EPA Reports Excess Moisture in Homes is Threat to Health, Structural Integrity

March 28, 2011 - PRLog -- A recent US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report on indoor air quality notes that trapped moisture can have dire effects on a home's structural integrity as well as residents' health.  Biological growth, like mold and mildew, is highly common when excess moisture is present in a home.  Presence of mold and mildew in turn can spawn negative health effects, including asthma attacks and other serious upper respiratory illnesses.

While some indoor humidity is caused by vapor from cooking, showering, and drying clothing, trapped moisture often is the result of water seeping through cracks and gaps in exterior walls and a home's foundation.  As the EPA report points out, “proper air-sealing, proper use of vapor barriers, and vapor diffusion strategies” are necessary to keep a home as energy efficient as possible.

“When Spring arrives here in North Carolina, it typically brings soaking rains along with it, which means increased moisture that can affect your home,” says Donnie Shelton, President & CEO of Triangle Pest Control.  “Unfortunately, most homeowners don't think about moisture control until they discover mold growth or structural damage to their home.”

Likewise, many common pests are drawn to homes with moisture problems.  Some, like millipedes and centipedes, are merely a nuisance.  Other, such as termites, can pose a major threat, as Shelton notes.

“Subterranean termites love moisture.  Trapped moisture in your basement or crawlspace is an open invitation for termites to invade and destroy your home.”

In addition to providing pest control and termite extermination services to residential customers throughout the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill-Cary region, Triangle Pest Control offers services to protect homes from trapped moisture.  These include creating temporary vents to reduce trapped humidity, installing French drains to channel water away from a home’s foundation, as well as installing vapor barriers to prevent seepage of outdoor moisture.

Shelton says that homeowners themselves also can take certain steps to help prevent trapped moisture.

“We encourage homeowners to do things like caulking cracks in their foundations, sealing and insulating pipes, and making sure shrubs and debris aren’t blocking vents.  All of these are great ways to ensure your home is energy efficient and properly ventilated.”

Triangle Pest Control has been the leader in pest prevention, pest control, and bed bug extermination in the greater Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill-Cary region of North Carolina since 2003.

# # #

Founded in 2003, Triangle Pest Control is the state leader in Bed Bug Management. A Raleigh extermination company, Triangle Pest Control specializes in an integrated pest management process that includes both elimination and prevention. The company has a firm commitment to working only with materials that have maximize the safety of families, children, and pets and is ranked #1 in customer service among Raleigh pest control companies.