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Mold Propensity Index (MPI) for Property Managers

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Property Managers Need To Ensure Homes Are Free of Any Irritants, or a Family's Quality of Life Could Be Affected.

Property Managers Need To Ensure Homes Are Free of Any Irritants, or a Family’s Quality of Life Could Be Affected.

One of the worst situations you can come across as a property manager is finding out that one or more of your apartments has a problem with mold and fungus. Unfortunately, this issue can come up without warning in many cases, and once it does, it can spread like wildfire. However, you can protect your properties by completing an assessment of their risk for mold and fungus using the MPI, or Mold Propensity Index.

What is the MPI?

The MPI is a risk assessment that utilizes percentage points to determine a building’s probability of having issues with fungus and/or mold. The program asks you a series of questions to determine what your building’s risk level is. Once that part is completed, you’ll be given a score and then different tasks you can complete to lower the risk.

Other Benefits of the MPI Program

There are many other advantages to the MPI program as well. Completing this assessment prior to making a building purchase can give you insight into how much work will need to be completed to take care of mold and fungus problems. It also allows you to provide potential tenants with information prior to moving in so that their minds can be put at ease. Finally, it supplies you with all the data you need to not only control any current problems with fungus and mold, but also to prevent them from occurring in the future.

Having a mold inspection completed at your property is easily accomplished with the MPI program. However you can also opt for a professional inspection, which Stern Mold can help you with. Contact us today.

Posted in Mold Information

What Are the Symptoms of Mold Exposure?

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One Service Away From Being Mold Free - Why You Should Trust Us To Help

One Service Away From Being Mold Free – Why You Should Trust Us To Help

It can be hard to tell if you’ve been exposed to mold since the symptoms usually feel like a common cold or seasonal allergies. There are a few things to be on the lookout for that might tip you off as to whether or not you are dealing with a mold problem.

Symptoms of Mold Exposure

A cough or stuffy nose might last a few days when you catch a cold, but it can last indefinitely if it is being caused by mold in your home. Other mold symptoms include wheezing, rash, eye irritation, and muscle aches. In more serious cases, you might experience vomiting, nausea, fever, or decreased mental/physical functions.

Feeling Better Elsewhere?

If you feel better after a couple of days away from your home or business, then go right back to feeling bad again when you return, you might have a mold problem. When your body doesn’t have to deal with toxic mold spores, you should bounce back pretty quickly.

Mold and Your Health

Suspected mold growth can usually be confirmed in just a few seconds when a trained professional takes a look at it. Depending on how much mold there is, treatment can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. In order to prevent it from coming back, you will need our specialists to remedy the cause and remove the colony.

Our team at Stern Mold will take care of your mold problems both in your home and your business. Contact us today to find out more about the relationship between mold and your health, as well as what can be done to prevent mold and treat it.

Posted in Mold & Your Health

Mold Mycotoxins and Your Health

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Is Mold Causing You to Feel Under the Weather?

Is Mold Causing You to Feel Under the Weather?

Understanding the relationship between mold and your health can be very important if you see mold growing in your home. The mycotoxins that some mold varieties produce can cause serious allergic reactions and make you or your loved ones very sick.

What Are Mycotoxins?

Scientifically speaking, a mycotoxin is a type of byproduct that mold colonies produce that is harmful to humans or animals. Different types of mold make their own toxic byproducts, but some of them only harm bacteria (this is where we get prescription antibiotics) or only harm plants.

How Do They Affect Your Health?

Less serious health effects can include mild allergic reactions, coughing, clogged sinuses, and watery eyes. Prolonged exposure to certain mycotoxins, or even acute exposure to very dangerous strains, can cause respiratory problems, among other issues, that may require hospitalization.

How to Get Rid of Mycotoxins

Getting rid of mycotoxins means eliminating the mold colonies which are producing them. The best way to do this is to get a mold removal expert who knows what to look for and how to take care of the problem. The negative effects of mold and your health problems that might arise from long-term exposure usually means the sooner you have it treated, the better.

If you think you might have mold in your home, give us a call at 888-887-8376 and we will be happy to inspect to see if you do have a mold problem. Our staff is trained to identify different types of mold, inform you on the risks you might face, and recommend the appropriate remediation.

Posted in Mold & Your Health, Mold Tips

The CDC Links Aspergillosis with Mold and Fungi Exposure

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The Link to Mold Spores

The Link to Mold Spores

It’s no secret that when you have a mold or fungus problem in your home, it can cause a lot of problems. We’ve known for a long time that mold can lead to difficulties with breathing, but the CDC has recently linked aspergillosis with mold and fungi exposure. This means that there’s never been a better time to get an NYC free mold inspection to be sure that you and your family are not risking your health.

What is Aspergillosis?

There are different types of aspergillosis, but they’re all problematic. They include:

  • ABPA – This usually affects those who have asthma or cystic fibrosis.
  • Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis – This usually affects those who have a chronic lung disease, such as COPD.
  • Invasive Aspergillosis – This usually affects those whose immune systems are already weakened from a disease, cancer treatments, or for other reasons.

Aspergillosis is not contagious, so it can’t be spread from person to person after contact. However, it can cause serious health problems for you if you’re in one of the above groups. Healthy people can breathe in the spores, and generally do so every day. However, if you’re not healthy then it’s best to take precautions to prevent breathing in these spores.

The Best Ways to Avoid Contracting Aspergillosis

You can avoid contracting aspergillosis by taking a few steps. Try to avoid construction sites, but if you work in construction, wear the appropriate facial mask at all times. You should also wear long pants and gloves when you’re working in soil. Above all, get a NYC free mold inspection to check your home for aspergillus spores. We can help you with that. Please contact us!

Posted in Mold & Your Health, Mold Information, News

What Do Physicians Misdiagnose Mold Illness As?

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Common Mold Illness Diagnosis's

Common Mold Illness Diagnosis’s

Perhaps you’ve been to your doctor because you were experiencing some strange symptoms. You’re not sure what was going on, but you trusted that your doctor was able to figure it out. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. Many doctors are quick to offer diagnoses based on symptoms instead of on hard science. As a result, there are a lot of patients out there who have been misdiagnosed. It’s actually not uncommon for patients to eventually find out that mold was the source of their problems.

Mold and Your Health – Common Misdiagnosed Diseases and Ailments

It’s possible that this has happened to you, and while the diagnosis seemed strange you accepted it because, after all, you received it from a medical doctor. There are a number of diseases that have been falsely diagnosed because their symptoms mimicked those that manifest when people are exposed to mold. Some of these include:

  • Allergies
  • Stress
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Attention Deficit Disorder
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

If you’ve been diagnosed with any of the above, mold might just be at the root of your symptoms.

Your Next Steps

When it comes to mold and your health, it’s very important for you to be proactive. If you disagree with a diagnosis that you’ve recently received, you don’t have to just accept it. You should ask for a full blood panel to prove that you have the ailment or sickness you’ve been diagnosed with. You should also get a mold inspection to find out if mold is something you need to be concerned about in your home or place of employment. Contact us to schedule your inspection today!

 

Posted in Mold & Your Health, Mold Information, Mold Remediation, News
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