Thanks for the resources. They are added to my reading list. Every bit helps. Some comments in line below.
The reason I say the science is weak is that doctors follow the CDC, and the CDC follows statistics.
I'll not disagree. However that's policy, not science. Even very rare diseases get a lot of 'press'. I'm really wondering if it's just too expensive to deal with.
With something like 50% of buildings in the country possibly having water damage, no one wants to go there. If what the genetics says is true, 24% of the population is susceptible to mold illnesses. So the numbers are there, which might be the problem. It's too big of a problem to admit exists. A lot of people with these type problems end up spending HUGE amounts of money. Way more than the average family income in this country. I'm close to breaking into my retirement funding just to start working on the issue.
Inhalation is the route of exposure for spores, so filtering the air continually will reduce the amount you inhale, which should reduce your symptoms within hours. If your house is painted with matte dispersion paint, consider re-painting with gloss latex paint (assuming you don't have a latex allergy) or a gloss polymer like acrylic. That provides less spaces for spores to settle, and is easier to clean/disinfect. Every time you shower or boil a pot of water on the stove, you are providing moisture to cooler surfaces like interior walls. Get rid of carpet. Buy vinyl furniture. Install a higher flowing bathroom fan in rooms with baths/showers. Don't use the stove without a canopy fan on. Your gas furnace, depending on age, may contribute to high air moisture. I'm only as serious as you are, this stuff is in the IAQ Guide to Mold, available online. EPA also has guides for "the built environment" targeting "sensitive persons" such as yourself.
All good points. And agree totally.
House is new (5-6 yrs). Avoided carpet, furniture is leather, etc. Knew going into the build allergies are a problem, so built accordingly. The exception is maybe the paint, Eggshell. Do all the due diligence air handling maintenance, etc.
Didn't expect mold issues to this extent when planning the build. Might have done things differently knowing that. There are building protocols for severe mold allergy patients. They are draconian. Things like treatment of studs with anti fungal, and not using OSB (porous, grows molds easily), etc. Special drywall, etc. Going that route would basically require starting over from scratch. That's not on the table right now.
The best way to prevent mold in your house is to do as you've done, eliminate all moisture incursion. Mold can't survive without water and a substrate to grow on. Since everything is a substrate, remove the water and spore production stops. Remember the fire triangle? It's equivalent to removing oxidizer from the fire. No water, no mold.
Yep, agree. I don't EVER let moisture even condense on a window even. If it gets to that point I'm on it immediately.
If the issues what I suspect, cross contamination from outside sources may be the biggest unknown and hardest to control. I've identified several external contamination sources on my own (Scientific method type experimentation). Unfortunately those contamination sources/processes EXACTLY match the pitfalls outlined in the Mold Illnesses book. THAT is what scares me. Because that evidence points towards something that's a LOT harder to fix and VERY expensive to get a under control.
My wife works in the oldest building on her campus. She comes home with her bag, jacket, pants, etc. That can bring contamination in.
That's the sort of stuff that's hard to get a handle on. I work in an old building, and have found historical water damage. That may be the source of contamination in my brand new truck.
I don't remember the practitioner, but the quote was "... And some people need to get in their car naked and drive away.".
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