How Mold Affects Human Health
Mold fungi produce toxins that cause allergic responses when their microscopic spores are inhaled. The risk is highest for people with bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis. Prolonged contact can lead to dermatitis, chronic coughing, sinusitis, and skin rashes.
A toxic aspergillus colony can release up to a hundred million spores per hour from each square meter of growth. The spores enter the body through the skin, the respiratory tract, or contaminated food. In people with weakened immunity the effects include watering eyes, skin irritation, persistent headaches, digestive disorders, dry cough, swollen mucous membranes, and nosebleeds. Long-term exposure has been linked to pneumonia, upper respiratory infections, and damage to the liver and kidneys.






