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Are we being exposed to mold?

I live in a duplex in Ohio with my husband and 3 children ages 6, 2, and 1. For over 3 months now we have all been coughing and wheezing. I believe this is due to either mold exposure or exposure to the smell of dog feces and urine. Our neighbors on the other side of the duplex at one point had 5 puppies who peed and pooped all over their house and they would leave it there for days. Then they started putting them in the storage closet when they would leave for hours at a time and the dogs used the closet as their own personal bathroom so now the smell of their dogs is heavily seeping into our house.

We have all be coughing and had colds and my daughters have had ear infections. My husband and I get headaches non stop and he has ever had nosebleeds. My 1 year old son has had a runny nosy for 2 1/2 months now. I have had migraines and I am always feeling fatigued. The list goes on and on....

As for the mold, I am pretty sure there is mold growing in the storage closet where the urine seeped through to our side. I have spoken to the landlords and they haven't done anything so I have begun contacting the health department and code officials.

My question is could repeated exposure to mold or dog urine/feces cause the symptoms I mentioned above.
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replied March 21st, 2012
Both urine and mold release MVOC's- Microbial volatile organic Compounds, which can definatly cause the symptoms you and your family are experiencing. I would recommend having some mold testing and air quality done, which you may have to pay for up front and prove to your landlord that something needs to be done and then have the landlord pay you back. I would make sure that the tests are done by an industrial Hygenist/Engineer. They will recommend that steps that need to follow after the testing. First and for most take action quickly mold is toxic and more dangerous to your children because their immune system is smaller.
There is a lot of great information on this site
I hope this helps
Best of luck
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