Week of September 25, 2023
/Asthma; CIRS diagnosis
QUESTION: I have asthmatic attacks only while working in a brand-new building. I have even purchased an aircraft filter that sits a few feet from my desk. This only happens at work. Any suggestions?
ANSWER: Mold exposure can be a source of asthma. Confirming and diagnosing includes confirming exposure through ERMI or HERTSMI-2 testing of the environment (if possible), and take the initial CIRS test and check your symptoms by taking the online VCS test.
Whether you receive a pass or fail, bring your results to an asthma and/or CIRS/mold related specialist, as applicable. Shoemaker Protocol™ practitioners will continue with diagnostic testing for lab abnormalities and response to therapy.
If you don’t have the multiple symptoms throughout multiple body systems that are common to CIRS, and have asthma symptoms alone, CIRS may not be the illness affecting you.
Also, be sure to use air filtration that targets mold bacteria and toxin fragments. Not all air filters specifically remedy moldy environments.
You can find mold-effective air filtration units and systems at Air Oasis. Plus, Surviving Mold friends receive 5% OFF iAdaptAir® units and IconicAir™ units. Use code “SURVIVINGMOLD” at checkout to SAVE 5%.
2/ AC System:
QUESTION: We are concerned about mold growth in our AC system. We are moving into a new house, after remediation, and are thinking of installing ductless mini split systems. Which systems have the least tendency to grow mold?
ANSWER: Use sheet metal ducted systems and no flexible fiberglass.
3/ Dust Sampling
QUESTION: We have collected from 8 different rooms because we could not get enough dust in an 8x8 area. Will that skew the results?
ANSWER: As long as you have collected dust in 10 or move horizontal surfaces above the floor, you are good to go.
4/ Hardwood Floors
QUESTION: How should we treat our hardwood floors to reduce mycotoxins and mold spores?
ANSWER: Careful vacuuming plus dust removal, often. You could go the extra mile and wax and/or seal as well. With consistent dusting and vacuuming wood floors can remain mold free. If you mop, be sure to not oversaturate the surfaces and dry them out completely within a couple hours.
5/ Use of wood stoves
QUESTION: What is your opinion about wood stove use for people with CIRS?
ANSWER: As long as the wood is not dried inside your house and you do not put too much moisture in the air, your stove is the safest way to heat.
6/ Cleaning clothes
QUESTION: My home has high levels of penicillium and I am cleaning clothes. There is no visible mold on my clothes and no odors. How should I clean them?
ASWER: Wash using regular detergent and warm or hot water, if clothes tolerate heat. The problem is small fragments of microbes.
7/ QUESTION: We moved out of our moldy house. We washed our laundry using Oxi-Clean and Borax. The clothes still have a musty smell and my symptoms returned after sleeping in a room with musty laundry. What should I do?
ANSWER: The situation you are describing demands additional sampling data, especially on Actinobacteria and endotoxins. These two groups of microbes are the most common ones creating musty smells. I would make sure that the clothes have been adequately dried when taken out of the dryer as to not pick up odors from the environment.
8/ Covering mattresses
QUESTION: Would it be suitable for me to cover a new mattress that is purchased after remediation just in case there is still something in the house that I am sensitive to?
ANSWER: Good old-fashioned plastic covers have long served people affected by everything from dust mites to CIRS. Use covers that fully enclose the mattress.
