Mold can create serious problems for sufferers of mold allergies. Allergic reactions result in painful upper-respiratory symptoms like sneezing, sinus infection, stuffy nose, watery or burning eyes and difficulty breathing. Indoor humidity levels can impact airborne mold, and high relative humidity can potentially create a dangerous environment for allergy sufferers.
Humidity and Mold
Like all fungi, mold grows from spores. Mold spores exist in every environment, but they primarily become a problem when they enter an active state. Active mold refers to any mold currently feeding on nutrients and producing chemicals. In other words, an active mold grows while an inactive mold rests dormant and unnoticed. High humidity can cause mold to enter an active state, because mold grows on moist surfaces. When mold becomes active, it can cause allergic reactions.
Relative Humidity Levels
Ideally, maintain indoor humidity levels between 30 and 50 percent. Lower relative humidity rates can result in dry air symptoms like nose bleeds, dry skin and respiratory problems. When humidity rises higher than 50 percent, the mold risk increases exponentially. If you want to keep an eye on your indoor humidity levels, hang a humidistat on the wall. A humidistat looks like a regular thermometer, but measures humidity instead of temperature.
Humidity Dangers
When humidity rises, excess water vapor clings to hard surfaces like ceilings, walls, fabrics and upholstery. Any dormant mold spores can then begin feeding on nearby nutrients such as wood, cotton or paper. When the spores begin devouring nutrients, the mold enters an active state, releasing new spores as well as fumes into the atmosphere. Allergy sufferers can then breathe in the active spores and begin to experience symptoms.
Other Factors
Humidity can impact mold allergies by contributing to mold growth, but humidity is by no means the sole factor in determining allergy risks. Mold allergies will flare in any environment where active mold presents itself, whether or not the moisture resulted from humidity, water damage, flooding or poor plumbing. Humidity simply serves as a catalyst for mold growth, and therefore allergy sufferers should remain cautious of it, but mold can grow under a variety of different circumstances.
Controlling Humidity
If you suffer from mold allergies, work to keep your home mold free. If high humidity persists in your region, buy a dehumidifier and turn it on whenever humidity exceeds 50 percent.
