THE HEALTH HAZARDS OF DAMP AND MOULD

Let's explore the risks associated with damp and mould, and how to protect your family.

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Damp and mould aren’t just cosmetic problems - they can have significant impacts on your family’s health. From respiratory issues to mental health concerns, these hidden home hazards can take a toll on everyone. To appreciate the consequences of mould and damp, it’s important to understand exactly what they are.

WHAT IS DAMP?

Damp occurs when excess moisture accumulates in your home, seeping into walls, ceilings or floors. Dampness can make its way into your property from outside, such as rising moisture from the ground, or else it comes from moisture within the home. Common causes include poor ventilation or seals around baths and sinks, leaking pipes and general condensation. Damp can create the ideal environment for mould growth, which is where health issues often begin.

PENETRATING OR RISING DAMP?

Damp isn’t one-size-fits-all. Penetrating damp occurs when water makes its way into your home from outside, seeping through cracks or gaps in your home’s structure. It might sometimes be a building fault, such as an upstairs apartment leak, or simply poorly sealed doors and windows that allow moisture inside over time. Common reasons behind penetrating damp in villas include blocked gutters and roofing issues. Whatever the cause, repairing these faults promptly is essential to stop the spread.

Rising damp, on the other hand, is a relatively rare type of damp that affects the walls of a building. It happens when moisture from the ground travels upward through walls due to the absence of a dampproof course. You’ll spot the tell-tale signs of this on your internal walls in the form of a visible stain, known as a ‘tide’ mark, which is the point the water has risen to. Addressing this requires professional intervention, such as installing or repairing the damp-proof barrier in your home’s foundation and can be quite costly, but is essential to maintain the integrity of the building.