Everything you Ever Wanted to Know About Mold ... but were
afraid to ask!
The mushrooms in your grocery store have much in common with the
black mold that forms on stale bread and mildew that collects on
damp shower curtains. These life forms belong to the Kingdom Fungi,
a group of more than 100,000 known species. Fungi do not make their
own food like plants do. They get it from other living organisms.
Their main role in the ecosystem is to break down dead materials.
Without fungi, the earth would be full of dead things: dead leaves,
trees, dead insects and dead animals. The same enzymes that help
fungi to break down wastes and dead organisms also let them attack
wood, fiber, and food. Various molds cause great damage to stored
goods and building materials each year. These same molds cause problems
in housing, affecting the health of residents and the structural
soundness of the buildings.
Fungi are classified into major divisions, largely based on their
method of reproduction. A commonly occurring example of a zygomycota
is black bread mold. The ascomycota division includes over 30,00
species, including some yeasts, powdery mildews, most of the blue-green,
red and brown molds, and the edibles morels and truffles. Basidiomycota
include the most familiar of the fungi: mushrooms, toadstools, bracket
fungi and puffballs, as well as some plant parasites such as rusts
and smuts. Oomycetes are microscopic water molds. A group called
deuteromycetes has stages in the life cycles which place it in different
groups at different times. About half of the species that affect
human health are in this group.
Mold can be found on plants, dry leaves, and just about every other
organic material. Man has found some molds to be useful, such as
those used to make antibiotics, beer, cheese and wine. Some molds
are known to be highly toxic when taken in with food, such as the
types that invade grains and peanuts. Still others cause negative
health effects such as asthma or allergic reactions when their reproductive
spores are inhaled. Most of the mold found indoors comes from outdoors.
The lightweight spore's float in on air currents often being carried
long distances before settling on some surface. If mold spores land
on a suitable surface, they will begin to grow. Molds need certain
things to thrive, including moisture, food, and a surface to grow
on. They like the same room temperature that we do! Molds cn be
found throughout the house, but are commonly found where there is
moisture, such as in the bathroom. Mold growth can often be seen
in the form of discoloration, and can be many colors: white, orange,
pink, blue, green, black or brown. When molds are present in large
quantities (called colonies), they become a health concern. Molds
can generally be divided into 3 groups based on their health effects:
Allergenic, Pathogenic and Toxic.
Allergenic molds are normally not dangerous, but can cause
allergenic or asthmatic symptoms such as wheezing or runny nose.
These molds do not usually produce life-threatening effects, and
are most likely to affect those who are already allergic or asthmatic.
Pathogenic mold can cause serious health effects in persons
with decreased immune function, those taking chemotherapy, or in
those with HIV/AIDS. Some pathogens are common in indoor air. A
normal, healthy individual can probably resist infection by these
organisms regardless of dose, but high exposures may cause reactions
in the lungs. Any mold that can grow at body temperature can become
a pathogen in a person with a reduced immune function.
Toxins are poisonous substances produced by living things.
Those from mold (called mycotoxins) can cause serious health effects
in almost anybody. These effets range from short-term irritation
to immune system problems, or even cancer. Most of the information
related to diseases caused by mycotoxins concerns eating contaminated
food. Mycotoxins are contained in some kinds of fungus spores, and
these can be breathed into the body. Symptoms of nerve tissue damage
possibly due to mycotoxin exposure have been reported. Skin is another
target for mycotoxins. Toxins for several fungi have caused cases
of severe skin disease. In view of the serious nature of the effects
reported for mycotoxins, exposure to these agents should be avoided.
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