Especially in winter mold in the apartment can endanger the health

Danger to health: remove mold in the apartment quickly

Especially in the wet and cold winter months, the danger is great that forms mold in the apartment. This can trigger a number of symptoms and diseases. Especially children and people with weakened immune systems are at risk. Experts advise to remove mold in apartments immediately.
Children and weak people at risk
Doctors repeatedly point out that the health risk of mold in the apartment should not be underestimated. Especially children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are at risk. Mold spores and toxins (mycotoxins) that are primarily absorbed through the respiratory tract can cause a range of symptoms and diseases. " Environmental doctor Hans-Peter Hutter, a professor at the Institute for Environmental Hygiene of the Medical University of Vienna stated in the report: "One of the first things we perceive is the musty, cellar-like smell of the white horse." It is said that this smell comes from the different ones Metabolites of molds and bacteria.

Allergic to mold
"Where there is mold, there are usually bacteria", says the expert. Although it can lead to acute mucosal irritation and inflammation at extremely high mold load, in the living area this is almost never to such high levels. However, mold can cause allergies even at lower "doses". "The longer you are exposed to the mold, the greater the risk that your initial sensitization becomes a tangible allergy," explained Hutter. According to the physician, estimates from Germany are based on around one to three percent of allergy to mold allergies; similar values ​​could be assumed for Austria. "The number of those who are sensitized is certainly higher."

Mold can make you sick
Even mild mold can cause chronic fatigue, headaches, difficulty concentrating or nausea and vomiting in some people. In the long term, experts are threatening to affect the bronchi, which may manifest in chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma. As Hutter further stated in "diepresse.com", inhaling mold spores in very unfavorable conditions can also result in infection. "In very immunocompromised individuals this can be the case," said the expert, "and lead to persistent pneumonia." Although the risk of infection is low, but still present.

What can help
In order to avoid mold in the apartment as much as possible, should be aired often and long enough. That has another advantage. Regular airing also helps to reduce harmful substances in living spaces, such as those that are emitted from building materials and interior furnishings. However, when the problem does occur, experts often recommend killing mold spores with alcohol. For example, ethyl alcohol, a 70- to 80-percent alcohol from the pharmacy offers. When the Stiftung Warentest examined a few years ago remedies for mold, alcohol was a suitable variant, which is also cheap to acquire. (Ad)