Allergies in people and pets are caused by mold. Mold exposure can cause mild symptoms such as a runny nose, watery eyes, and a sore throat.
Asthma attacks and skin disorders are frequently caused by mold. If you feel sick and your home has water damage or a musty odor, you should get a mold inspection and mold air testing done.
Mold exposure symptoms can vary from person to person and range from moderate to severe. Symptoms may appear all year or only at specific seasons of the year, such as winter.
Mold Health Hazards
Human Immune Response to Mold
Mold allergy symptoms are generated by a human immune system reaction, much like any other allergy. When people inhale tiny mold spores in the air, their bodies perceive them as foreign invaders and produce allergy-inducing antibodies to combat them.
After the initial exposure, your immune system continues to manufacture antibodies that “remember” the invader, causing your immune system to react if you come into contact with it again. This reaction causes histamine to be released, causing itchy, watery eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, and other mold allergy symptoms.
Mold can be found outside or inside locations. There are many different varieties of mold, but only a few of them cause allergies. If you are allergic to one form of mold, it does not mean you will be allergic to others.
When It Is Not an Allergy
Mold can cause sickness without causing an allergic reaction, the most prevalent condition induced by exposure to mold. Infections, irritants, and toxic responses can all be caused by mold. Mold infections can cause various issues, ranging from flu-like symptoms to skin infections and even pneumonia.
An irritating reaction occurs when mold-derived chemicals termed volatile organic compounds (VOC) irritate the body’s mucous membranes. Eye irritation, runny nose, cough, hoarseness, headache, and skin irritation are symptoms of a VOC irritant reaction comparable to allergies. Some mold remediation companies offer many services to help you with your mold problems.
Health Complications
Most allergic reactions to mold involve hay fever-like symptoms that can be annoying but are not dangerous. Mold-induced asthma spores can cause an asthma flare-up in persons who are allergic to mold. If you have a mold allergy and asthma, make sure you have a plan in place for when you experience a severe asthma attack.
An inflammatory response to fungus in the sinuses causes allergic fungal sinusitis. People with asthma may develop an allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis reaction to fungus in the lungs. Hiring a professional like Puroclean of Everett for mold remediation is recommended.
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis is an uncommon illness in which the lungs become inflamed due to exposure to environmental particles such as mold spores. It could be brought on by work-related exposure to allergen-causing dust. If you have a family history of allergies or asthma, you’re more likely to acquire a mold allergy.
Other Health Problems Caused by Mold
In addition to allergies, black mold may pose other health hazards to sensitive ones. Mold can cause skin and mucous membrane illnesses. On the other hand, mold rarely causes systemic infections, especially in patients with weakened immune systems, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, or who are using immunosuppressive medications.
Mold exposure can irritate certain people’s eyes, skin, nose, and throat. Other possible mold reactions are still being investigated.