Mold Control

Moisture and its lethal consequences
Hazard no. 1 for all old and new buildings: the problem of moisture and mold. In statistical terms nearly one building in three is already affected. In practical terms, excessive amounts of water in buildings leads to mold, and hence serious damage costing billions. The trend is on the increase, every year. Quality of living, preservation of value, fabric of the building and, last but not least, the health of occupants, tend to suffer considerably.

There are many causes of damp, which may vary from case to case and are often not immediately apparent. Water penetrates the building ...

... from outside – e.g. due to weak points and cracks in the exterior of the building, faulty damp proofing and flooding,

... from inside – e.g. in the form of "condensation" caused by a lack of thermal insulation, due to construction materials containing salts, due to internal condensation as a result of a high level of moisture caused by occupancy (washing, drying, cooking, taking showers, etc.),

... due to moisture emerging from the structure: e.g. water damage, leaks, burst pipes, and moisture typical of new buildings.

Effective, low-cost repairs must therefore be systematic, using products which selectively counteract the cause of the various consequences. redstone offers the ideal system solutions for this. Products for mold disinfection and air sterilization, products for the reduction of indoor humidity and solutions for structural defects due to inadequate internal insulation.

The name of redstone stands for holistic protection against moisture, a healthy living climate and intact building fabric.

Damage

Mold – and nothing is safe any more
There are approximately 250,000 different species of mold and about 100,000 have been biologically recorded. Most of them are highly resistant and very destructive. The fungus uses water and/or a material as a substrate; the consequence is discolorations, followed by toxic substances (mycotoxins). Or dense networks of fungus (mycelium) settle on natural substances and construction materials. In houses it affects wallpaper and materials (discolorations from grey to black), but in particular expansion joints, window panes and synthetic floor coverings. Although glass, mineral construction materials (stone) and metals in their pure forms are immune, deposits of dust, grease, etc. offer the mold an adequate nutrient substrate on those surfaces as well. By excreting highly caustic metabolic products and acids the fungi can even cope with extremely hard materials.

Mold makes you ill!
So it is no wonder mold has disastrous effects on human health, for example in the form of mycogenic allergies, most frequently due to irritant and toxic effects. About six per cent of the population is affected. Allergic reactions particularly occur in the mucous membranes of the eyes and respiratory passages. Typical symptoms are a runny nose (symptoms similar to those of hay fever), bouts of sneezing, tears, itching, headache, feeling unwell and often also including asthmatic complaints. Ten percent of allergy asthmatics are sensitized to mold.

Illnesses are far more dramatic in the case of people with weak immune systems, such as cancer and HIV patients. They even sustain damage to the inner ear, external auditory canal, arteries, cornea of the eye, spinal cord and paranasal sinuses.

Mold brings on the cold
As mold appears – a sign of a high level of humidity in a room – the quality of living drops, and heating costs rise dramatically: moisture affects the thermal insulation properties of the house or can, in extreme cases, wipe them out altogether

redstone says goodbye mold
Most chemical products, especially the conventional poisonous cocktails, are unable to combat mold in the long term. They tend to harm human beings more than the fungus. However, without water, fungus loses its basis for survival and dies. This is where redstone products come in, dehumidifying in several ways: by means of highly effective special-purpose mold disinfection and air sterilization products which do not have any negative impact on human beings or animals; in addition, systems for reducing indoor humidity as well as solutions for structural defects and problems with internal insulation.