Even if you can’t see it or smell it, there’s a good chance that mold is lurking somewhere in your home or office. Studies show that more than 50% of homes and more than 85% of commercial buildings in the U.S. have water damage and mold.

Unfortunately, exposure to mold can be detrimental to your health — regardless of whether it’s “toxic” or even whether you’re allergic to mold. Symptoms can range from mildly disruptive to serious and truly life-threatening.

 

Who’s at Risk

Certain people are more susceptible to mold-related illness than others. For instance, if you’re sensitive or allergic to mold, or if you have a weakened immune system in general, mold can be extremely detrimental to your health. Children, pregnant women, elderly men and women, and those who are suffering from chronic illness such as chronic Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, or other health conditions are the most vulnerable.

But even healthy people can develop sensitivity from prolonged exposure. The biotoxin illness response and the allergy response are two distinct responses to mold. You can not be allergic and still become highly inflamed from biotoxin illness; or could have mold allergy and not develop a biotoxin illness.

About 25% of Americans also carry a gene called HLA-DR (human leukocyte antigen) that makes it more difficult for them to excrete mycotoxins, toxic metabolites produced by a variety of different molds. Mycotoxins can be absorbed by the skin, airways, and intestinal lining, and once inside the body, they trigger inflammation and oxidative stress. This can lead to respiratory conditions, infections, and in some cases of prolonged exposure, upper and lower respiratory disease, chronic fatigue, and even cancer.

In people with the HLA-DR gene, their body is unable to recognize toxins as a foreign invader, so they don’t produce the antibodies needed to remove mycotoxins. This population is also more likely to develop Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), an out-of-control inflammatory response to toxins like mold. CIRS causes a cascade of inflammatory and hormonal changes that result in symptoms such as fatigue, pain, gastrointestinal and neurologic symptoms, sleep disturbances, and more.

You can be tested for the HLA-DR gene, and if you suffer from fibromyalgia, chronic Lyme, or another fatigue-related chronic illness, you may want to consider it. Mycotoxins worsen immune dysfunction associated with chronic disease and inhibit healing processes in the body. They also disturb hormonal balance in the body, and reduce tolerance to any type of stress.

“Exploring HLA-DR susceptibility in biotoxin illnesses such as Lyme disease and mold illness can be very helpful,” says Scott Forsgren, FDN-P, Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® Practitioner and founder of BetterHealthGuy.com. Forsgren invested in HLA-DR testing after he was diagnosed with Lyme disease and mold illness.

“My observation has been that the majority of those with a chronic illness such as Lyme disease or mold illness will have biotoxin illness predisposing HLAs,” says Forsgren. “These predispositions may reflect an increased need for detoxification support as part of a broader treatment protocol.”

If you do test positive for HLA-DR, remember that genes are not your fate. “It is important not to feel defeated by one’s genetics,” says Forsgren. “Even those with more compromised HLA genes often do well with appropriate treatment.”

Symptoms of Mold Exposure

The symptoms that arise from mold exposure depend both on your susceptibility and the type of mold you encounter. There are three main categories of mold: allergenic, toxigenic, and pathogenic.

Allergenic molds are those typically associated with an allergic response. Toxigenic ones can cause serious adverse health effects in anyone. And pathogenic molds are any that cause adverse health effects in someone with a compromised immune system. The most common types of mold found in homes include:

  • Penicillium: allergenic mold, green or blue, velvety texture and musty smell, often found near water damage
  • Aspergillus: allergenic mold that can become more toxic, depending on species and environment, yellow-green in color, often found in extremely damp areas, certain species are capable of producing aflatoxins
  • Cladosporium: allergenic mold, olive green or brown, can grow in warm or cold conditions, common outdoor mold, but often found on indoor material such as fabrics, carpets, and upholsteries
  • Alternaria: allergenic mold, dark green or brown in color, fuzzy texture, often found in showers, bathtubs, under sinks, and on window frames
  • Stachybotrys (a.k.a. black mold): toxigenic mold, green or black with a slimy texture, known for growing on cellulose material (wood, cardboard, paper, hay, wicker), distinctive musty odor, very toxic to humans. Stachybotrys produces trichothecene — a potent mycotoxin that can make you very sick.

If you’re especially sensitive to mold, you may develop irritation in your throat and nasal passages, often immediately upon exposure. But not all symptoms are respiratory related. In sensitive individuals, mycotoxins can produce numerous symptoms, including:

  • Chronic burning in the throat and nasal passages
  • Coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath
  • Loss of balance
  • Depression and/or anxiety
  • Dizziness
  • Eye irritation
  • Fatigue
  • Headache
  • Hearing loss
  • Heightened sensitivity to chemicals and foods
  • Irregular heartbeat
  • Joint pain and/or muscle pain
  • Mood swings
  • Muscle weakness
  • Reduced color distinction
  • Skin rashes
  • Sleep problems
  • Slower reaction time
  • Vision changes

If mold allergy is an issue, the only option for complete relief is to eradicate mold from your environment. The same is true if you have an HLA gene that prevents you from excreting mycotoxins, but in this case you’ll also need help from additional therapies such as binders and possibly antifungal therapies to clear them from your system, which will be detailed more below.

How to Test for Environmental Mold

Molds can grow in many environments, but they especially love warm, moist, indoor areas. Mold thrives on moisture (humidity and water) and cellulose (wood and paper).

A moldy or musty odor, a wet basement, and condensation on surfaces or in structures such as windows may all be indications that you’re dealing with mold. However, mold can’t always be seen or smelled: It can remain hidden in walls (drywall in old houses is notorious for harboring hidden mold) and moist crawl spaces. If you’re experiencing symptoms of mold-related illness, and if your immune system is impaired due to chronic or other illness, it’s safe to assume there is mold in your midst.

When checking for mold in your home, start with ceilings above showers and in bathrooms. Air conditioning systems and ductwork commonly accumulate mold. Attics are also a hotspot: Bathroom fans that work to draw moisture from the room are often vented to the attic instead of outside, or the vent may be leaking. This accumulation of moisture can cause black mold to grow in an attic.

If you have a front-loading washing machine, check it, too. The door’s rubber seal traps in moisture, creating the perfect environment for mold. Other unsuspecting spots include home water supplied from a well or cistern, and memory foam mattresses.

There are two main ways to test for mold in a dwelling. The first is mold plates, which contain a growing medium specifically for mold. The plates are placed at different locations around the dwelling, and mold spores in the air fall on the plate and start to grow.

Mold plate testing can work, but it is not very sensitive. Mold spores differ in weight, density, and air flow characteristics, so some types are more likely to settle on the plates than others. Sticky molds that often appear near water damage, like black mold, may end up evading the plates completely.

A more sensitive and specific method of testing uses dust samples from key areas in the dwelling. This can be done using an Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) test, or a species-specific PCR analysis. This method is highly accurate and sensitive to mold detection, and the results are immediate.

One more test to consider is the Environmental Mold & Mycotoxin Assessment (EMMA) test. EMMA detects the presence of 10 mold spores that are either toxigenic or pathogenic, including penicillium, stachybotrys, chaetomium, mucor, rhizopus, and five strains of aspergillus. It also assesses the levels of mycotoxins that these spores are known to produce, and the cost is similar to ERMI.

Finally, automobiles’ ventilation systems are an often overlooked source of mold. When you go in for regular service for your car, have them check and clean the ventilation system. Some newer cars have ventilation air filters that need to be changed regularly, otherwise they will harbor mold.