Advanced Mold Testing and Mold Remediation Services

Providing the Highest Quality Air Testing, Mold Testing and Analysis

Serving the Massachusetts & Southern NH Areas

 888-449-6653

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 Frequently Asked Questions


 

What is mold and where is it found?
Mold (fungi) is present everywhere - indoors and outdoors. There are more than 100,000 species of mold. At least 1,000 species of mold are common in the U.S. Some of the most commonly found are species of Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Aspergillus. Mold is most likely to grow where there is water or dampness - such as in bathrooms, attics and basements.

How can mold affect your health?
Most types of mold that are routinely encountered are usually not hazardous to healthy individuals. However, too much exposure to mold may cause or worsen conditions such as asthma, hay fever, or other allergies. The most common symptoms of overexposure are cough, sinus problems, headache, congestion, runny nose, eye irritation, and aggravation of asthma. Depending on the amount of exposure and a person’s individual vulnerability, more serious health effects - such as fevers and breathing problems - can occur. Elderly people, people with asthma, chemotherapy patients, or people that use steroids can develop aspergillosis from exposure to elevated levels of aspergillus mold. Aspergillosis is an infection caused by aspergillus mold exposure. The illnesses resulting from an aspergillosis infection usually affect the respiratory system, but their signs and severity will vary greatly. In some people, the spores trigger an allergic reaction. Other people develop mild to serious lung infections. The most serious form of aspergillosis, invasive aspergillosis, occurs when the infection spreads to the blood vessels and beyond. Antifungal medications are then commonly prescribed.

How can you be exposed to mold?
When moldy material becomes damaged or disturbed, spores (reproductive bodies similar to seeds) can be released into the air. Exposure can occur if people inhale the spores, directly handle moldy materials, or accidentally ingest it. Also, some molds can produce chemicals called mycotoxins. Airborne Mycotoxins may cause illness in people who are sensitive to them or if they are exposed to large amounts.  

How does mold grow?
All molds need water to grow. Mold can grow almost anywhere there is water damage, high humidity, or dampness. Most often molds are confined to areas near the source of water. Removing the source of moisture - such as through repairs or dehumidification - is critical to preventing mold from returning.

What is Stachybotrys chartarum?
Stachybotrys chartarum is the mold type most people are referring to when they are talking about black mold. This is the black mold type that has been associated with many health effects in people. It is considered a serious toxic mold. It is a greenish-black mold that can grow on materials with a high cellulose content - such as drywall sheetrock, dropped ceiling tiles, and wood - that become chronically moist or water-damaged, due to excessive humidity, water leaks, condensation, or flooding.

How can you tell if Stachybotrys chartarum is present in your home?
Many molds are black in appearance but are not Stachybotrys. For example, the black mold commonly found between bathroom tiles is not Stachybotrys. Stachybotrys can be positively identified only by specially trained professionals (e.g., mycologists) through a microscopic exam.

How can Stachybotrys chartarum affect your health?
Typically, indoor air levels of Stachybotrys are low; however, as with other types of mold, at higher levels health effects can occur. Some of the more common health affects are allergic rhinitis (cold-like symptoms), dermatitis (rashes), sinusitis, sore throat, conjunctivitis, and aggravation of asthma. Some related symptoms are more general - such as inability to concentrate and fatigue. Usually, symptoms disappear after the contamination is removed.
There has been some evidence linking the black mold Stachybotrys with pulmonary hemosiderosis in infants who are generally less than six months old.
Pulmonary hemosiderosis is an uncommon condition that results from bleeding in the lungs.


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Don't see your town listed? Please call to see if we service that area. 

