molds

Also Known As:

aspergillus, altenaria, stachybotrys, penicillium, cladosporium

Description

Molds are fungi that occur through nature and can grow on almost any surface. Mold particles are normally present in the air at all times, both indoors and outdoors, usually without any consequences for our health. Problems may arise only when the level of mold in the air becomes particularly high or if a person is sensitive to mold.

Some molds can cause allergic and respiratory symptoms, such as runny nose, sinus headaches, fatigue, sore throat, chronic cough, wheezing, breathlessness, and tightness in the chest. Like the seeds of a plant, mold spores can remain inactive in dry materials, such as soil, dust and clothing, for years. They can suddenly begin to grow when moisture increases. Mold particles can cause health effects without actively growing. But it is when molds grow unchecked that levels inside homes become high enough to be dangerous. Actively growing molds also release particles (spores and fungal fragments) and toxins (called mycotoxins) into the air, which cause health effects.

The most common indoor molds, aspergillus, penicillium and cladosporium, require moisture to grow, though some molds can grow in dry climates, such as alternaria, which is common in Arizona.

In most cases, mold is particularly a problem where humidity is high, plumbing drips, the roof leaks, or flooding has occurred. Therefore, basements, bathrooms and kitchens are the most likely locations for mold growth indoors. Mold can grow in building materials (such as drywall, paint, wallpaper), upholstered furniture, mattresses, carpets and carpet pads, and potted plants. Outdoors, mold is likely to grow in piles of leaves, weeds, grass, etc.

Health Effects

Immediate Health Effects
Longterm or Delayed Health Effects
Other

How Exposures Occur

Inhalation of Mold/Mold Particles Growing on Hard Surfaces
Inhalation of Particles Present in Dust
Inhalation of Mold Growing Inside Humidifiers and Air Conditioners
Ingestion
Forced Air Heating Systems

 

Significant Statistics

A relative humidity of 30-50% is optimal in homes to prevent mold growth.

Biological Contaminants. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.http://www.epa.gov/iaq/biologic.html

No one knows how many species of mold exist, but there could be more than 300,000 of them.

Mold: Basic Facts.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  February 8, 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/mold/faqs.htm.

Outdoors, molds are beneficial because they break down dead organic matter such as leaves and dead trees.  They become a problem when they grow in indoor areas where sensitive people can develop reactions.

Mazur, Lynnette J., MD, MPH and Janice Kim, MD, PhD, MPH.  ” Spectrum of Noninfectious Health Effects From Molds.”  Pediatrics.  Vol. 118 No. 6 December 2006, pp. e1909-e1926 (doi:10.1542/peds.2006-2829)..  http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;118/6/e1909.

Solutions

How to detect molds

How to minimize exposure to molds

Alternatives

For More information

Books, articles, factsheets and reports

Biological Pollutants in Your Home. CPSC Document #425. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Lung Association.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/425.html

Mold in My Home: What Do I Do? California Department of Health Services, Indoor Air Quality, July 2006.

http://www.cal-iaq.org/MIMH_2006-06.htm

"Molds at School," Healthy Schools Network, Inc., November 2002.

http://www.healthyschools.org

“Indoor Air Quality Fact Sheet.” Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/drywall/docs/IndoorAirQualityFactSheet.pdf

Other government agencies

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Indoor Environments Division
401 M Street, SW (6604J)
Washington DC 20460
202-233-9370
Indoor Air Quality Information Clearinghouse: 800-438-4318

http://www.epa.gov/iaq

National Asthma Education and Prevention Program

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Information Center
P.O. Box 30105
Bethesda, MD 20824-0105
301-592-8573

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/naepp

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

National Institute of Health
P.O. Box 12233
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
919-541-3345

http://www.niehs.nih.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

1600 Clifton Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30333
800-CDC-INFO
http://www.cdc.gov/mold/

Nonprofit organizations

American Lung Association

1740 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
800-LUNG-USA, or 212-315-8700

http://www.lungusa.org

Other websites

Environmental Law Institute’s Database of State Indoor Air Quality Laws

http://www.eli.org/Program_Areas/iaq_databases.cfm