Stachybotrys chartarum is the infamous species of mold known as black mold. An indoor mold, it grows in areas of excessive moisture and poor air quality. Though not rare, black mold ranks among the least common of mold species. It thrives in materials such as gypsum board used to construct indoor walls. Black mold also flourishes in the presence of constant moisture caused by excessive humidity, condensation and flooding. People with allergies, suppressed immune systems, or chronic lung diseases are more susceptible to exposure to black mold. Even healthy individuals experience symptoms of black mold poisoning.
Upper Respiratory Tract Symptoms
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that in 2004 the Institute of Medicine found enough evidence to link exposure to indoor mold to upper respiratory symptoms in healthy individuals. The symptoms include sneezing, a runny nose, nasal congestion and inflammation of the sinuses. Similar to an allergic reaction response, a person exposed to black mold suffers with watery eyes, cough, itchy eyes, nose and throat, as well as a postnasal drip. The Mayo Clinic points out that symptoms vary among individuals and during different times of the year. People with asthma can suffer a severe asthma attack with coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath following black mold poisoning.
Changes in Mental Status
Black mold poisoning causes intense headaches that develop for no apparent reason. The Household Mold Guide lists other symptoms indicative of a change in mental status. A person feels nauseated and dizzy, displays lethargic behavior and a lack of concentration and has difficulty with memory recall.
Pulmonary Hemosiderosis
Black mold becomes a problem when it emits mycotoxins, which are poisons capable of causing diseases. The development of pulmonary hemosiderosis in children has been linked to mycotoxins from black mold. Daniel Lee Sudakin, M.D. addressed the correlation between this disease and black mold with a letter to the editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Pulmonary hemosiderosis is a rare but fatal disorder of the lungs. It is characterized by repeated episodes of bleeding in the lungs and the abnormal accumulation of iron in the lungs.
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