The sneaky spores behind your sniffles
Last summer I traded the chaos of the city for 10 days at a relative’s beach house. It was paradise--until I noticed my two cats looked like they were crying, their eyes watery and glossy. I thought maybe there was some toxic cleaning residue on the floors, as this relative hasn't yet fully embraced nontoxic living. Then I started to get a runny nose and teary eyes and thought we must all be allergic to something. But by the end of our time there, one of my cats had congested sounding breathing, and I was wiping their eyes, and my nose, all day. My relaxing getaway turned into an unexpected mystery.
Was it chemical toxins, allergies or a summer cold?
This house is pristine and there were no visible signs anywhere that I could see that there might be a mold issue so it wasn't my first consideration. Because a friend of my relative had just had issues with mold at their house, he ordered a couple DIY test kits and placed them where he suspected an issue. A few days later an enormous colony of fluffy and colorful growths appeared in the little plastic petri dishes.
A week later he hired a mold specialist to come in to do a thorough testing and what they discovered was shocking. It turns out there had been a water leak from his washing machine in the basement, about 8 months prior. At the time, he had wiped up the vinyl flooring with a mop, and to him, that was the end of it. What he didn’t do was dry out the room with a dehumidifier, or lift the vinyl to let the cement below completely dry out. Over the course of those months, he unknowingly grew a garden of fungi beneath the vinyl.
After this discovery, I started thinking back to my prior, shorter visits. Last March, this same relative was complaining that he was experiencing the worst allergies ever, and was even missing work. He could barely breathe he was so congested. He was constantly trying to clear his throat from the post nasal drip, which also kept him from sleeping because he was coughing all night. This affected his energy, he was lethargic, and even started losing his voice. It started to clear up around the end of spring which happened to be around the same time he started opening his doors and windows with the warmer weather. His symptoms never really went away, but they improved slightly. He self medicated with the usual anti-histamines and doctor prescribed inhalers and went on with his life.
During those short visits, I didn’t go into the basement to do laundry, so my cats and I weren’t affected. But the longer term exposure started to take its toll in a surprisingly short period of time. My cats were affected first and this is what will usually happen if you’re paying close attention to your pets health; they will warn you that something in the environment is not conducive to good health. Any pet can act as the proverbial “canary in the coal mine”.
Going to a doctor with these common symptoms will likely get you a prescription for a steroid inhaler, anti-histamine, or even an anti-biotic. But none of those things would fix the root cause in the case of mold, and actually may negatively impact your immune response. In fact, doctors do not test for this so their solutions don’t fix the problem, even if it may temporarily relieve presenting symptoms.
So what is mold?
Mold is all around us in the air outside, and sometimes inside our homes. It’s in, and on, the foods we eat. Outdoor molds can increase at certain times of the year and affect us more if they get sealed into our homes during colder seasons.
Mold is a type of fungus that grows in damp, humid environments and reproduces by releasing tiny, often invisible, spores into the air. If you were to see it magnified it can have the appearance of tiny mushrooms. Mold can release harmful toxins and spores, known as mycotoxins, which may cause respiratory issues, allergies, and worsen conditions like asthma or skin conditions. Prolonged exposure to mold can also weaken the immune system and lead to more serious health problems, such as chronic fatigue, neurological symptoms, organ damage and cancer.
