Beside damaging shower stalls, counter tops and fabric, mold and mildew problems can pose harmful health risks as well. While some individuals show no symptoms of mold and mildew exposure, other people develop adverse skin and respiratory reactions brought on by allergies or sensitivities.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, these pink, brown, green or black fungal colonies grow indoors at 50 percent and greater humidity and temperatures above 40 degrees. People can experience harmful effects of mold and mildew when they inhale the airborne reproductive spores.
Itchy Eyes and Skin
In the presence of mold allergens, sensitive people may notice hay fever-type health effects in the eye area. MayoClinic.com notes that the body's automatic release of histamines in response to mold or mildew irritants causes itching and burning. Patients may rub their eyes, which become watery and teary.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, histamines can induce further inflammation in patches of skin. Irritation, redness, itching and swelling can harm skin, especially where patients directly contact mold or mildew. This may happen while handling tainted foods, building materials or cloth items on which spores have settled.
Nasal and Bronchial Symptoms
Respiratory inflammation triggered by mildew and mold allergies attacks the nasal passages, as MayoClinic.com relates. Runny-nose symptoms may alternate with nasal and sinus congestion and postnasal drip. Cases brought on by severe mildew problems can cause sinusitis, a painful sinus condition that may take longer to resolve than the usual irritation and allergy symptoms.
Lengthy exposure or high levels of fungal allergens can extend inflammation to the throat and airways, generating coughing and wheezing as the lungs work harder to inhale and exhale. Health effects from isolated incidents may not recur in patients with low-level sensitivities. MayoClinic.com reports, however, that these symptoms can cause asthmatic persons with mold allergies to experience shortness of breath and potential respiratory emergencies. These symptoms can arise from any level of mold contact.
Infection and Illness
Mildew problems pose especially harmful risks to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or other conditions that suppress immune system function. As the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library notes, fungal spores can invade the lungs and begin to grow, causing symptoms such as blood clots and bleeding that can quickly escalate to life-threatening proportions.
Continual mold and mildew problems may lead otherwise healthy children to develop chronic breathing problems, per the CDC. Adults with intense mold allergies can develop serious respiratory health effects such as asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
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