Mold is easy to treat as a cosmetic problem. A stain on the ceiling, a patch in the corner of the bathroom, something to deal with eventually. The reason to take it more seriously is simple: you are breathing the same air as it, every hour you are home. Mold exposure can affect your health, and some people feel it long before others do.
This article covers what the documented effects actually are, which symptoms to watch for, and who is most at risk. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are unwell, talk to a doctor first. At Mold Removal Winnipeg, our job is the other half of the problem: finding the mold, removing it, and taking away the moisture that let it grow. For the wider picture, see our ultimate guide to mold.
What Types of Mold Cause Health Problems?
Not every mold affects people the same way. Reactions fall into three groups, and the group matters far more than the colour of the patch on your wall.
Allergenic Molds
These are the most common molds found in homes. For most healthy people, low levels cause no trouble. For anyone with allergies or a weakened immune system, they can set off a reaction. Even people with no history of allergies can react when spore levels are high.
Typical symptoms are mild: itchy eyes, a stuffy nose, sneezing and skin rash. Stronger reactions can include difficulty breathing.
Common allergenic molds include Alternaria, Aspergillus, Aureobasidium, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Mucor, Penicillium and Ulocladium.
Pathogenic Molds
Pathogenic molds can cause infections. Reactions are usually sorted into three kinds:
- Superficial: on the skin and nails, including rashes and skin or nail infections.
- Subcutaneous: infections below the surface of the skin.
- Systemic: infections affecting organs such as the lungs. These are uncommon, and they mainly affect people whose immune systems are already compromised by illness or treatment.
Chaetomium and Trichoderma are two examples found indoors.
Toxigenic Molds
Toxigenic molds release mycotoxins. These carry the highest risk, and they are the reason professional removal exists.
Reported effects of exposure include skin rash, fever, fatigue, nausea, respiratory problems and hypersensitivity pneumonitis, which is an inflammation of the lungs.
Common toxigenic molds include Acremonium, Aspergillus, Fusarium and Stachybotrys chartarum, better known as black mold. Our guide to the different types of mold found inside the home goes through them one by one. You cannot tell them apart by eye, so if you need to know which one is in your house, call (204) 789-1514 and we will test it.
Symptoms of Mold Exposure
The signs most often reported are:
- Coughing and sneezing
- Runny or blocked nose
- Sore throat
- Watery, red or itchy eyes
- Skin rash
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Wheezing or difficulty breathing
- Worsening asthma
One pattern is worth checking. If symptoms ease when you leave the house for a few days and return once you are home again, that is useful information. Mention it to your doctor.
Long-Term Effects of Mold Exposure
Short-term symptoms usually settle once the exposure stops. Longer exposure is a different matter. Living for months in a home with heavy mold growth is linked to ongoing respiratory problems, repeated sinus trouble, and asthma that becomes harder to control.
Part of the difficulty is that these effects build slowly. People put a lingering cough down to a bad winter or to getting older, and nobody connects it to the basement. We will not pretend the research answers every question. What is well established is that damp buildings with mold growth are associated with more respiratory illness than dry ones. That is reason enough to fix the damp.
If mold has been in your home for a while, the useful next step is finding out how much there is and where it is hiding. Call (204) 789-1514 for an inspection.
Who Is Most at Risk?
Sensitivity varies from person to person. Some households live with a patch of mold for years and notice nothing. Others react quickly. The people most likely to be affected are:
- Infants and young children
- Older adults
- People who are immune compromised
- People with severe allergies
- People with asthma or other lung conditions
- Anyone already known to be sensitive to mold
There are three routes of exposure: breathing spores in, swallowing them, and skin contact. At home, breathing is by far the most common.
Can Mold Cause Asthma in Children?
Researchers have looked closely at the link between damp, moldy homes and childhood asthma. Studies suggest that early and ongoing exposure raises the chance a child develops asthma, and that mold makes symptoms worse in children who already have it.
That is not a reason to panic over a little bathroom mildew. It is a good reason to have your home inspected if you have infants or young children and you know there has been water damage.
Signs of Black Mold Exposure
Black mold, or Stachybotrys chartarum, gets its own mention because it is common in water-damaged buildings and it produces mycotoxins. Reported symptoms include itchy or watering eyes, skin rash, coughing, sneezing, a runny nose, difficulty breathing, asthma symptoms and ongoing fatigue. With longer exposure, people also report recurring headaches and dizziness.
If you find black mold, do not try to clean it yourself. Disturbing it releases spores into the rest of the house. Leave the area and call a professional. Our article on black mold symptoms, treatment and prevention explains what happens next.
How Long Does It Take to Get Sick?
There is no fixed answer. Some people notice symptoms within a day or two. Others feel nothing for weeks, and some never react at all. It depends on the species, how much of it there is, how long you are around it, and your own sensitivity.
How Do You Know If Mold Is Making You Sick?
Honestly, it can be hard to tell. Mold symptoms look like a cold, like hay fever, or like a dozen other things. There is no reliable home test that will confirm it.
What you can do is split the question in two. A doctor can assess your symptoms and, if it is appropriate, test you for a mold allergy. A certified technician can test the building and tell you whether mold is present, what type it is, and how much. Put those two answers together and you have something to act on. Call (204) 789-1514 if you want the building side tested.
Mold Exposure Treatment
Treatment starts with ending the exposure. That means finding the moisture source and removing the mold properly, not scrubbing the visible part and hoping.
For the health side, speak to your doctor. They may treat allergy or respiratory symptoms, and they will know whether anything further is needed. Be cautious with products sold online that promise to clear mold toxins out of your body. Ask a health professional before you spend money on any of them.
How to Keep Mold Out of Your Home
Almost all of prevention is moisture control.
- Keep indoor humidity below 50 percent.
- Fix leaking roofs, pipes, windows and faucets right away.
- Dry wet carpet, flooring, furniture or drywall thoroughly, and quickly.
- Do not leave wet clothes in the washer or in a pile on the floor.
- Vent appliances outdoors: dryer, range hood, bathroom fan, stove.
- Open windows when the weather allows, to move fresh air through the house.
Winnipeg makes this harder than it sounds. Spring melt sends water into basements, and a long cold winter keeps the house sealed with humidifiers running. Both create exactly the conditions mold wants. Our guide to preventing mold growth in the home has more detail, and we are happy to walk through your property with you.
What to Do If You Find Mold
If the patch is larger than about one square metre, or if it keeps coming back after cleaning, do not handle it yourself. Disturbing a colony without containment spreads spores into rooms that were clean. If anyone in the house is unwell, see a doctor too.
Our IICRC certified technicians answer 24 hours a day, work with insurance companies, and an inspection tells you exactly what you are dealing with. Call (204) 789-1514 or get in touch through our contact page.
