Did You Know That Mold Can Kill?

We all know that mold has dangerous impacts on our health, but to what extent? Maybe you noticed that you started coughing when mold is present, or a family member with asthma had more difficulty breathing than usual. However, that’s not the be-all and end-all of it: mold can quite literally kill in serious cases.

What Happened to Brittany Murphy and Her Husband?

On December 20, 2009, actress Brittany Murphy collapsed in the shower of her Hollywood Hills home. After succumbing to cardiac arrest in hospital, her primary cause of death was declared to be pneumonia. At that time, it was thought that Murphy had been taking numerous over-the-counter drugs and this contributed to her death, but her mother and husband insisted that she was not on drugs and alcohol.

Less than a year after Murphy’s death, her widower Simon Monjack was found dead in the home they shared in similar circumstances. His cause of death was declared as acute pneumonia. With both Murphy and her husband dead of the same cause within a short space of time, suspicions were raised that a toxic black mold could have been the cause of their deaths.

Murphy’s mother Sharon, who had been living with her daughter and son-in-law, denied that black mold was the cause of their deaths initially. However, in December 2011, she retracted her statement and acknowledged that black mold was indeed the killer. Two deaths could have been prevented by timely mold inspection, and the house was sold eventually due to concerns over the mold.

What Can We Learn?

Unfortunately, mold spores are present everywhere, both indoors and outdoors. Requiring water to grow, you will find that mold becomes a problem in damp and dark places like the attic, after you have experienced a water leak somewhere, and after water damage caused by natural catastrophes. Never put your own health and that of your loved ones at risk – at the first sign of mold growth, call in professional mold inspection services immediately.

Engage Mold Inspection Services from Iris Environmental

When you engage mold testing services from Iris Environmental, this is what you can expect:

• A certified technician will enter your property to find traces of Mold Containing Material (ACM). An Air Quality Test will also be conducted if deemed necessary.
• Samples will be sent back to our certified laboratory for testing, and the results provided to you in a report. This will give you a clear idea of the ACM present in your property and point you towards a mold remediation solution that is most suitable for your particular case.
• Engage a third-party mold remediation company to take care of the problem. After they have carried out remediation services, a Clearance Air Test will typically be performed to ensure that mold fibers are no longer present in the air.

If you suspect that there is a mold problem in your property, do not delay and put your loved ones’ or workers’ health at risk. You can contact us at Iris Environmental to schedule a mold inspection appointment today.