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Dr. Jackson Kung’u (PhD)- Mold Specialist.
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Is mold in your house making you sick?

Is mold in your house making you sick? This kind of a question would arise if someone suffers from persistent symptoms such as sneezing, runny noses, red eyes and skin rashes that seem to lessen or disappear when the person is not at home. The situation maybe complicated by the fact that only one member in the family would be experiencing these symptoms. Observations suggest that about 20% of the human population can have allergic reactions to mold spores. For asthma sufferers who are very young, elderly or those with weak immune system, mold spores can trigger much more serious problems.Is Mold in Your House Making You Sick?

How to tell if mold in your house is making you sick

As said earlier, if a sufferer tend to get better when out of the house, this suggests that the cause of their illness is in the air within the home. The first step would to determine if mold spores were present in the house. It is important to bear in mind that
mold spores are everywhere. They’re in your house, in your attic, on the street, in your living room, in your kitchen. It’s a question really of how much mold is in your house and what types. Some mold spores are worse than others.

How to tell if you have mold in your house

The obvious sign of mold in your house is the visible mold growth on surfaces. This may appear as fuzzy or hairy growth when the mold is actively growing or powdery when the mold is inactive. The mold comes in different colors such as black, grey, blue, green, white or a shade of these colors. There are also indirect visual signs that suggest your home could be infested by mold. These include signs of water damage such as discoloration, peeling or bubbling paint, and bulging walls or ceilings. A musty or earthy smell is another reliable indicator of mold growth.

The best way to confirm if you are exposed to excessive amounts of airborne mold spores is to test the air in your house or office. To test the air for mold, you could either use a do-it-yourself mold test kit or you could hire a professional to do it for you.

Black fungus

The term “Black fungus” does not refer to a specific fungus. Any fungus that appears black is simply labeled as black fungus by the general public. Below are some of the fungi that people tend to consistently refer to as black fungus.

Black nail fungus

Fungi that cause nail infection are not necessarily black. However, since the nail tends to turn black, people talk of black fungus under the nail. Black fungus under the nails is about the last thing that anyone would want, yet fungal nail infection is not at all uncommon. Fungal nail infection happens when fungal spores get in under the nails and start to grow there. Public places like swimming pools or public bath stalls are a common source of infection. Also, for those who like getting a pedicure and manicure the places that do this can also spread nail fungal infection if they are using improperly sterilized equipment.

Black fungus on drywall

A number of fungi that appear black can grow on damp drywall. People will therefore talk of black fungus or black mold on drywall. Since fungi are potentially a health hazard they should not be allowed to grow in occupied spaces.
Black fungus that exists below the surface of the drywall cannot be removed without cutting the entire part of the drywall and replacing it.

Black fungus (sooty mold) growing on a citrus tree

Sooty mold is a black fungus that looks exactly like its name…black. The fungus grows on the limbs and leaves of trees, shrubs and even indoor plants.  Sooty mold occurs on trees that are infested with sap-sucking insects like aphids, white flies or scales. These insects produce a sugar-rich waste called honeydew. Sooty mold is attracted to, and thrives on, honeydew, which coats the leaves, branches and even fruit of an infested tree. The black fungus is targeting the honeydew rather than the tree.

So, the appearance of sooty mold is often a sign of insect infestation. Sooty mold is one of the few fungi that does not actually harm the plant, though it can affect photosynthesis. Control this fungus by controlling the insects.

Black fungus, aka cloud ear, wood fungus, mouse ear, and jelly mushroom.

The black fungus (Auricularia polytricha) is an edible jelly fungus. It is mostly sold dried but is also available fresh. It is very similar to another fungus called Jew’s ear (Auricularia auricula). Black ear fungus grows naturally on trees and rotting vegetation and is native to East Asia. They either grow wild or are cultivated and are gathered in summer and autumn. It derives its name from its black color and the fact that the convoluted surface of the mushroom looks like an ear. It’s also known as cloud ear, tree ear, mouse ear and black fungus. Although it’s traditionally used to improve circulation, the cholesterol-control aspects have been a more recent discovery.

Black fungus contains a range of micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It also provides a range of important vitamins, including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6, folate and ascorbic acid. In addition, the mushroom also provides minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium.

Black fungus is considered safe and nontoxic for the majority of the population. There is no research into the safety of black fungus during pregnancy or breastfeeding, so women during these times should consume black fungus with care. Consult with your doctor before eating wood ear mushrooms if you take prescribed medications, as these mushrooms may cause undesirable drug interactions.

Air Quality Test Showed No Mold But Can See Visible Mold

Air quality test is often conducted to determine the level of airborne mold spores. Interpretation of air quality test results is often difficult as the levels of mold spores in the air vary greatly depending on the activity in the room, changes in temperature and relative humidity, ventilation rate and season of the year. During summer for example, indoor mold spore counts can be relatively very high even in homes with no visible mold growth due to infiltration of spores from outdoors.

