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mitchtbaum

Literature Review – Microbial Growth in Buildings

http://paradigmchange.me/building-literature/

Health Effects of Moldy Buildings – Sick Building Syndrome

http://paradigmchange.me/buildings-sbs/

Health Effects of Moldy Buildings

http://paradigmchange.me/buildings/

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I suffered from a wide variety of issues (inflammatory symptoms, weight loss, extreme fatigue, severe joint issues, gastro etc...) when living in a moldy house. At first I was sceptical that mold could be the cause because there is no scientific or medical consensus established for mold and the huge list of symptoms I was experiencing.

My GP tested me for Aspergillus antibodies and I came back very high. My GP remained open-minded and went along with treating me with cholestyramine (a binder that can supposedly bind up mold spores, according to the "Shoemaker Protocol") and I'm gradually getting better. My Aspergillus antibodies have dropped significantly. I'm functionally 80% better now but I still have a bit of a road to travel to return to how I was feeling before all of this happened. I generally avoid discussing this too deeply with friends because I know they would be sceptical (as indeed I would be if I had not experienced it directly).

It's difficult to explain how it feels to be in a situation where you've been healthy for your whole life and you suddenly come down with a whole host of symptoms in your late 20s for which doctors can find no biological markers. You get used to recognising the "internal eye roll" from doctors when you list your symptoms. It wasn't mentioned directly but you can tell they are dismissing it as either hypochondria or depression (I have no history of either and never even visited a GP before any of this started). The most positive thing that I can take from these last couple of years is that it has thought me a much higher level of empathy for other people and their experiences.

How prevalent was the mold in your house ?

My shower leaked quite badly, whenever I used it then water would drip from the ceiling below. I did my best to seal it up and forgot about it. Then, I was away on holidays for 6 weeks during the cold months here in Ireland. The heating was kept off and there was no natural ventilation in the house. There was quite a bit of mold on the ceiling when I arrived back but nothing horrendous. I cleaned up the surface mold with some bleach as best I could and then painted over it.

There was a very slight musty odour in the house that I masked with fragrances but mostly I forgot about it. Over the next year I started to develop a lot of non-specific symptoms.

I never even considered that the mold could be an issue until I started googling for a really weird symptom that I was having. Everytime I touched something grounded I would get a static shock, it was happening all day long. Anytime I touched a shelf in a supermarket or even if my touched my girlfriend's forehead (depending on the shoes she was wearing and the surface of the floor).

What was happening here was that the serum osmolality was very high (311 mmol/kg). Essentially there were too many electrolytes in my blood and these salts were being excreted onto my skin giving my skin a positive charge. Googling around led me to an interview between Chris Kresser and Dr. Shoemaker who highlighted it as a red flag for people suffering with mold issues.

Could you visibly see the mold?

Yes, in my case. It is not always the case though.

While familiarity equals believability, we lose.

Humanity is fucking helpless this way.

@everyone: Prove me wrong, please.

Yes, the lack of any mention of mold as a possible cause stuck out to me. Especially as this is a UK organization - they have rugs in bathrooms, for crying out loud!

Edit: And by 'rugs' I mean 'carpets', of course. The idea apparently baffles me so, I can't even find words.

Years ago when I rented, many apartments had carpets in the bathrooms. I hated it. I have a nice tiled cottage floor now, non-porous stone.

I don't understand why people carpet bathrooms, and not all British people do this.

It's the Burberry bath mat sets that get me. Silly chavs! ;)

https://itdayshop.com/collections/bath-mat-set/products/burb...

People don't like walking on cold floors in winter, so carpets get tried in all kinds of places they don't belong.

If you go to retirement communities in the US you will notice way more carpeted bathrooms. They fall and it is much better to fall on carpet than a hard surface.

Erm, that is by no means universal or common in the UK. I don’t think I've seen bathroom carpet since the 80s. Most bathrooms here have either tiles, wood or vinyl lino in my experience.

Mostly ceramic tiles in my experience, or lino in budget e.g. student accommodation. I've rarely seen wood in the UK, presumably because it is prone to water damage. The problem with tiles though is that they do get very cold underfoot, hence the popularity of "bath and pedestal" mat sets. I did have a place with rubber flooring in the bathroom, and that was nice because it was non-slip, easy to clean, and not so cold underfoot. But I don't think I've seen a full fitted carpet in a bathroom since I last saw an avocado bathroom suite.

My partners mother got rid of her avocado bathroom last month. There's still a few floating around.

For wood, plenty of tenements in Edinburgh still have wooden flooring in the bathrooms (every one I've lived in until now has)

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