Case Study: Hidden water heater leak caused mycotoxin illness in wife and daughter

A Franklin family was suffering. The wife and daughter experienced persistent headaches, nausea, brain fog, and sinus issues that wouldn't go away. When the wife got tested, the results confirmed what they feared: mycotoxins in her system—a clear sign of mold exposure.

But their home looked clean. No visible mold anywhere. They couldn't figure out where the exposure was coming from. Two years earlier, they'd had a water heater leak upstairs. Someone came out, fixed it, and dried everything out. The problem was supposed to be solved.

Claro conducted comprehensive air quality testing to locate the hidden source of the family's mycotoxin exposure. The results revealed significant contamination that had been growing silently for two years.

The living room showed a MoldSCORE of 286 with 890 spores per cubic meter indoors compared to only 430 outside. The daughter's bedroom registered a MoldSCORE of 135 with 430 spores indoors matching outdoor levels—suggesting contamination was spreading from elsewhere in the home.

The source became clear: the water heater leak from two years ago had created moisture behind walls and in hidden spaces. While the visible damage had been dried, moisture had penetrated into wall cavities where it couldn't be reached by surface drying. Over two years, mold had established itself in these hidden spaces, releasing mycotoxins into the air that the family breathed every day.

The wife's mycotoxin test results weren't a mystery anymore. The headaches, nausea, brain fog, and sinus issues were all symptoms of chronic mold exposure from contamination they couldn't see but that was affecting their health profoundly.

Understanding the urgency—especially with confirmed mycotoxins in the wife's system—the family moved forward with treatment immediately. Claro performed comprehensive whole-home dry fog treatment, with special attention to behind-wall spaces where the hidden contamination had established itself.

Post-treatment testing confirmed complete remediation: total culturable fungi dropped to less than 13 CFU/m³ throughout the home. The living room's 890 spores were eliminated. The daughter's bedroom was clean. The hidden mold that had been releasing mycotoxins for two years was finally gone.

Within days of treatment, the family began noticing improvements. The persistent headaches started lifting. The brain fog cleared. The nausea subsided. For the first time in what felt like forever, they could breathe easily in their own home.

This case demonstrates a critical truth about water damage: fixing what you can see doesn't always fix what you can't see. That water heater leak two years ago had created hidden contamination that continued making the family sick long after the visible damage was repaired. Proper remediation means addressing not just surface damage, but the hidden spaces where moisture can linger and create long-term health problems.