Mold in Your Home Could be Making You Sick

Anthony Gucciardi
NaturalSociety
September 4, 2011

Mold may not be seen as a threat by many homeowners, but experts have estimated that mold may be present in up to 25% of homes, and 40% of American schools. The growing prevalence of mold may lead to an increase in respiratory disease and other rare life-threatening conditions. in 2010, Fisk et al published a meta-analysis showing a substantially significant association between residential dampness and mold with respiratory infections and bronchitis. Some mycotoxins (toxic substances produced by mold) are actually far more toxic than more common toxins such as heavy metals and pesticides.

Dr. Joseph Mercola explains how many health experts are unaware that mold may be responsible for common health problems:

Mycotoxins are chemical toxins present within or on the surface of the mold spore, which you then unwittingly inhale, ingest, or touch. These mold toxins are extremely potent and often affect nearly every organ system in your body. Some effects resemble radiation sickness. Some are neurotoxic and produce central nervous system effects, including cognitive and behavioral changes, ataxia and convulsions. Approximately 70 percent of the people with confirmed exposure to toxigenic molds exhibit significant neurotoxicity.

Scientists believe that mycotoxins are the organism’s way of holding a competitive edge by defeating other organisms that are trying to thrive in the same environment—like humans, for example.

One of the reasons mycotoxins are so toxic is they can cross directly into your brain. According to Dr. Thrasher, your olfactory neurons are in direct communication with your brain—there is no barrier. Anything you have inhaled or smelled, even if it doesn’t have an odor, can go directly into your brain via these olfactory neurons. Mycotoxins have even been found to enter your brain via optic muscles and optic nerves. This lack of a blood-brain barrier has been confirmed in scientific studies.

This creates the potential for mold-induced sinusitis to lead to serious brain complications if left untreated.

More than 200 mycotoxins have been identified from common molds. Mycotoxins interfere with RNA synthesis and may cause DNA damage. Mycotoxins, even in minute quantities, are lipid-soluble and readily absorbed by your intestinal lining, airways and skin. Even spores that are no longer able to reproduce can still harm your health due to these mycotoxins—in other words, “dead” mold spores are every bit as dangerous as “live” ones. The spores do not produce the toxins—rather, it is thought that the toxins are produced when the spores are produced, by the mold colony.

The mycotoxins that have probably received the most attention by researchers are the trichothecenes, produced by Stachybotyrs chartarum and Aspergillus versicolor, two of the molds I’d like to discuss due to their especially toxic effects.

Explore More:

1. Your Home May be Making You Sick
2. Are Your Clothes Making You Sick?
3. Is this Flavor Enhancer Making You and Your Children Sick and Fat?
4. Secondhand Smoke Making Kids Miss School and Get Sick
5. How to Eliminate Toxins from Your Body, Home, and Office
6. Are Environmental Poisons Making You Fat?