                                                                     Massachusetts Towns We Service

                                               Acton MA,    Boxboro MA,   Boxborough  Mass,   Carlisle Mass,    Concord MA,   Lincoln MA,
                                               Bedford MA,  Burlington MA,  N. Billerica MA,    Concord MA,  Lexington MA,   Woburn MA,
                                               Arlington MA,   Belmont MA,   Lexington MASS,   Lincoln MA,   Wayland MA,   Weston MA,
                                               Ayer MA,   Billerica MA,  Groton MA,   Harvard MA,  Littleton MA,  Pepperell MA,  Stow MA,
                                               Amesbury MA,   Haverhill Mass,   Newburyport MA,   West Newbury MA,   W. Newbury MA,
                                               Beverly Farms MA,  Manchester-by-the- Sea, Groveland MA,  Salisbury MA,   Tewksbury MA,  
                                               Danvers MA,  Essex , Wenham,  Gloucester MA,  Middleton MA, Peabody MA, Rockport MA,
                                               Bedford MA,  Burlington MA,   Chelmsford MA,  Lowell,   Tyngsborough  MA,  Westford MA,
                                               Andover MA,   Boxford MA,  N. Andover MA,   Merrimac MA,   Newbury MA,  Topsfield MA,
                                               Beverly MA,  Georgetown MA,   Hamilton MA,  Ipswich MA,  Newburyport MA,  Rowley MA,
                                               E. Bridgewater MA,   Hanover MA,   Rockland MA,    Hingham MA,   Pembroke MA,   Hull MA,
                                               Cohasset MA,  Duxbury MA,   Kingston MA,   Marshfield MA,    Plymouth MA,   Scituate MA,
                                               Attleboro MA,  Norton MA, Stoughton MA,  Blackstone MA, Brockton MA,  Bridgewater MA,
                                               Braintree MA,     Carver MA,     Plymouth MA,    Quincy MA,    Abington MA,    Randolph MA,
                                               Dedham MA,   Easton MA,    Westwood MA,   Walpole MA,     Norwood MA,   Mansfield MA,
                                               Bellingham MA,   Berkley MA,   Foxboro MA,   Foxborough MA,  Franklin MA,   Wareham MA,
                                               Dartmouth MA, Swansea MA,  N.Attleboro MA,   W.Bridgewater MA,   West Bridgewater MA,
                                               Carver MA, MA,   Halifax MA,   Mendon MA,  Hopedale MA,   Raynham MA,   Wrentham MA,
                                               Hanson MA,  Halifax MA,   Holbrook MA,  Norwell MA, Avon,  Weymouth MA, Whitman MA,
                                               Medfield MA,   Medway MASS,   Middleboro MASS,    Milford MA,   Millis MA,   Norfolk MA,
                                               Canton MA, Dedham MA, Milton MA, Norwood MA,  Sharon MA, Stoughton, Westwood MA,
                                               Dover MA, Natick MA,Needham MA, Newton MA,Waltham MA, Wayland MA,Wellesley MA,
                                               Holliston MA, Hopkinton MA,  Marion MA, Marlboro MA,  Westborough MA,  Westboro MA,
                                               Ashland MA,  Carlisle MA,  Framingham MA, Natick,  Sherborn MA,   Stow MA,   Sudbury MA,
                                               Dracut MA,    Dunstable  MA,    Littleton MA,     Lowell MA,     Methuen MA,    Tyngsboro MA,
                                               Berlin MA,  Bolton MA,  Hudson MA, Upton MA,  Marlborough MA, Maynard MA,  Stow MA,
                                               North Andover MA,  N. Reading  MASS,   North Reading MA,   Reading MA,   Wilmington MA,
                                               Berlin MA,  Clinton MA,  Northboro  MA,  Northborough,   Southboro MA,  Southborough MA,
                                               Lynnfield MA,  Magnolia MA, Manchester MA, Marblehead MA,  Salem MA, Swampscott MA,
                                               Melrose MA,   Saugus MA,    Stoneham MA,   Wakefield MA,   Winchester MA,    Woburn MA,
                                               Allston MA,  Chestnut Hill MA,   Brighton MA,    Brookline MA,   Newton MA,  Cambridge MA,
                                               Everett MA,   Lynn MA,   Nahant MA,  Revere MA,   South End,  S. Boston MA,  Winthrop MA,
                                               Dorchester MA,      Hyde Park  MASS,     Jamaica Plain MA,      Lawrence MA,      Roslindale MA,
                                               Boston MA,    Back Bay,     Charlestown MA,   Chelsea MA,   Medford MA,   South Boston MA,
                                               East Boston MA,    E. Boston MA,   North End,    Malden MA,  Cambridge MA,   Somerville MA,
                                               Attleboro MA,   Sutton MA,   Northbridge MA,   Oxford MA,   Uxbridge MA,    Worchester MA,
                                               Douglas MA,   Grafton MA,   Middleborough MA,   Millbury MA,    Millville MA,  Taunton MA,
                                               Dunstable MA,   Harvard MA,   Clinton MA,   Bolton MA,   Lancaster MA,  West Boylston MA,
                                               Sterling MA,  Princeton MA,   Boylston MA,  Westminster MA,  Gardner MA,   Leominster MA,
                                               Fitchburg MA,  Lunenburg MA,   Townsend MA,   Ashby MA,   Ashburnham MA,   Athol MA,
                                              

                                                                
    Southern New Hampshire Towns We Service

                                               Brookline NH,  Mason NH,  Greenville NH,   New Ipswich NH, Hollis NH,  Wilton NH,  Milford NH, 
                                               Litchfield NH, Amherst NH, Merrimack NH, Derry NH, Londonderry NH, Newton,  Hampstead NH,
                                               Seabrook NH,   Hampton Falls NH,   Hampton NH,   North Hampton NH,   Rye NH,   Greenland NH,
                                               Stratham NH,  Exeter NH,  Kensington NH, Newton NH, Brentwood NH, Fremont NH, Danville NH,
                                               Atkinson NH,    Sandown NH,    Chester NH,    Danville NH,    South  Danville  NH,    Kingston NH,
                                               Manchester NH,  Epping NH, Fremont NH, Raymond NH,Candia NH, Auburn NH,  Brentwood NH,
                                               Concord  NH,  Allentown NH, Pembroke NH, Hooksett NH,  Bow NH,  Goffstown NH, Bedford NH,
                                                                Nashua NH, Windham NH,  Hudson NH,  Pelham NH,   Plaistow NH,  Salem NH,

 

 

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Serving Massachusetts and Southern NH since 1993
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