Poor air quality in your home can be caused by many different natural and unnatural causes, one of the most common reasons to poor indoor air quality is mould contamination. There are many variants of mould you may find growing in your home most of which prefer dark damp areas such as basements, under your sink, even light in plain sight areas like in the corner of your bathroom wall. Mouth exposure is mostly associated with damp buildings and can trigger nasal congestion, coughing, sneezing, wheeziness, and respiratory infections and often worsen asthma.

The most common moulds species you may find growing in your home are:

• Penicillium

• Aspergillus

• Stachybotrys

You may have heard of these types from different subjects such as penicillium is what is used to make penicillin, something you take when you have bacterial infection and is used as an antibiotic. aspergillus is a species that is most natural in everyday environments and that you are most likely inhale these spores in your day-to-day life. Even though the spores are common, this type of mould can be particularly dangerous to those with a weaker immune system as an over exposure to this species can cause allergic reactions, and an infection known as aspergillosis. Finally, statchybotrys is one of the most known moulds, you may not recognise it from its true name, but you may know it by its more commonly used name 'black mould'. This is one of the most dangerous species of mould and causes flu like symptoms which are mostly ignored. Children are the most at risk with health issues from this species due to their bodies still developing and can cause some severe health problems.

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Species of mould can share the same habitat so you may have more than one species growing. However, mould will only grow when the environment is habitable for them with enough moisture on the surface and/or sufficient humidity in the air.

Health effects caused from mould exposure can be chronic, obstructive, or allergic lung diseases, memory loss, headaches, and severe long term respiratory damage.

If you suspect any symptoms even if the mould isn’t visible, you should contact professionals to carry out a mould survey to test for any contamination, Sysco Environmental can assist with all your indoor air quality needs and have a specialist team with dedicated ‘mould professionals’ who are able to carry out in depth inspections of your building and the surrounding areas, and take samples for later laboratory analysis to test for any damp within walls and floors. The team will provide you with reliable information about any contamination as well as the root causes of the problem and recommend appropriate remedial measures.

If experiencing any symptoms of mould exposure, you should still contact a medical expert for a check-up before there is a chance for it to escalate. Contact Sysco Environmental today for a free quotation and site visit by calling 01709 931028, emailing [email protected] or visit sysco-env.co.uk.