People are affected by indoor mold to varying degrees.
A long-term presence of indoor mold growth may eventually become unhealthy for anyone. Certain groups of people may be more susceptible to mold growth and receive health problems at a faster rate than others. These include:
- Elderly people
- Infants and children
- Persons with respiratory conditions such as allergies and asthma.*
- Individuals with a weakened immune system
An informative source for mold-related health concerns is “State of the Science on Molds and Human Health” by Dr. Stephen Redd of the Center for Disease Control.
Some of his most revealing points are: http://www.cdc.gov/mold/pdfs/moldsci.pdf/moldsci.pdf
Molds have been associated with some cancers. Two mold-produced toxins (aflatoxins and ochratoxin A) have been classified by the National Toxicology Program as human carcinogens (http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov/). Chronic ingestion of these toxins from eating contaminated foods has been associated with liver and kidney tumors in animals and people.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded that airborne fungal allergens were most often associated with allergic diseases, such as allergic rhinitis/conjunctivitis,allergic asthma, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
Certain individuals with chronic respiratory disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma) may experience difficulty breathing when exposed to mold. Also, people with immune suppression or underlying lung disease are more susceptible to fungal infections.
In a study of mold in school buildings begun in 1999, several relationships were observed:
- There were significant relationships between reports of work-related respiratory disease and visual assessment of water and mold-damage in two studies.
- There were significant relationships between endotoxin and ultra-fine particles in air and work-related respiratory symptoms.
- There were significant relationships between indicators of mold in chair and floor dust and work-related respiratory symptoms.
Many respiratory illnesses among workers may be attributed to mold exposures.
Uncommon illnesses that collectively can be called hypersensitivity pneumonitis are caused by chronic exposures to high concentrations of mold and are almost exclusively limited to certain agricultural workers in particularly moldy environments.
Common illnesses caused by molds include allergic conditions such as hay fever and asthma.
Because molds can be harmful, CDC concurs with the general recommendations of agencies such as EPA and FEMA, which offer information on preventing and cleaning up mold growth in indoor environments. Linkages between indoor airborne exposures to molds and other health effects, such as bleeding from the lung, or memory loss, have not yet been scientifically substantiated. CDC and other organizations are taking steps to fill the gaps in our knowledge about linkages between exposure to mold and human health.