What are the health effects of mold exposure?
The type and severity of health effects that mold may produce are usually difficult to predict. The risks can vary greatly from one location to another, over time, and from person to person. The most common health problems caused by indoor mold are allergy symptoms including nasal and sinus congestion, cough, wheeze/breathing difficulties, sore throat, skin and eye irritation, upper respiratory infections (including sinus. Infants and children, elderly people, individuals with respiratory conditions or sensitivities such as allergies and asthma, persons having weakened immune systems (for example, people with HIV infection, chemotherapy patients, organ transplant recipients) exposed to mold may be affected more severely and sooner than others.
Most types of mold that we are exposed to every day are not hazardous to healthy individuals. However, some people are more sensitive to mold than others, especially people with allergies, and/or asthma. Mold can trigger asthma attacks so those people who suffer from asthma are more at risk when exposed to mold spores in the environment. Certain types of molds can produce toxins, called mycotoxins, that the mold uses to inhibit or prevent the growth of other organisms. Mycotoxins can be found in both living and dead mold spores, so they can continue to cause problems even if the surface area containing the mold has been cleaned. Exposure to mycotoxins may present a greater hazard than that of allergenic or irritating molds. Mold reports are a common part of weather broadcasts on daily news programs, alerting people who are sensitive to restrict their exposure to outdoor mold spores.
