The Dangers of Mold
This might not come as a surprise, but mold can be incredibly detrimental to your health. As with many harmful things, pregnant women, young children, and the elderly are especially susceptible. When it comes to mold effecting your health, there are few things to consider; mold sensitivity, respiratory problems, mold-related infections, and severe and chronic symptoms.
Mold Sensitivity
Mold can have varying effects on the people that come into contact with it. For some, they may not show symptoms right away. Others can show symptoms almost immediately after exposure. For example, you may not show any symptoms of mold sensitivity, but if your mom visits for the weekend, she might start showing symptoms after the first day. So, don’t think that mom is crazy, and just nagging you about your house (even though, that’s still a possibility). She could just be showing signs of mold sensitivity.
Read the list of possible symptoms below, so you know what to look out for:
- Chest and nasal congestion
- Coughing, sneezing and wheezing
- Sore throat
- Watering, dry or sore eyes
- Skin irritation
- Headaches
Respiratory Problems
If exposed long enough, healthy people can fall victim to respiratory issues from mold in their home. Extended exposure to mold can lead to typical respiratory issues like coughing, sneezing, and wheezing. It can also lead to more serious issues like asthma. It’s especially harmful to developing children. If a child is growing up in a home with mold problems, they may develop chronic respiratory issues due to exposure during their crucial physical development stages.
Mold-Related Infections
People suffering with compromised immune systems, or chronic lung problems are at an even higher risk for mold-related complications. Some might even develop infections in their lungs due to the harmful effects of mold. This is where mold gets deadly. According the the CDC “People, especially those with weakened immune systems, can develop invasive mold infections days to weeks after exposure to fungi that live in the environment. Exposure to indoor mold that grows as a result of water damage may increase this risk.”
Severe and Chronic Conditions
Certain types of mold produce mycotoxins, a dangerous toxic by-product that can be absorbed by the skin, airways and intestinal lining. Extended exposure to to these mold-caused toxins can lead to severe and even deadly conditions. Some of the potentially dangerous symptoms of mycotoxigenic exposure include:
- Pulmonary fibrosis (scarring in the lungs)
- Cancer
- Pulmonary bleeding
- Immune and blood disorders
- Liver and kidney conditions
- Neurotoxicity (toxic nervous system)
- Pregnancy conditions
- Digestive and heart conditions
Final Takeaway
All in all, it’s pretty clear that mold can cause many different negative effects to your health. All of this scary stuff about mold has one lesson behind it: you need to get