Kabi-Mondai Frequently Asked Questions
Q.
Our family moved to
Tokyo
just under 2 years ago. I had some allergies before
coming to Japan. However, since coming to
Japan,
my allergies have been more frequent and stronger. My
supervisors asked me to see an allergist in February 2005.
After testing, my top 4
allergies proved to be mould, ragweed, red alder, and Japanese cedar.
At first, I have tried some simple natural and over-the-counter
answers to my allergies, and tried to plow through the more challenging
weeks. Recently, I started doing some more web
research too. The 3 pollen allergies (ragweed, alder,
& Japanese cedar) seem to be manageable by understanding the seasons for
these pollens and taking allergy medicine (even in advance of the season
if possible). I am scheduled to consult further with a
couple of physicians this week.
The mould issue seems to
be a different category. I sent some of my web
research to our supervisors, and requested a mould inspection to rule out
the more dangerous types of mould. The response that I
am receiving so far is a reluctance to invest in the mould inspection,
because it would likely be very expensive. Instead,
one option being discussed the possibility of moving us and simply tearing
the building down (which is owned by the company) after we move.
We are open to moving soon (even though school has just started for
our 3 girls), since some moulds can be so serious.
If we DO move and DO
NOT do a mould inspection (and the building is torn down in roughly a
year), our question is, “What proof will we have that our roughly 2 years
here might have significantly contributed to family health concerns down
the line?” We prefer to know yes or no whether any of
the moulds in this house may be related to some health issues.
From what I have read on the internet, our home is very vulnerable
to the conditions for mould.
One key decision-maker
in our company should be back in country tomorrow. It
is possible this matter may be discussed at some level within the company
as soon as Wednesday or Thursday of this week. Any and
all counsel would be appreciated. Here are some
questions:
1)
What is
your perspective of the situation I have described?
2)
We do not
prefer to do the mould testing ourselves, because we know that we are not
professionals, and we do not want our unprofessional conclusions to be the
basis of decision-making for our family or the company. Could
you recommend any professionals in
Japan?
3)
What kind
of cost for a mould inspection would be fair?
A. Mould test kits used by your
following our instructions are very effective, especially when you have
the test kit lab results done by our nearby Philippines lab [only US$20
per mould lab sample]. You are not going to find top-knotch experts in mould
[kabi in Japanese] in Japan because mould is not yet a concern to
Japanese---YET. Mould test kits are available at
http://www.moldmart.net
and would be sent to you in Japan via FedEx from the USA. If you want me
to come personally from the Philippines to help you do thorough mould
inspection and testing, I can do that, but airfare and travel to Japan is,
of course, costly, even from the nearby Philippines. With your family's
health problems, you would be wise to move a mould-safe place as soon as
possible. Prior to moving into the new place to live, be sure to use mould
test kits to mould test the air of each room therein and of the outward air
flow from each heating/cooling duct register for the possible presence of
elevated levels of airborne mould spores, in comparison to an outdoor mould
control test. Mould is a huge health risk in Japan because of the nation's
rampant, unmitigated mould growth. |
