Re: Pillows

[Guest guest]

Jill,

Obviously, the condition and content of what you put next to your face for many

hours is very important.

For many individuals with allergies and/or asthma, feather-filled pillows (and

quilts) can be a serious health risk. I have had clients whose sinus problems

and nightly coughing bouts disappeared the day they threw out their feather

pillows and quilts. (The exposures from some pillows is comparable to having a

live bird, and hypersensitivity diseases comparable to those experienced by bird

handlers have occurred.)

I have taken dust samples from hundreds of feather-filled items. The actual

content is quite unpredictable. Some items are filled with bacteria-like

organisms that (I believe) grew in the feathers of the live bird. Other new or

old feather items emitted millions of asbestos-like, respirable feather

fragments. Older feather items, particularly pillows, can be severely infested

with dust mites.(See " feather bioaerosol " photos at:

http://www.myhouseiskillingme.com/photogallery.htm.)

I would recommend anything (even a folded towel!) before using a feather pillow.

(Be cautious about some other " natural " fiber-filled products. In one case, a

custom, $3,000 natural fiber-filled mattress, when purchased new, contained

mold-infested organic fibers!)

Pillows should not be refrigerated after use. Placement in a hot dryer weekly is

a good way to prevent the growth of mites and microorganisms. Always use mite

encasings as well. (And again, do not use the type of covers with holes, as

these let in moisture and let out mite allergens.)

The only way you will get mold to grow in a pillow is by going to bed with wet

hair, or by using a pillow from a damp basement.

C. May

May Indoor Air Investigations LLC

Cambridge, MA

www.mayindoorair.com

--

Reply to:

Jeff@...

>Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 02:49:39 -0000

>From: " jill1313 " <jenbooks13@...>

>Subject: Re: Pillows - a hot bed of fungal spores

>What is a dryer in a mold plume? Is that a dryer in somebody's moldy

..basement?

>I read this myeslf on eureka alert today and ordered new down pillows

>wholesale on the internet. It says pillows 1.5 years and older, so I

>guess if you replace your pillows every year you should be okay. Of

>course there are dust mites and bacteri aand fungi everywhere to some

>extent.

[Guest guest]

You guys really MUST get over this idea of " killing the mold " .

If you operate a dryer in a mold contaminated area, a great volume

of air containing fungal detritus passes through the clothing.

The clothing is now acting as a filter, giving you a greater

exposure to whatever exists in ambient air than simply hanging it

out to dry.

Since we know that decomposed fungal detritus which is no longer

microscopically recognizable as conidia still contains residual

toxins, this " toxic mold dust " is concentrated in your clothing

after the drying process.

Unless the clothing is tested for MYCOTOXINS instead of spores, the

lack of any " logical rationale " for a response will convince a

doctor that the clothing is perfectly safe and any claims of

reactivity must be a psychological problem.

While mold growing in a pillow is a definite problem, the lack

of " identifiable mold " does not rule out the possiblity of exposure.

And for those of you " RVing it " . I suggest that you remove the

covering of your foam mattress and inspect it very carefully.

Take it outside before underaking this - " Don't try this at home " .

-

[Guest guest]

Okay ,

I believe you on toxins but please advise me then. I am assuming I

can not avoid all toxins and that a only minor amount would result

from dryer in house that is cleaned of all growing mold. However

assuming I am wrong on that, I live in the midwest, WHERE DO I WASH

AND DRY MY CLOTHES??? ...or do I buy all new every week or two? If

so, where do I buy my clothes so they are mold free? I could try to

sew my own from cloth I weave myself. I DO have an old antique

weaver but that could probably clean with an antiseptic OUTSIDE far

away from here and brought back through an airlock chamber attached

to front door of my house. If I live like this, how do I ever go

out into a world filled with microbes my body has totally grown

unaccustomed to? How do I go to grocery. I can grow my own if I

date get that close to the soil full of microbes, which animals

carrying disease might have trampled on minutes before; but how do I

get together with friends, who probably have microbes on them? I

think this is excessive but if I am wrong please let me know how

you 'get around in this microbe infested world, and how to you get

together safely with exposed people'?

