Your Health With Mold

Mold growth can impact your health in several different ways. During mold growth, some molds (known as toxigenic fungi) produce mycotoxins. These are potentially toxic substances or chemicals. The major mycotoxin groups are Aflatoxin, Ochratoxin, Citrinin, Ergot alkaloids, Patulin, and Fusarium. There are over 200 identified mycotoxins. You can be exposed to them through inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact. Later in this course, we will discuss ways to protect yourself from these methods of exposure. Some of these mycotoxins are known to cause health issues, while many of them are not fully understood.

The more you are exposed to mold, the more you increase your potential for becoming sensitive to it. Aside from mycotoxin production, molds can also produce allergens and irritants. The mold does not have to be living to cause a person to have a response. Some people are allergic to dead mold as well. An allergic response may not always be immediate, and oftentimes, there is a delay before a person has a reaction. Allergic responses to mold and irritation responses include the following:

• Headache
• Sneezing
• Runny nose
• Red eyes
• Rash or dermatitis
• Eye irritation
• Skin irritation
• Nose irritation
• Throat irritation
• Lung irritation

Occasionally, other health effects can occur, such as the following:

• Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (which resembles bacterial pneumonia)
• Infections in immunocompromised people
• Aggravated asthma symptoms

To learn more about Mold visit our Mold Abatement, Remediation & Removal Online Training web page.