Exposure to mold in the home and workplace has become a goldmine for opportunistic attorneys and pseudo-experts exploiting the naivete of juries and the public, resulting in large insurance payouts from so-called toxic mold exposure.
What is mold?
Mold is a type of fungus found in almost every environment on earth. Mold reproduces through production of spores. Mold typically grows outdoors on vegetation, or indoors on porous materials that contain a source of nutrition such as cellulose, the organic compound that makes up plant matter. Mold can remain alive but in a dormant state, and requires both water and nourishment to reproduce.
Mold exposure can cause infections
Medical conditions associated with mold expose can occur from direct colonization of the human body by mold, or exposure to toxic gases emitted by certain mold species. Allergic responses in humans occur through immunosensetization in response to repeat exposures can include allergic rhinitis, asthma, and sinusitis. Direct inhalation of mold spores is the most common exposure route, as well as ingestion or skin absorption. Mycosis, or the systemic fungal infections in immunocompromised people can occur with exposure to high levels of mold, or to chronic exposure to lower levels of mycotoxins. The sinuses and lungs, the digestive tract, or the skin are the most common infections. Ermatophytes, dermatophytes, and yeasts are the species that cause systemic infections. Such opportunistic infections from species including Pencillium marneffi or Aspergillus fumigatus, are common in people with compromised immune systems, occurring from asthma or HIV.
Is your house a gas chamber?
The metabolic processes produce gases that are described as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These are always present in outdoor environments, but the amount of VOCs proportional to the VOC concentration can be high enough to cause toxic effects. The health effects require an exposure pathway, such as inhalation, skin absorption. The mere presence of mold species known to produce mycotoxins the does establish the presence or exposure t the mycotoxin. What constitutes a toxic dose is not well understood. In addition, the use of low levels of biocides has been found to increase mycotoxin production. Immune responses to mycotoxins can vary significantly depending on individual susceptibility. Exposure duration, frequency, and concentration all affect the level of immune system response. The toxic effects of mold have been attributed to mycotoxin exposure from certain species, however, recent studies show that these toxic effects are the result of chronic immune system activation, which leads to chronic inflammation of affected tissues.
Although the potentially toxic effects of mold exposure have been well-documented, most medical experts believe that, under normal circumstances, exposure to mold at high enough levels to cause toxicity in humans is highly unlikely.
What is mold?
Mold is a type of fungus found in almost every environment on earth. Mold reproduces through production of spores. Mold typically grows outdoors on vegetation, or indoors on porous materials that contain a source of nutrition such as cellulose, the organic compound that makes up plant matter. Mold can remain alive but in a dormant state, and requires both water and nourishment to reproduce.
Mold exposure can cause infections
Medical conditions associated with mold expose can occur from direct colonization of the human body by mold, or exposure to toxic gases emitted by certain mold species. Allergic responses in humans occur through immunosensetization in response to repeat exposures can include allergic rhinitis, asthma, and sinusitis. Direct inhalation of mold spores is the most common exposure route, as well as ingestion or skin absorption. Mycosis, or the systemic fungal infections in immunocompromised people can occur with exposure to high levels of mold, or to chronic exposure to lower levels of mycotoxins. The sinuses and lungs, the digestive tract, or the skin are the most common infections. Ermatophytes, dermatophytes, and yeasts are the species that cause systemic infections. Such opportunistic infections from species including Pencillium marneffi or Aspergillus fumigatus, are common in people with compromised immune systems, occurring from asthma or HIV.
Is your house a gas chamber?
The metabolic processes produce gases that are described as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These are always present in outdoor environments, but the amount of VOCs proportional to the VOC concentration can be high enough to cause toxic effects. The health effects require an exposure pathway, such as inhalation, skin absorption. The mere presence of mold species known to produce mycotoxins the does establish the presence or exposure t the mycotoxin. What constitutes a toxic dose is not well understood. In addition, the use of low levels of biocides has been found to increase mycotoxin production. Immune responses to mycotoxins can vary significantly depending on individual susceptibility. Exposure duration, frequency, and concentration all affect the level of immune system response. The toxic effects of mold have been attributed to mycotoxin exposure from certain species, however, recent studies show that these toxic effects are the result of chronic immune system activation, which leads to chronic inflammation of affected tissues.
Although the potentially toxic effects of mold exposure have been well-documented, most medical experts believe that, under normal circumstances, exposure to mold at high enough levels to cause toxicity in humans is highly unlikely.
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