Mold is everywhere. It is just a fact of life. And that’s ok, because it was made to help clean up our world of debris and turn it into nutrients needed for life.
We all know, with mold illness, we need to do all we can to keep our indoor environment clean of molds and their mycotoxins. After all, we can’t get well in the environment that made us sick.
So one of the first things I think of, after my indoor world is as clean as I can get it, is to keep it clean of those molds and mycotoxins. So as a practitioner, and in dealing with my own mold illness, I recommend using an air purifier, especially in your sleeping area.
So this post gives you the reasons why you need one, how to pick it, and my recommendations.
So how do molds and mycotoxins get in our bodies anyway?
Have you ever seen, on a sunny day, the particles floating in the air where the sun is shining through your window? Those are particles you can see. There are also particles you can’t see that are floating on those particles.
95% of the particles in the air you can’t see.
We can breathe in those particles. Some of those are ultrafine, or nano, particles. They get lodged deep within our lungs. Mold spores are about 3 to 5 microns in size. They can get in there and cause all kinds of havoc. But the mycotoxins are about 50 times smaller and can go way deep into the lungs and into the bloodstream from there. Then you probably realize they can go anywhere once they are in the bloodstream.
They not only can be inhaled from the air into your lungs, but you can also ingest them to get them into your intestinal tract and get them into your skin. Mycotoxins cause leaky gut so they can also get into your bloodstream from there as well.
There are just multiple ways to get them into your body without realizing it.
3 pollutant categories
There are at least three kinds of pollutants we need to be concerned about in our indoor environments. These would be:
- Particulates
- VOCs
- Bio Areosols
The particulates range in size from ultrafine (can’t see them with the naked eye) to large particles (may not be seen with the naked eye or only when the sun is shining in the window ;-). Larger particles are things like sand dust, fire, diesel smoke. Ultrafine particles are only developed through combustion processes like wood fires, industry, cigarette smoke, etc. There is a lot more of these ultrafine particles, so harder for the lungs to deal with. It’s also harder because they can go deeper into the lungs and create inflammation. So a good air cleaner would be great to get those caught up so you don’t breathe them in. Particles are not the only problem because VOCs use them to get into the air.
The VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are chemicals; cleaning products, fragrances, paints, pretty much all gassy things. They are smaller in size then mold spores.
Bio Aerosols are a subcategory of particles. They include things like mold, bacteria, viruses, and pollen. These also float on the larger particles in the air. That is what makes them so easy to get into your system, and we can’t see them at all without a microscope. And as I said before, they can get through the cells in your lungs to your bloodstream, and then go pretty much anywhere in the body from there.
So what are the health effects of these pollutants?
For us with mold illness, all of these pollutants can cause problems.
Exhaust smoke can kill. Just regular particles can cause asthma attacks, lung cancer, and just plain interfere with how your lungs work.
VOCs can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation. They can also cause shortness of breath, headaches, nausea, and dizziness. If there is enough of them getting in the lungs, they can cause damage to the lungs, liver, kidneys, or central nervous system. The list goes on because these are small enough to get most anywhere.
We all know what kinds of things the bio aerosol of mold toxins do to us. They are so small they get anywhere they want to go in our bodies. We have dealt with breathing problems, gut issues, eye problems, brain problems, nerve issues, bladder issues, fatigue and weakness, and the list goes on and on. If you have mold illness, you know exactly what I am talking about.
If you get an air purifier for your home, especially your bedroom, you can alleviate the chronic attack on your body. You may even be able to heal better.
How to look for a good air purifier?
There are a lot of pretty good air purifiers on the market these days. You have HEPA, ULPA, Ionizers, and so many others to choose from.
I personally, at the time of writing this blog, have an Air Oasis G3. It doesn’t need to have a filter changed on it ever, which is real nice. It does need to have the unit cleaned once a year. It ionizes the air, so it changes the electrical charge in the air to make the particles too heavy to stay in the air and they fall where you can vacuum and dust them up. And they are not supposed to put out ozone which is nice too because ozone is not good for your lung health.
The next air purifier I want to get is the Intellipure. I may even just use both at once. The Intellipure will clean your area once per hour completely. Of course, than you do have to get one sized for the space you will have it in. It works on a great system that uses multiple filters and electricity to kill and capture those little mold buggers we don’t want in our bodies and therefore our homes. The filters are really easy to change, and the air coming out of them is 99.99% clean. They even get out viruses!
So I would get a particle counter and check out your air purifier that you want to buy. See what the particle count is going into the purifier and what it is coming out. Also, find out how many times per hour they clean the space. Then make sure that it is sized for the area you are using it in.
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