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Why is black mold - or any mold - a concern?
- Black mold and other mold can harm us in multiple ways. Evidence suggests many common molds can depress the immune system, affect us neurologically, cause asthma and other respiratory conditions, grow in our bodies, cause infection, etc.
For a medical review of established physical effects of mold, go to the website of the US Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/iaq, and click on "Mold." On the link page, scroll down almost to the bottom and click on Guidance for Clinicians on the Recognition and Management of Health Effects Related to Mold Exposure and Moisture Indoors.
At one conference I attended (Fifth Annual Conference on Bioaerosols, Fungi, Bacteria and Mycotoxins Conference on Bioaerosols, Fungi, Bacteria, and Mycotoxins), a researcher gave her opinion that research may eventually prove that the most serious effects from mold may be suppression of the immune system. She cautioned us to be patient, adding that the research that was needed would be tedious and would take time. Further, the funding climate for mold research is not friendly.
- Mold can possibly harm us permanently. There is some evidence that neurological effects on susceptible individuals can cause permanent brain impairment, as from Stachybotrys toxins.
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- Mold can most likely cause asthma. While research has not "proven" this, many physicians believe it. One doctor from a Canadian environmental clinic told me that five people in one family became asthmatic after a mold incident at their home.
- Mold can kill you. The common indoor mold Aspergillus can grow in lung tissue. Normally breathing in stray spores is not a concern, because the immune system handles them. But if the numbers of spores get so high that they overwhelm the capacity of the immune system to destroy them, then spores can "take root" in bodily tissue. For this reason, we emphasize the use of an N95 respirator when cleaning up mold or when going into a heavily contaminated area.
A NJ woman called for information about a mold inspection. Her daughter was in a hospital in Pensacola, FL, with kidney failure from spreading Aspergillus infection. The woman was hoping to bring the daughter to her house but first wanted to make sure there was no mold growth there. I never heard back from the woman so do not know if the daughter ever made it out of the hospital.
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EnviroHealth Consulting, Inc., 1-888-735-9649
Mold and other environmental inspections available in
Connecticut - Maryland - New Jersey - New York - Pennsylvania - Virginia - Washington DC and other areas
may@createyourhealthyhome.com.
Updated 6-23-07 |
