People with mold allergies respond adversely to inhaling certain levels of airborne black mold allergens, which vary among individuals. Adults and children may face short-term hay fever--type illnesses or extreme health risks over time.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all mold should be removed from indoor rooms. Building surfaces that stay damp, such as showers, and those that tend to hold water, such as adjacent wooden molding or window sills, offer optimal growing conditions for allergenic fungi.
Inflammatory Conditions
Upon ingesting airborne reproductive mold spores in bathroom shower areas, allergy patients will suffer an inflammatory response by their immune systems. As the Cleveland Clinic relates, histamine-induced swelling in the airways, which is meant to block allergens, also blocks normal breathing. Runny nose, nasal congestion, coughing and sneezing may result. These symptoms can endure as long as patients receive periodic exposure to the same levels of black mold.
The CDC warns against perpetuating shower environments that have warm temperatures and more than 60 percent humidity. Poor air venting may hold allergens in the air, increasing the symptoms and health risks of prolonged respiratory inflammation. Allowing mold colonies to continue reproducing can increase the incidence of asthma attacks and breathing problems in patients who have asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as well as mold allergies.
Chronic Lung Problems
More serious illness can occur in patients with mold allergies who have continual exposure to black mold. The CDC recognizes a link between mold ingestion and the development of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, a high degree of inflammation in the lungs. This condition often develops after encountering moldy conditions daily, such as working in a moldy shower or other indoor area.
The Merck Medical Library reports a range of health risks that hypersensitivity pneumonitis carries. Symptoms of fever, cough and chills from short-term, intense exposure can lessen in a day but illness can linger for weeks. Inhabiting a moldy space for weeks may increase breathing problems to include wheezing and shortness of breath. Months or years of these conditions can permanently harm lung tissue and decrease function in individuals with mold allergies.
Infectious Lung Disease
High health risks for fungal infection of the sinuses and lungs exist in people who have an underling illness, such as asthma or cystic fibrosis, the Merck Medical Library reports. Patients with low immunity due to HIV, cancer or organ surgery share that risk.
Inhaled black mold spores can lodge in the sinuses or lungs, and begin to grow, potentially spreading to other areas of the body, and causing organ failure and death. Early signs may include breathing difficulty and coughing up blood.
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