As for me, I'm going to kill mold I can't get rid of any other way

as in spite of everything I have read here and elsewhere and from

your postings, as I am MORE afraid of live mold. You should read

the posts in the Aspergillus group of people with bleeding lungs

from live mold infections which produce mycotoxins INSIDE OF THEIR

BODIES every day. I will take dead mold over live any day. If I

was on fear factor and had to chose between one of the other, I'd

say bring it on the dead mold or the toxins from it. As we know we

can get rid of toxins with CSM and other ways (I believe) but live

mold in our bodies is a never ending, or rarely ending, battle of

lifetime of antifungal medicine damaging the liver and only keeping

the fungus at bay, but never getting rid of it entirely.

>

> You guys really MUST get over this idea of " killing the mold " .

[Guest guest]

I appreciate the info about the driers and am going to start doing

tha every few weeks with my pillows.

Some clients probably do have bird/feather allergies, so they

definitely should stay away from such things. I don't believe I do as

I don't present with symptoms on such pillows and I am more sensitive

to the chemicals in polyester and foam.

Thanx for the points tho.

>

> Jill,

>

> Obviously, the condition and content of what you put next to your

face for many hours is very important.

>

> For many individuals with allergies and/or asthma, feather-filled

pillows (and quilts) can be a serious health risk. I have had clients

whose sinus problems and nightly coughing bouts disappeared the day

they threw out their feather pillows and quilts. (The exposures from

some pillows is comparable to having a live bird, and

hypersensitivity diseases comparable to those experienced by bird

handlers have occurred.)

>

> I have taken dust samples from hundreds of feather-filled items.

The actual content is quite unpredictable. Some items are filled with

bacteria-like organisms that (I believe) grew in the feathers of the

live bird. Other new or old feather items emitted millions of

asbestos-like, respirable feather fragments. Older feather items,

particularly pillows, can be severely infested with dust mites.

(See " feather bioaerosol " photos at:

http://www.myhouseiskillingme.com/photogallery.htm.)

>

> I would recommend anything (even a folded towel!) before using a

feather pillow. (Be cautious about some other " natural " fiber-filled

products. In one case, a custom, $3,000 natural fiber-filled

mattress, when purchased new, contained mold-infested organic fibers!)

>

> Pillows should not be refrigerated after use. Placement in a hot

dryer weekly is a good way to prevent the growth of mites and

microorganisms. Always use mite encasings as well. (And again, do not

use the type of covers with holes, as these let in moisture and let

out mite allergens.)

>

> The only way you will get mold to grow in a pillow is by going to

bed with wet hair, or by using a pillow from a damp basement.

>

> C. May

> May Indoor Air Investigations LLC

> Cambridge, MA

> www.mayindoorair.com

>

>

> --

> Reply to:

> Jeff@m...

>

>

> >Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 02:49:39 -0000

> >From: " jill1313 " <jenbooks13@h...>

> >Subject: Re: Pillows - a hot bed of fungal spores

>

> >What is a dryer in a mold plume? Is that a dryer in somebody's

moldy

> .basement?

>

> >I read this myeslf on eureka alert today and ordered new down

pillows

> >wholesale on the internet. It says pillows 1.5 years and older, so

I

> >guess if you replace your pillows every year you should be okay.

Of

> >course there are dust mites and bacteri aand fungi everywhere to

some

> >extent.

>

>

[Guest guest]

I just bought pillow protectors at WalMart that look good.The brand is

Aller-Ease and are 100% cotton. On the back it states that " Aller-Ease is

condstructed of tightly woven yarns. The specialty yarns create extremely small

pores in the fabric that trap dust mites & dust allergens while allowing air &

moisture vapor to escape. " You can also wash in hot water.

Has anyone ever use these? Our pillows are the foam contour type that are

great for back problems, We're going to give these covers a try & see how

they work.

Sue

[Guest guest]

Someone mentioned putting pillows in plastic encasings and then cotton

over that. I've been looking for plastic pillow encasings but can't

find any. Where did you (person who posted that) get them??

Thanks barbb

[Guest guest]

Oh well, I found them when I replaced word 'plastic' for 'vinyl'.

Anyway, has anyone tried more than one type and can recommend. I know

my vinyl mattress cover was a little crunchy sounding.

>

> Someone mentioned putting pillows in plastic encasings and then

cotton

> over that. I've been looking for plastic pillow encasings but can't

> find any. Where did you (person who posted that) get them??

> Thanks barbb

>