What symptoms are commonly associated with mold exposure?
The most common health effects caused by mold exposure include mucous membrane discomfort (eye, nose, and throat irritation), rhinitis (runny nose), headache, fatigue, and upper respiratory tract problems. Often the symptoms will reduce, or completely subside, when the person leaves the affected building. When dealing with young children, or elderly individuals, additional precautions should be taken. This is because a child’s immune system is still developing, and an elderly person’s immune system is declining. For children, prolonged exposure to elevated concentrations of mold spores may be a cause of asthma. In fact, asthma is the most common chronic illness among children in the United States . A child who develops asthma at an early age will most likely feel the effects for life. More severe health effects associated with mold exposure includes hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP). HP is an immunologically-mediated reaction to specific biological antigens from plants, insects, bacter
