Lung Health News, Spring / Summer 2003
It creeps across the tile, settles on the window ledge, and covers the refrigerator drip pan. Mold. If you haven’t seen it in your house recently, you’ve heard about it on the news. Many insurance companies are limiting coverage on it and the state is wondering what to do about it.
All this hoopla, over mold? While most household mold can easily be washed away and kept at bay with proper ventilation, it doesn’t take a lot of spores to create a chronic mold problem. And mold can be a threat to health, especially for people with allergies and lung diseases such as asthma and chronic bronchitis.
Molds are simple, microscopic organisms that are present virtually everywhere, indoors and out. They release countless lightweight spores into the air. Mold growth on surfaces shows up as green, gray, black or brown discoloration.
Mold in Homes is Common
It is common to find mold spores inside homes, and most of the airborne spores found inside come from outdoor sources. Molds grow and multiply when the conditions are right, mostly when moisture is present.
Flooding, leaky roofs, plumbing leaks, overflow from sinks or sewers, damp basements or crawl spaces, steam from showers or cooking, humidifiers, and dryer exhaust from damp clothes can all create conditions perfect for mold growth. You should be aware of these areas and check for mold growth. Warping floors and discoloration of walls can also be indications of moisture problems.
What is the Health Risk?
Mold spores present a health risk when large numbers are inhaled. They can affect health through inflammation, allergy or infection. Allergic reactions are most common after mold exposure.
A range of symptoms can occur after exposure to mold, including wheezing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, nasal and sinus congestion, eye irritation and burning, dry hacking cough, nose and throat irritation, skin rashes and skin irritation.
It’s hard to know who will get sick from mold. For some people, a relatively small number of mold spores can trigger an asthma attack or lead to health problems. For others, symptoms only occur with very large numbers.
In general, people with asthma or other lung ailments are more sensitive to mold, as well as people with allergies, chemical sensitivities, and weakened immune systems.
"For people with asthma and allergies, they don’t need an intense exposure to be affected," says Sulochina Lulla, MD, an asthma and allergy specialist at Kaiser Permanente and American Lung Association of California board member. "Most healthy people can handle mold, but it needs to be cleaned up. In a few cases, some people develop hypersensitivity pneumonia."
If you can smell mold in your house, you have a problem. Take steps to remove the sources of excess moisture and clean up the mold. The Environmental Protection Agency offers a guide to reducing mold in your home called A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home that can be downloaded at www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/moldresources.html.
"You need to stay on top of mold and keep it cleaned up," Dr. Lulla says.
Are Some Mold Spores More Hazardous?
Reports have increased in the last five years about especially harmful "toxic" molds. However, these cases seem to be rare and not scientifically substantiated.
Dr. Lulla says there may be rare types of toxic molds, but common household molds are not toxic. She says there is still so much we don’t know about mold and health risks.
"Mold is a difficult science," she says. "It’s hard to identify molds. It is a science that still needs to be developed."
John Balmes, MD, past president of the California Thoracic Society, agrees. "I think there needs to be a lot more study before we can say with scientific certainty that molds can cause disease through release of toxic chemicals."
