Medical Edge Newspaper Column

Health Problems From Mold

May 21, 2007
Dear Mayo Clinic:
How can it be determined if you are being affected by black mold?

Answer:
Mold is everywhere, in the air and on surfaces -- and has been for millions of years. The term mold is often used generically, but people are routinely exposed to about 200 types of mold. Black mold (stachybotrys chartarum) is one type that grows on fiber board, gypsum board and other surfaces when there's water damage or excess humidity in a building.

In recent years, mold has been blamed for various ill health effects, from asthma to cancer. While living in a damp home with large areas of obvious, visible mold isn't good for you, there's little research so far that indicates what particular molds might cause ill health effects or at what threshold molds cause illness.

In 2004, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences released a book-sized review of current research called Damp Indoor Spaces and Health. (An executive summary is available free at http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record(underscore)id=11011)

This report found:

• There's evidence of an association between mold and upper respiratory symptoms such as a stuffy nose. Mold can contribute to worsening asthma symptoms for people with asthma. It appears that people with a compromised immune system are more susceptible to these ill health effects from mold. Some people are allergic to mold, causing allergy symptoms.
• There's limited evidence of an association between mold and lower respiratory illness such as cough or bloody sputum in otherwise healthy children.
• There's not enough evidence to determine whether there's an association between mold and other illnesses including shortness of breath, lower respiratory illnesses in otherwise healthy adults, skin symptoms, development of asthma, fatigue, cancer, reproductive effects, rheumatologic and other immune diseases, airflow obstruction in otherwise healthy adults, gastrointestinal problems or several other health conditions.

If you do have excess moisture or visible mold in your home, it's prudent to clean it up and make changes to avoid mold growth. It doesn't matter if it's black mold or other types. There's no clear evidence so far that stachybotrys chartarum poses any more or less health risks than other molds.

-- James Li, M.D., Allergic Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.