Cherie in Seattle, WA

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I work as a laborer for a residential remodeling company. I think this company really cares about it’s employees. We have health and safety meetings every week and discuss different topics like tool safety and silicosis, but we never discussed how to safely handle mold. I have heard Seattle is known for its mold issues. I have heard of children dying at Seattle Children’s because of black mold. I never put the two together.

Three weeks ago, I was demoing a basement to refinish it. The basement had previously suffered from an accidental flood. One of the walls and most of the insulation were covered in black mold. The area was not well ventilated, but I used my respirator. For the first day. Then it got hot, and I switched to a dust mask the second day. That night, I woke up in the middle of the night. I was coughing and my eyes felt like they were burning. I thought it was just the drywall dust drying out my eyes and lungs. I wore a respirator for the third and last day of demo, but the damage has been done.

Now, three weeks later, away from the job, I am still experiencing a cough, my eyes still burn, and I am still easily tired, sleeping long hours and feel mentally sluggish.

I am convinced I inhaled not only a lot of mold spores, but fiberglass and drywall dust that has embedded it in my system. I would say the exposure was incredibly high for two days. I have scoured the internet for solutions. For the past three days, I have eaten a lot of spirulina, ginger, turmeric, and leafy greens salads. I still feel like very similarly to how I did from the start.

This blog has been such a refreshing find. There are not a lot of scientific articles published on mold poisoning and treatment of it.

Questions:

Please advise. A lot of sources say to 1) remove myself from the source (which I have) 2) detox through diet and hydration. I read your article on using activated charcoal, which I will begin taking tomorrow. I read that it only removes the mycotoxins which causes the symptoms, but how do you remove the source?

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1 comment

Grant A Hendricks October 21, 2020 - 9:06 am
Interesting, symptoms, I have experienced in a basement, which has old mold from a leaking furnace which was replaced by a new one. burning eyes, itchy eyes, swelling of sinus, I found, hanging my bedding outside in the sun everyday, makes my bedding smell nice and fresh but really helps me sleep. Put fresh linen on pillows. Put pillows into dryer, and fluff dry in the morning. I am guessing, that you brought this black mold spores to your home, with your laundry. It the same, when you are dealing with live bed bugs, the clothing should go immediately to the wash and bleached, assuming, you can bleach the fabric. You should shower, and immediately, wash down the shower walls with mild bleach solution, keeping the shower fan on all day to make sure the bathroom walls are dry. I use alcohol, on most of my body, after a towel dry. In fact, I am going to look for a good talc powder. Drinking lots of water, and have 1 tablespoon of Apple Cider vinegar in the morning to set up the stomach. Many people loose weight, and improve their health eating fermented foods in the morning, like Kimchi, or sauerkraut. My doctor recommended Metamucil in the morning to help clean out my intestines. It works great. If you brought these mold spores home, and grew the black mold in your shower. Last, and most important for me, is walking by the ocean in the sun, is my best remedy, for my poor nights sleep. This is for any ailment. Fresh ocean air, sunlight and exercise, always makes me feel good. |Good Luck.
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