Is mould in your home killing you softly?

THE first thing Tim Robards noticed was an eye twitch. Then he felt a number of unusual changes that he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Could this be the answer?

WHEN it comes to disease and illness, we often overlook an obvious cause: Our environment.

I’ve experienced this myself. Over the past few years I’ve noticed some small changes in my health that I couldn’t quite pinpoint.

I felt a drop in my immune system and I had an eye twitch that nagged me for almost a year. I couldn’t work it out, as I pride myself on my healthy lifestyle.

I sought medical help from a holistic GP to see if there was something I was missing. We looked at all the nutrients my body could possibly be lacking, upped them all and took out anything that might stress my body and still my eye kept twitching.

We looked into neurological issues and basically ruled everything out. The only thing I had missed was assessing my environment.

Tim Robards pictured at his home in Bondi, where he says he’s had some problems with mould. Picture: Adam Taylor/Home Magazine

With a little research I found that some of my symptoms could be due to dampness in my building, mould exposure and the potential effects this had on increasing the release of formaldehyde from the glue in my new floorboards. The floorboards that we installed the week my eye started twitching.

It’s hard to know if the problem started there, or if irritants became airborne after ripping up the carpet, but what I do know is that I had developed an annoying eye twitch, and got a headache if I had to focus on something close to me.

I’ve previously had issues with mould turning up, especially in winter with some shower leaks and dampness in the walls of our apartment. So I decided to look into this a little further and see if any of this could be an added stress on my system.

I’m not an expert in this field but this is some of the information I have come across on my journey, and I’ve recently started making some these changes so I shall see over the coming months how my body feels.

WHAT IS MOULD?

Mould is a fungal growth which can grow in homes under the right conditions of dampness, darkness and poor ventilation.

Mould spores are common and ever-present in the air. They are naturally occurring and can be very resilient when in optimal conditions and find their way into your food, your home or your workplace.

Some mould outbreaks are easy to spot (like this one), others aren’t so obvious.

Due to the complex and widespread effects, it’s hard to diagnose mould related illness. However research is slowly demonstrating the harmful effects.

A 2010 study showed a substantially significant association between residential dampness and mould with respiratory infections and bronchitis. It is thought to be a major contributor to chronic inflammatory response syndrome.

The WA health department published a guide to mould and condensation in your home, which explains “Toxic moulds produce mycotoxins that can pose serious health risks. Some studies claimed that exposure to high levels of mycotoxins can lead to neurological problems and in some cases death. Prolonged exposure may be particularly harmful. Research in this area has not been conclusive.”

According to the World Health Organisation more than 200 biotoxins have been identified from common moulds and can interfere with RNA synthesis and may cause DNA damage.

DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM

Vince Neil from Mycotox, Australia, has been involved in the microbial testing field for the past 26 years. He urges people to “think about health issues which have been ongoing and to think about their environment. When you go away from the home or workplace do you see any changes, and when you come back, do those symptoms resurface?”

“If the answer is yes then that’s what we refer to as a ‘penny drop moment’ and the start of a better understanding of what might be impacting on your health.”

According to Vince Neil, symptoms caused by a mould allergy may include:

• Respiratory illness or asthma;

• Watery, itchy, red eyes;

• A chronic cough;

• Headaches or migraines;

• Rashes (dermatitis);

• Tiredness;

• Sinus problems, blocked nose; and Frequent sneezing;

• And possibly many more that are yet to be proven conclusively.

Tim Robards, pictured with his girlfriend Anna Heinrich at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on Monday, says the first problem he noticed was an eye twitch. Picture: Caroline McCredie/Getty Images

HOW TO DEAL WITH MOULD

The four ways to deal with mould in the home are ventilation, insulation, heating and removal.

Ventilation

Open windows as much as possible and get encourage airflow into corners/cupboards. You can use small fans to encourage airflow especially in cupboards or leaves doors open as much as you can. Use an extractor fan in the bathroom, use a squeegee to wipe the shower down and don’t dry clothes inside.

Heating

Attempt to keep low, constant heating going when it’s cold or damp, rather than short bursts of hot and cold. A dehumidifier can be used as well.

Insulation

Mould occurs more easily on cold surfaces so proper insulation of walls and ceilings along with pipes can help.

Removal

A cheap and effective mixture to use is an 80 per cent fermented white vinegar from your supermarket with 20 per cent water. Wipe down effected areas using protective mouth piece.

Dr Tim Robards is a chiropractor and exercise scientist (B. Med. Sc, M. Chiro).