More than just an eyesore, black mold growing indoors in the home or workplace creates allergy side effects in some people. Inhaling the reproductive spores of everyday Alternaria strains or less-common Stachybotrys chartarum causes temporary and long-term respiratory problems. While invasive molds that follow building leaks or flooding may seem especially dangerous, people should consider regular household molds equal threats. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, advises detecting and removing any mold growths in order to prevent irreversible health effects.
Asthma Trigger
Black mold exposure holds special dangers for asthmatics who also have allergies. These individuals react to the allergens in household mold spores and develop respiratory symptoms, which can suddenly intensify into an asthma attack.
In this acute condition, swelling of the airways reduces breathing capacity, sometimes to the point of respiratory failure. The CDC reports that molds have been identified as asthma triggers in children, who are especially vulnerable, as well as adults with mold allergies.
Opportunistic Infection
Dangerous health effects from household mold exposure can also occur in people suffering from low immune system function. Patients with HIV, cancer, recent organ transplants and lung disease have the greatest risk of becoming targets for fungal infections, as per the CDC. In these cases, according to MayoClinic.com, microscopic mold spores can enter the sinuses or lungs and begin to grow. Breathing difficulty and coughing up blood may precede the spread of infection to the kidney or liver, creating a life-threatening condition.
Allergy and Sensitivity Symptoms
The most common health effects from contact with household mold include hay fever--like symptoms. They occur in individuals with mold sensitivities and mold allergies alike. Eyes may water and itch, MayoClinic.com notes. The skin or throat can become inflamed, causing itching or coughing. Runny nose and nasal congestion may be punctuated by sneezing.
People who experience continually high exposure to black molds, such as in occupational farm or bakery settings, may contract chronic symptoms of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. These mimic the signs of lung infection.
Toxic Health Effects
Toxigenic black molds such as S. chartarum usually appear only in severely water-damaged structures. The CDC reports that some patients in such environments describe severe respiratory symptoms, including pulmonary bleeding, but these have not been conclusively linked with mold exposure.
While many molds produce toxins, it may take an unusually high concentration of them to create harmful effects in the human body. Contact dermatitis resulting in itchy skin rashes can arise from touching any type of mold and is not a toxic reaction.
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