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The first thing to understand about mold is that there is a
little mold everywhere - indoors and outdoors. It's in the air and can be found on plants, foods,
dry leaves, and other organic materials.
It's very common to find molds in homes and buildings. After
all, mold grows naturally indoors. And mold spores enter the home through doorways, windows, and
heating and air conditioning systems. Spores also enter the home on animals, clothing, shoes, bags
and people.
When mold spores drop where there is excessive moisture in
your home, they will grow. Common problem sites include humidifiers, leaky roofs and pipes,
overflowing sinks, bath tubs and plant pots, steam from cooking, wet clothes drying indoors, dryers
exhausting indoors, or where there has been flooding.
Many of the building materials for homes provide suitable
nutrients for mold, helping it to grow. Such materials include paper and paper products, cardboard,
ceiling tiles, wood, and wood products, dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation materials, drywall,
carpet, fabric, and upholstery.
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Everyone is exposed to some amount of mold on a daily basis,
most without any apparent reaction. Generally mold spores can cause problems when they are present
in large numbers and a person inhales large quantities of them. This occurs primarily when there is
active mold growth.
For some people, a small exposure to mold spores can trigger
an asthma attack or lead to other health problems. For others, symptoms may only occur when
exposure levels are much higher.
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