Can Mold Affect My Health?

11/4/2019 (Permalink)

Sneeze

Molds spores are everywhere. Many different kinds of molds are present in buildings, and not all molds are as a risk to your health. Molds affects people differently.

Chemical Compounds

Molds produce two types of chemical compounds to which occupants of water-damaged buildings may be exposed:
• Mycotoxins are known to cause health problems in humans.
• Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds (mVOCs) result in unpleasant smells in our
homes.

Mycotoxins are poisonous substances. (“Myco” means fungus, so think of mycotoxins as “fungi toxins.”) They are designed for chemical warfare against other organisms, even against other types of molds. Living molds may produce mycotoxins to discourage other molds or bacteria from growing in the same territory. Unfortunately, humans who inhale, ingest, or touch mycotoxins may have a toxic reaction. Not all molds produce mycotoxins; furthermore, molds that can produce mycotoxins do not produce them in all situations.

Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds are called mVOCs. mVOCs are produced by chemical changes that take place during the mold life process. They are waste products given off by actively growing molds. Some mVOCs produce musty and moldy odors. Research has not proven that exposure to mVOCs causes health effects, but the odors from mVOCs may indicate a level of mold contamination requiring remediation. Research is ongoing as to how chemical compounds from mold relate to health effects in humans.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated that more studies are needed to understand the relation between mycotoxins and health. Also according to EPA, research in mVOCs is still in an early phase.2 Perhaps one of the most extensive studies on mold’s health effects is the report by the Institute of Medicine.

Click here to read how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines how mold and dampness affects your health.