Recently a young lady called me who has allergy symptoms in her home and asked me to do an Environmental Inspection. When I got to the house, she greeted me with a stuffy nose and red eyes. It was interesting because she was holding her cat so it would not run out when she opened the front door. She also said that it was her husband's cat for over 10 years and he would not get rid of the cat even if it affected my allergies. I found this a very troubling statement because this is a common scenario when we go to houses where one of the occupants is allergic to the pets in the house.
The following week, I had a client call me saying that "My House Is Killing Me" and wanted us to investigate and find out what it was. He was having Asthma symptoms in every room of the house. During the Environmental Inspection, I noticed an area over a closet that had water stains on it. This area was also adjacent to the Air Handler Closet. Decided to look in the attic and there it was: 10 cardboard boxes for storage that were covered with mold. Apparently, there was a roof leak above this area and the roof leak leaked into the boxes with minimal damage in the house. What happened was the A/C Closet had a hole in the ceiling and every time the Air Conditioning cycled on, it would suck air in from the attic which was next to the moldy boxes. The mold spores were being spread throughout the home via the A/C System.
These are typical stories of the type of clients we have worked with for the last 15 years. Some problems are easy to fix and others can get very complicated. We have witnessed first hand how mold can affect people with Asthma and Allergies. Women and children seem to suffer worse than men living in the same house. Why, I do not know. I once had a Doctor say that it could be hormonal. The sad thing is when the husband is not allergic in the house, there can be a lot of tension around the issue of Asthma and Allergies.
We also deal with a lot of individuals who have Chemical Sensitivity from some type of injury from the job. This is worse than Asthma or Allergies because they are reactive to every thing. It is tough living like this but they are troopers who keep trying to make it in a world that is full of chemicals that can affect them. A simple Glade Plugin will affect them and not affect other people. I give them credit for not giving up.
In conclusion, people can be allergic to their pets and not understand their allergies. Mold can be caused by roof leaks in hidden areas of a house and you do not even know it is happening. There can be tension in a home when one person is sick and other is not. Chemical Sensitivity can be an increased vulnerability to chemicals and other airborne irritants. It is hard to deal with also. If you feel that you have Asthma, Allergies or Chemical Sensitivity, call you Doctor immediately.
If you have any questions, feel free to call us or visit our website.
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