Health Effects of Mold

Many molds can produce a variety of allergenic substances, odorous chemicals, and toxic metabolites. The specific agents produced by mold that can affect human health are not always predictable; they may vary in type, quantity, and strength from species to species and even form one strain or isolate to another of  the same mold species. For example, a colony that is producing specific harmful agents at one time might not produce the same agents if the conditions where it is growing change, or if it spreads to a new location with a different set of micro-environmental conditions. The situation is further complicated by the fact that multiple species of mold are often present when an indoor mold problem exists, and each species may be influenced differently form the others as micro-environmental factors change.

In order for mold to affect health, it must contact or enter the body. People are mainly exposed to mold by inhaling spores and by skin/eye contact. Mold also releases a mixture of various volatile organic chemicals into the air that people breathe and that may impact health.

When people are exposed to high levels of mold, especially when it proliferates indoors, a spectrum of health effects may occur. Allergic symptoms are the most common problems, such as mucous membrane irritation, rhinitis, and rashes. More severe effects, such as asthma attacks, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, infections, or toxic reactions, may occur. However, since susceptibility to the effects of molds varies among humans, health impacts from similar exposures also can vary greatly from person to person and may not be readily predictable for some individuals and situations. Persons who are most likely to be susceptible include those with respiratory problems, such as allergies or asthma, or a compromised immune system, the elderly, and the very young.

Even when an indoor mold problem has been characterized as well as is possible, there will always be uncertainty regarding if, or how, the health of occupants may be affected. In fact, for a number of practical and logical reasons, the possibility that some portion of any group exposed to molds will suffer adverse health effects can never be ruled out when mold is found growing in occupied areas. Given that there is considerable uncertainty about the health consequences of exposure to contaminants from indoor problems, it is recommended that any mold growing inside be regarded as a sign of a potential (current or future) health hazard that should be corrected properly as soon as possible.

It should be noted that the staff at ESS-Environmental Structural Solutions are not physicians and no conclusion(s) should be made in regard to spore levels having any connection to an occupant’s symptoms or illness. It is recommended that anybody who believes they have health problems related to mold seek professional medical attention.