How Flooding Leads to Major Mold Problems
Major floods can cause severe damage. Much of the damage can be done after the water recedes — by mold.
Mold growth can explode in a flooded home or business. Mold needs three things to thrive, dampness, darkness, and a food source.
A lot of soft material made from natural fiber, such as carpet, carpet padding, wood trim, ceiling tiles, can provide the food source for mold spores, and in the right environment can start to grow just 72 hours after the damage starts. This can obviously pose serious health risks, especially to infants and the elderly.
Breathing in mold spores can cause sinus congestion and infections, and breathing problems. People who have some type of lung disease could have mold infections in their lungs. Plus, people who have immunity problems, such as people having chemotherapy, could have serious health consequences from mold. Also, people who have HIV/AIDS also can have severe health complications from mold.
Mold may cause severe asthma symptoms in people with respiratory problems. In such cases, you may need mold remediation in Denver to fix the issue.
Flood Damage Restoration in Denver
If you suspect that you have mold in your home or business, you should look for visible discoloration on walls, or floor boards. You may also sense a musty smell where there once was none.
To remove the mold, you first need to be certain that whatever the source is causing the excess moisture has been eliminated. A mold test can be performed by a Certified Industrial Hygienist to indicate which types of mold is present, and the spore counts. Mold is everywhere, but when you have an increased count in specific areas of your home or business, it can cause a lot of problems to your health and the building’s structural integrity.
Once the water source has been cut off, you need to dry the area out as much as possible. Make certain the mold is removed before you place any drying fans in the area affected. Bringing in air movement while mold is still present will create a larger area to clean.
Smaller areas that are moist often can be dealt with on your own. However, sometimes professional mold specialists will need to be called in to eliminate the mold problem. That often is what needs to be done if an entire house or building has been flooded during a storm.
