How Black Mold Exposure & Symptoms Go Unoticed
- Posted by admin on October 15th, 2007 filed in Education
- 6 Comments »
Below are some common symptoms of black mold exposure that are often mistaken.
Chronic Sinus Trouble
- More than 35 million Americans suffer from chronic sinus trouble. This means that you have congestion, runny nose, sinus headaches and other symptoms. You don’t have a cold or hay fever; you just have “bad sinuses.” It’s something genetic that’s been passed down, or a seasonal allergy. Most people leave it at that.
- Recent studies have shown that sinus trouble is almost always caused by environmental factors. And, the number one environmental factor is exposure to black mold.
- Mold releases spores which become airborne. Everyone is allergic to these spores in varying degrees. When you come into contact with airborne spores, they irritate your sinuses and produce these symptoms.
Asthma
- It has traditionally been accepted that asthma was genetic. It seemed that it was passed down from one generation to the next, and if it was in your family tree, you would be more likely to develop it.
- However, in the last few years studies have shown that asthma is due more to environmental factors than it was previously believed. There is a link between exposure to black mold in early life and the development of asthma later on.
- It is difficult to carry out a study on the effect of mold on the development of asthma, but the anecdotal evidence out there is overwhelming. Hopefully in the next few years, a definite link will be established.
Flu Symptoms
- Some varieties of toxic mold can produce flu-like symptoms. This includes nausea, fever and headaches. It is difficult to diagnose as black mold poisoning, however, because it could be so many other things.
- Toxic mold spores can cause problems for any part of the body, including the digestive tract. We usually think of mold having an effect on breathing, but spores enter the body through the respiratory system. From there, the microtoxins can go anywhere.
Mental Illness
- It is hard to believe that something as seemingly harmless as mold could have an effect on our brains, but it does. Exposure to toxic mold can have neurological effects, as spores enter the body and release toxins into the bloodstream.
- Common symptoms include chronic fatigue, hearing and memory loss, and mild symptoms of dementia. These are symptoms of the very advanced stages of toxic mold poisoning. If someone you know is suffering neurological damage due to toxic black mold exposure, you should seek medical help immediately.
- These symptoms are elusive, and that is why you should make sure your house is mold free. Have your house tested, either by a professional or do it yourself with a mold testing kit from your hardware store. Keeping the mold out of your house will greatly reduce the risk of developing these symptoms of black mold exposure.
6 Responses to “How Black Mold Exposure & Symptoms Go Unoticed”
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November 15th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
I just found out today that my one year old daughter has asthma. I think its due to the black mold in my bathroom. I took pics of the wall under the panleing, it was disturbing.. Its eating the wood and the sheetrock. My doctor told me my son and daughter have been there with continual “colds”and I need to get it taken care of. Iv mentioned it to the maintinance men but they need to do alot more than just caulk like normal…..Its bad and its making all of us sick what do I do???
January 17th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
contact your state or local health department and advise them of your complaints and the action they receive (or the inaction) and file a complaint with them as well as have a specialist come in and inspect the property or properties. if it’s in your unit the whole building may be contaminated. don’t let the landlords or maintenance guys blow you off. this is a serious problem that could seriously affect yours and your children’s health or lives. do this tommorrow.
Michael Parrish / Director / NATF
January 17th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
my bad…guess I need to look at the date of the submission before I respond…
M. Parrish
March 8th, 2009 at 11:26 am
I just slept over in my friends house last night, and her family talked about how they have black mould in almost every room in the house.
I woke up the next morning with the worst cold symtoms ever, I have a really sore throat (which i never have), running nose, watery eyes and the feeling of tirdness. So i looked it up on the internet and you can actually get cold symtoms from being in a room where black mold is.
March 15th, 2009 at 11:44 am
Many people do not know that they have mold growing in their homes and do not know why they are becoming ill. The common side effects of mold include coughing and sneezing and can easily be misdiagnosed as the common cold or allergy. Short term exposure to black mold can cause a large variety of flu like symptoms ranging from stuffy nose and itchy eyes to skin rashes and nausea. If long term exposure to mold occurs the side effects can become deadly. Serious side effects include cancer, miscarriages, still births and even bleeding in the lungs. This serious bacteria is also known to cause athletes foot and jock itch which can be difficult if not impossible to treat and can be easily spread from human to human.
May 17th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
I recently came into contact with some black mold that has been growing for several years. I tried to work around it but I quickly developed a runny nose and was sneezing so much that I had to quit. I also began feeling a bit dizzy.
Is it possible that I could develop other health problems from this short term exposure?