It’s also possible to have very few airborne spores in buildings with visible mold growth. This is because there are biological differences between the fungi in terms of the way they produce their spores. The Aspergilli and Penicillia, for example, produce large quantities of dry spores that easily become airborne. On the other hand, Fusarium and some species of Stachybotrys (black mold) produce moist spores that are not easily released into the air. Some other molds such as Chaetomium and Phoma produce their spores in enclosed structures (fruiting bodies) and hence these spores may not be detected by air sampling until later when the material dries out or is broken on impact e.g., during renovation.

For viable samples, the spores and fungal materials present in the air may be dead or may belong to molds that cannot be cultured in artificial media. The mold may also be alive but may not be culturable on the detection media used. Therefore a combination of air sampling (both viable and non-viable), surface (e.g., tape-lift) and bulk sampling is recommended. An air quality test alone is not enough to rule out mold growth. See the article Non-viable Fungal Air Sampling Alone May Not Be Adequate.

Mold Exposure: Symptoms of Mold Allergy

Mold exposure does not always present a health problem indoors. However some people (about 20% of the human population) are sensitive to molds.  Symptoms of mold exposure are primarily allergic reactions involving the upper respiratory system. Also referred to as mold allergy, the symptoms can include:

  • Sneezing
  • Runny or stuffy nose
  • Cough and postnasal drip
  • Itchy eyes, nose and throat
  • Watery eyes.

Symptoms of mold exposure vary from individual to individual, and range from mild to severe. Some individuals may have year-round symptoms or symptoms that flare up only during certain times of the year when the allergens are present. Currently no exposure limits have been established. The large number of mold species and strains present in the environment and the large inter-individual variability in human response to mold exposure make it difficult to establish exposure limits.

For individuals with mold allergy and asthma, their asthma symptoms may be triggered by exposure to mold spores. In some people, exposure to certain molds can cause a severe asthma attack. Signs and symptoms of asthma include:

  • Coughing
  • Wheezing
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest tightness.

On some rare occasions, effects of mold exposure may include infections and toxic effects. Serious infections from living molds are relatively rare and occur mainly in people with severely compromised immune system. Many types of molds may produce toxins but only under certain growth conditions. Toxic effects have been reported from eating moldy grain, but evidence is weak that inhaling mold spores in buildings causes toxic effects.

Prevention of mold exposure and ensuing health issues include control of mold growth in the first place by rectifying the moisture problems. Failure to completely dry out building materials after extensive flooding and water damage can result in extensive mold growth.

If you are concerned about mold exposure, check your home to make sure there are no hidden areas of mold growth. Speak to your doctor if you have had previous mold exposure, and discuss any symptoms you may be experiencing.

Indoor Air Quality – Testing For Mold

The health effects of poor indoor air quality are dependent upon several factors including the type of contaminant, concentration, duration of exposure, and individual susceptibility. Indoor air quality can be compromised by a number of contaminants including mold.

Assessing the status of Indoor Air Quality

The status of indoor air quality is assessed by measuring the levels of contaminants indoors. These Contaminants include:
1. Biological contaminants such as mold, bacteria, viruses, etc.
2. Chemical contaminants such as formaldehyde.

This article is focusing on mold as an indoor air contaminant. Contamination of air by mold spores can easily be determined by air testing.

Testing Air for Mold

There are two methods commonly used to test air for mold. These are:
1. Viable or culturing air testing

2. Non-viable or total spore count air testing.

Assessing the Status of Indoor Air Quality by Viable Air Testing.

For viable air testing, air sampling can be conducted in two ways. The first method uses settle plates. This technique involves opening agar plates inside the area being tested and leaving them open for half an hour or more. Airborne mold spores and hyphal fragments settle by gravity onto the agar plates. Any viable spores or hyphal fragments would then grow into visible colonies that can be counted and identified. A high colony count is an indication of poor indoor air quality. This method is cheap since all it requires is agar plates. However, it’s not an efficient way of testing for mold spores in the air. The second method uses an air sampling pump. In this case, air is impacted onto the agar plates by a pump. This method is more efficient since it doesn’t depend on free-falling of spores into the agar. Viable testing for mold has a big disadvantage in that it only detects viable spores/hyphal fragments yet even dead spores are a health hazard.

Assessing the status of Indoor Air Quality by Non-viable Air Testing.

Non-viable air testing samples are collected by impacting air on an inert surface coated with an adhesive. Most of the spores and other particulate in air get stuck on the adhesive surface. The samples are then tested by direct microscopy. The spores and/or other particulates are enumerated and identified. The results are reported as spores per cubic meter of air. This method of sampling requires an air sampling pump such as BioPump and air sampling cassettes such as Air-O-Cell or allergencos. The major advantage of this method is that both viable and non-viable airborne spores and other particulates are enumerated thus giving us a better idea of the status of the indoor air quality.