Diagnosing an allergy to mould
As medical tests for diagnosing mould allergy are notoriously unreliable, the best way to determine whether or not it is causing you a problem is to avoid contact with moulds of any kind.
Moulds can only survive if they are exposed to moisture in the air; therefore they don’t exist in very dry climates. Nor do they flourish at the seaside – moulds don’t exist in our seas and oceans, and the prevailing winds blow inland any moulds present in seaside towns.
If you have hay fever symptoms that don’t go away when the pollen season ends, it is quite possible that an allergy to mould is your problem. In fact, an allergy to mould is often the reason for year-round hay fever symptoms – perennial hay fever. The best way for you to determine whether or not you have a mould allergy is to go on holiday! The dry climates of places such as southern Spain, the Algarve, the Greek islands or, better still, the Canary Islands would be beneficial environments. Or you may already have found that taking a holiday at the seaside gave you relief from your symptoms. Perhaps you attributed the benefit to fresh air, exercise and a break from stress when, in fact, the improvement was more likely the result of spending time in a mould-free environment.
If mould is indeed an allergen for you, it is important that you keep your particular environment as free from it as possible.
Avoiding mould
Here are some other suggestions for reducing and even eliminating mould in your home, thus creating an allergen-free environment:
• When in the bathroom, open the window or turn on the extractor fan.
• If there are damp areas from water leaks (such areas encourage the growth of mould), it’s well worth tackling the problem or asking a plumber to do so for you.
• If you have no choice but to spend time in an area with high humidity, consider purchasing a dehumidifier.
• Think seriously about purchasing an air filter such as the HEPA filter (high efficiency particulate air filter), which can eliminate 99.97 per cent of airborne particles, including fungal spores. There are now a wide variety of such filters available that cut down on spores. Check that the filter you are buying carries some indication that it filters airborne allergens, such as the HEPA label.
• Use an electrostatic filter to minimize the number of airborne contaminants in your home. Electrostatic filters are usually very successful, removing up to 90 per cent of spores.
• As indoor mould is easy detectable to the human eye and nose – it usually appears as a dark greenish furry growth and, in larger areas, smells like mildew – it’s always possible to tackle it directly. Use household cleaning products and some elbow grease, or, for more stubborn mould, detergents that are specifically aimed at destroying mould.
Interestingly, ozone generators have been proven successfully to decrease the number of airborne fungal spores. However, it is not yet certain whether they are safe and easy enough to use in the long term. Because more and more people are displaying an allergy to mould, there is a great deal of research under way in this area.