Mold facts from various linked studies and mold specialists
Respiratory illnesses increase by 30-50% in mold-contaminated spaces
25% of the population have genes that make them more susceptible to mold related illness
You have a 33% chance of being exposed to toxic mold when you move into a new home, apartment, school or office. (Moldy documentary)
30% of all schools in the US have plumbing or roofing based leaks
Concrete floors need 4-5 months to completely dry out before placing flooring on it
Mold can be used for good like in the case for penicillin
Mold can be used for bad like in the case for biological warfare
There are hundreds of thousands of mold species that grow in a rainbow of colors; black and yellow are most toxic; blue and green most common; red is least common; orange breaks down wood, and pink (found in bathrooms) is more of a bacteria can cause UTIs
Common symptoms
Your genetics and overall health will determine how your body will react. Some common symptoms of mold exposure include:
Irritated eyes
Sinus congestion
Respiratory illnesses like asthma, coughing and wheezing
Frequent bloody noses
Skin rashes and eczema
Inflammatory illnesses like joint pain, bloating, and autoimmune
Infertility
Liver and kidney diseases
Mitochondrial issues and chronic fatigue
Mood disorders like depression, low mood, brain fog and emotional imbalance
Headaches and migraines
Sensitivities to light, foods, and smells
Hair loss
Where we are most commonly exposed to mold
Mold issues aren’t always visible as I noted in my story. You might smell it as a musty kind of smell like you may have experienced staying in an old cabin or hotel room, clothes left in the washing machine too long, or in a bag of old baked goods. If you have a particularly sensitive nose, you may pick up the scent right away, or maybe you’ll start getting one of the symptoms I mentioned. Molds only need a spore from the air, an organic substance to grow on, and moisture to feed it, to grow. The most common places it can be found:
Top Food Sources of Mold
Peanuts and shelled nuts
Legumes and grains stored poorly, then bagged in plastic
Dried fruit
Aged foods like hard cheeses
Processed meats
Condiments that can sit in refrigerators for months/years
Wine and beer which may have used moldy grapes and hops
Coffee that has been improperly stored (don't store in the refrigerator)
Milk from cows fed moldy corn and grains can all contribute to symptoms related to mold exposure
Environmental Sources
Decaying leaves and wildlife
Accumulated moisture in vents and ductwork
Bath enclosures on grout and caulk, or behind the tiles, walls and floors if there’s been a leak or not sealed properly
Around sinks, toilets, wet appliances that may leak, create condensation, or have small amounts of standing water
Chimneys
Roofs and attics which may not often be checked for leaks
A/C units that accumulate condensation
Drywall and wood can sometimes be exposed to mold and dampness at point of origin before it’s installed in your home (think about the stacks of wood you see sitting outside at home builders)
Carpets or vinyl flooring which may conceal mold growing underneath after a spill
Basements that are prone to flooding or dampness
What you can do
If you have any of the symptoms above that started around the time you moved to a new home, started a new job or school, or know you spend time in a place that had leaks, you may have a mold related condition. Remove any foods mentioned that you may be consuming to see if that is your source. Work with an Integrative Health Practitioner to test yourself using at home urine tests; Candida, Metabolic, and Vitamins test that looks for two types of indoor and outdoor molds, or the Mold Toxicity test which looks for a number of mycotoxin waste products from various molds. The latter may help determine the source (food vs environment) and amount of exposure.
If you confirm that you have a mold issue in your body, you would want to work not only on a diet and protocol to remove it from your body, but also your environment to ensure you’re not continuing exposure.
You can order mold testing kits online, and there are a lot to choose from. However, I recommend hiring a professional if you're not sure of the source. Those can run the gamut as it's not a very well regulated field. Some things to consider if you shop around for one:
Hire a separate inspection company and remediation company to avoid a conflict of interest
Ensure they test indoor vs outdoor mold air quality because you need to know if you actually have a problem in the home - is there a problem with building failure like a leak, or is it just environmental in the air? (A big difference in the solution of building work, or just getting a good HEPA air filter)
There should be both a physical inspection as well as tape, swab and air samples (one determines the source and the other the type of mold and amount)
Ask what standards the professional follows - S530 is best
Some inspectors use mold dogs to sniff out the hard to find sources and these have their own pros and cons
ERMI (Environmental Relative Mold Index) is NOT the best test to be used because it has too many variables and too narrow a dataset to be useful (EPA created, but not EPA recommended, yet still allowed to be used and won’t hold up in litigation should you find yourself in that position)
Don't panic if you get a crazy remediation plan, get a second opinion. Sometimes small changes are enough to fix the problem and a good specialist can help you make sense of what needs action first to make you feel better.
So if you're dreading the start of allergy season, remember pollen may not be your only nemesis. Your allergies may be due to mold exposure that has inflamed the body and created an over active immune response to everyday things in our environment. I hope this information was helpful and will inspire you to take action if you suspect you have any of the symptoms or home conditions covered.