dietary risk factor presented by mycotoxins is “higher than synthetic contaminants, plant toxins, food additives, or pesticide residues.”
Mitigating Mold and Mycotoxins
If you are a professional specializing in mold remediation or indoor safety inspections, the presence and subsequent illnesses associated with mycotoxins may present no surprise to you. The problem therein lies in understanding whether or not your efforts to combat mold and other fungi-related microbes in a given space have been entirely successful.
Thankfully, the InstaScope is capable of sampling the air in a room unlimited times, providing you with real-time results that accurately catalog pathogens according to their biofluorescent signatures. Additionally, the InstaScope can comprehensively complete whole area scans, thereby allowing you to compare results between the different rooms in one building.
In addition to general mold inspection uses, InstaScope is a valuable tool for all stages of the remediation process, ensuring the equipment and processes you use are effective from pre-remediation verification of mold to post-remediation validation that the mold was removed. InstaScope also provides the results on-site in an easy-to-understand report for everyone.
This technology leaves little room for doubt and will enhance your business operations,
efficiency, and — most importantly — the trust your customers will have in your business.
Are you ready to banish mycotoxins and restore the health of those depending on your services? Then it’s time to turn to the InstaScope! To learn more about this industry-leading and peer-reviewed instrument, contact DetectionTek today by calling 720-410-7030 or emailing info@instascope.co.
