Preventing Mold With Proper Insulation

By Author: Mark Munns
Total Articles: 4762
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Mold is all around us, all the time. It is part of Mother Nature's recycling program. It helps break down materials, speeding their decay and return to the earth from which they came. Without certain molds we wouldn't have bread to eat, beer to enjoy, or cheese to fondue. Medicine wouldn't have penicillin or any other antibiotic that ends in "mycin" without mold. So, without it, life on earth as we know it would be pretty unbalanced and boring.

Why, then, do we hate it so?

Mold has made its way into our homes and offices, hospitals and hotels. Schools have been threatened by it. Entire neighborhoods suffer with it. And in doing so, it has made its way into the news headlines as well. "Sick buildings" and "sick building syndrome" seem to be everywhere, all around us. As much as the news reporters seem to delight in alarming us with the latest, worst-case scenario, they also seem to be more interested in frightening us than in enlightening us. Many know of the danger posed by mold, but they don't know the dangers they themselves could be confronted with. They never think or realize that their own home or office could ...
... be the next "sick building." And fewer still know exactly what risks they really do face.

The most commonly found molds in buildings are strains of Penicillin and Aspergillus. Yes, in a good form, penicillin can cure that nasty earache of yours. But in your floorboards, your ceiling tiles and walls, it can also cause all sorts of health problems. Mold infestation can cause severe allergies, asthma, chronic bronchitis, sinusitis, and other respiratory system illnesses. Prolonged exposure can even cause permanent lung damage from breathing the mold spores. Exposure to even more dangerous molds, such as Stachybyotrys and Chaetomium, are believed to have even greater drastic effects on your health, being believed to lead to memory loss, learning disabilities, chronic fatigue and multiple sclerosis, permanent damage to the immune system and other serious illnesses and conditions. All molds need moisture to live and grow and feed. The best way to prevent mold growth then, is by eliminating that moisture.

We all know that we need to keep our homes well insulated. Did you know, however, that molds, especially Penicillin and Aspergillus, are both commonly found on and in fiberglass insulation materials? Were you aware that mold can and does grow on and behind the Styrofoam sheet type of insulation, too? The best way to both insulate for heating and cooling efficiency AND to prevent mold growth in and under our homes is to use spray foam insulation. Spray foam insulation, by its very nature, leaves no pockets for moisture to collect as rolled fiberglass insulation can. It leaves no gaps or spaces like Styrofoam sheets. In short, it has nothing to make it attractive as a home for dangerous molds. They can't take root and grow. And if they can't grow, they can't pose a risk to you and to your family.

Spray foam insulation can be used in most areas where molds like to congregate - in damp crawl spaces and basements, between the moisture - rich walls, ceilings and floors of bathrooms and kitchens, and in attics (leaking roofs can create entire colonies of mold that go unseen until they reach dangerous levels.) Spray foam insulation is a better choice overall in fighting the war against mold than any other type of insulation currently on the market. While no EPA or OSHA standards for using insulation in mold prevention exist, the very nature of the product gives it superior protection against mold colonization. Spray foam insulation adheres to the shape of the space into which it is blown or sprayed, completely filling the shape and sealing it against both air and moisture intrusion. It is permanent and will not sag or lose its shape. It is a completely waterproof material, allowing no moisture to seep into it should a leak or condensations occur. In short, spray foam insulation is simply the best protection you can give your home or office against the moisture that creates the ideal growing and living conditions for molds. Putting spray foam insulation in your home or office is one way to ensure that you'll be keeping harmful molds out.
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Spray Foam Direct.com features quick and easy do-it-yourself spray foam insulation which will save you money and energy. Guardian Energy Technologies Inc. offers the added benefits of reducing our carbon footprint by offering foam it green solutions and balancing their impact through carbon reproduction projects. Visit online today.