Why drying clothes in a room can expose your health

Hanging washing to parched in the garden was a scarce sight in the last few months, and winter storms bring freezing temperatures and wind gusts 100 km / h. But are the way we parched our clothes in the room?

Drying moist clothing on stands in poorly ventilated spaces can augment the amount of mold growing at home, which is associated with bad health, and in some cases even death.

When the mold grows at home, it can create black or green slices on the walls and usually creates an unpleasant musty smell. It should not be ignored, because exposure to mold for a long time can have solemn health consequences.

Molder is a wide term for a group of mushrooms that produce petite particles called spores. Mushrooms produce spores when the conditions are suitable for their growth, which may include cooler temperatures and high humidity. That is why it is more likely that mold is growing on bathroom ceilings or moist walls, where mushroom spores are more water to settle and develop.

There are many different species of mold. The most common that cause problems in moist homes Penicillium AND Aspergillus. It is estimated that we breathe a petite number of spores from these mushrooms on daily basics.

Fortunately, our immune system is very good in detecting and killing fungal spores, which limits the number of fungal lung infections in humans, despite the fact that we are constantly exposed. Immune cells called macrophages Sit in the aerial spaces of the lungs (called follicles), and these cells eat everything you inhale, which can be considered harmful, including mushroom spores.

Risk of an endangered immune system

However, there are many people whose immune system is unable Remove mushroom sporesIn these cases, mushrooms can cause risky infections or cause that health conditions (such as asthma) underlying the underlying conditions are much worse.

People who have damaged or endangered immune systems They are more exposed to solemn anger of the disease due to fungal infections. Forms such as Aspergillus They cause infections in patients with a confined immune function or who have lung damage during diseases such as asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) associated with severe smoking.

In people with asthma, the immune system reacts to triggers (including fungal spores) causing pneumonia. This inflammation makes breathing complex by reducing the size of the respiratory tract. The same type of immune response is responsible for the symptoms of asthma and allergic reactions, and mushroom spores can also cause them The same types of immune answers. This means that mushroom spores can be a particularly powerful trigger for some people.

In very extreme cases, fungal spores do not only cause inflammation, but they can attack the respiratory tract and block them leading to lung bleeding. This happens when the spores germinate and create long projections reminiscent of SpiderB called mycelium, which form sticky lumps that block the respiratory tract and damage fragile lung tissues.

Growing resistance

Aspergillus Infections are treated with antifungal drugs called Azolewhich prevent the proper formation of mushroom cells. Azole is very effective, but they are Growing resistance speeds to Azoli reported in Aspergillus What is an essential reason for concern.

We have Limited range Antifungal drugs available for the treatment of mold infections – and when resistance develops, this can seriously reduce the options that the patient has for treatment.

Drug resistance such as Azole may develop in patients who take these drugs for a long time, but recent studies have indicated that resistance is more often developing in the environmentwhere most of the mushrooms were found. This means that even before diagnosing the patient Aspergillus Infection may be too overdue for antifungal drugs to be effective.

The development of drug resistance in environmental fungi was associated with the employ of azoli and other antifungal drugs in agriculture. Fungal infections are A big problem for cropsAnd plants need protection against these infections in the same way as we do. Unfortunately, the same drugs we employ in the clinic are the same types that are used in agriculture.

Climate change can also cause drug resistance in environmental fungi. High temperature exposure Recently, it has been found that they facilitate in developing resistance to widely prescribed antifungal drugs. Was also Patients’ illness reports Of the species of mold, which were not considered human diseases, partly because they could not grow at the temperature of the human body.

Therefore, more species of mold can raise Ability to cause infectionand also become resistant to drugs. Research programs and healthcare initiatives This monitor for these changes is necessary to facilitate us prepare for a potential augment in mold infection.

Although a well immune system means that a typical exposure to fungal spores will probably not cause any health problems, exposure to very enormous amounts of fungal spores may be fatal, even for people who do not have basic health problems.

In 2020 Toddler Awaab isaac He died as a result of high exposure to mushroom spores, caused by excessive moisture and mold in his house.

His death led to a change in law in Great Britain (AWM is a law), which requires the owners to answer immediately to moisture in homes that manage so that tenants are not exposed to excessive levels of fungal spores which can affect Their physical and mental health.

It is therefore essential to facilitate keep your house without mold. The best way to make sure you have good ventilation and take other means to reduce moisture, such as the employ of a dehumidifier or investing in a heated clothes rack to parched clothes in winter in winter.