What Health Problems Are Caused by Mold?
If you are experiencing a mold problem in your house or apartment, you probably have a list of concerns. How bad it is? How much is it going to cost to remove? And most importantly, what are the health risks you’re being exposed to?
Just like any medical condition, the health outcomes of mold exposure are widely varied. Some populations, for instance, are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of mold, while others will only experience minor symptoms.
Other factors including severity of the mold problem, air circulation, temperature, and length of time of exposure, will also determine the risk of health issues. Since there are so many variables at play, it’s a good idea to prepare yourself with as much information as you can so that you can begin to assess the risks and identify the signs.
To help you, here’s a comprehensive guide to health risks associated with mold exposure.
What Exactly Are the Risks of Mold Exposure?
As you may know, mold is a type of fungus that thrives in humid, warm climates, and is spread through the air by releasing spores, which are invisible to the human eye. When you breathe these spores, they can have a range of effects on your respiratory system, skin, and soft tissue. Most commonly, mold affects the lungs, throat, or nasal cavity, but certain individuals may also experience skin irritation.
Long-term exposure to mold has been linked to more serious respiratory infections, chronic coughing, or the development of asthma. As will be discussed later, this is more likely for children, anyone with a weakened immune system, or older individuals.
Clearly, the health risks posed by mold shouldn’t be taken lightly. If your family has been exposed, whether you were able to eradicate it early or are unsure of how long it’s been there, it’s important to see a health professional right away. It also may not be best for you to try to eradicate the issue yourself, and be better to reach out to a mold professional.
Other Risks Associated With a Mold Outbreak
Mold grows in damp environments, but these fungi are not the only organisms to thrive in such conditions. Where you’ll find mold, you’ll probably also find bacteria and dust mites, which are similarly harmful to the respiratory system when inhaled.
Another threat that we don’t often consider is the fact that when mold grows on surfaces like painted wood, it slowly breaks down these materials and releases harmful chemicals into the air. Substances that are perfectly safe in normal conditions can become dangerous in when broken down in this way, making it crucial to eradicate a mold infestation as early as possible.
What Are Some of the Common Signs of Mold?
While not everyone will show the same symptoms, and indeed some individuals will not be affected at all, it can be useful to be able to identify the signs and share them with your doctor.
Because the respiratory system is most vulnerable to mold exposure, many of the symptoms manifest in breathing-related impairments. Coughing, congestion, stuffiness and pain in the sinuses are the most common, as well as shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Skin and eye irritation can also appear, as well as nosebleeds or bleeding gums due to the spores becoming embedded in the soft tissue of the nose and mouth.
As you can see, the symptoms are not always obvious. A burning sensation in the throat or increased bleeding while you floss may not even occur to you as being related to mold exposure, and yet they can point to the onset of mold-related health issues. If you or a loved one is experiencing any one of these symptoms, it’s a good idea to talk to a health professional.
Why is it so Important to be Able to Identify the Symptoms?
Sometimes, mold growth is not overtly obvious or visible in a home. That’s because mold can grow in spaces that are not accessible, like around water pipes, behind drywall, or under floorboards. While this situation makes mold inhalation slightly less likely, individuals can still start to show symptoms. Unfortunately, because many of these symptoms appear to be flu- or cold-related, many people simply don’t go to the doctor. It’s only after the symptoms have persisted past the normal length of a common virus that mold becomes the likely culprit.
Being able to identify the health effects of mold inhalation, can allow you to be proactive in finding mold in your home, thus preventing further damage. Of course, if you’ve also experienced a recent water leak, those symptoms should be immediate red flags that there might be mold somewhere in the house.
Who is Most at Risk?
As we mentioned earlier, everyone may react differently to mold exposure; however, there are some individuals who are more at risk than the general population.
Children, especially, should never be exposed at length to mold. Studies have shown that exposure to mold during infancy can increase the likelihood of allergy development in adulthood, and that children who have lived in a household with mold are twice as likely to develop asthma. These statistics hold true even when the parents have no history of allergies or asthma. And of course, for children who have a history of allergies or asthma, mold is likely to exacerbate these conditions. Another concerning study in Poland revealed that infants exposed to mold were at higher risk for cognitive delay in the crucial first six years of life. This is all because children have not fully developed their immune system in order to be able to fight off the growth of spores in the respiratory system.
Older individuals or people with a compromised immune system may also experience more severe health problems when exposed to mold. This can include people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, autoimmune disorders or anyone who has had their immune system weakened by surgery or invasive procedures like chemotherapy. When immunity is not functioning normally, the spores are better equipped to take hold of the tissues in the respiratory system and the body will have a hard time fighting off the invasion or recovering.
For these individuals, fever, flu-like symptoms, chronic coughing and general exhaustion are all common symptoms of mold exposure, and should be treated right away to avoid further complications later on.
What Can You do About It?
If you or anyone in your family has been exposed to indoor mold, the best first step is to talk to a health professional and make sure that there is no risk of respiratory issues. If symptoms have already started to appear, your doctor may want to conduct follow-up observations to make sure that the mold hasn’t spread.
Equally important is preventing further mold exposure by stopping the growth and removing the colony in your home. Sometimes this can be as simple as decreasing the humidity and improving air circulation in the affected area. Other times, though, you might have to resort to more invasive tactics, which we will discuss in other posts.
As with any health risk, if you start to see the symptoms get worse, don’t hesitate to seek medical advice. After all, it’s better to get treated now than to have to deal with the effects later down the road.
Most important is to make sure you 100% get rid of the mold problem that is affecting your health. If you’re looking for an experienced mold removal team in Concord NH, call us immediately to come take care of things for you.