How does mould make you sick?

Mouldy and water damaged buildings can have a significant impact on human health, and most people mistakenly think this is limited to allergy and asthma-like symptoms.

Mould can actually have a variety of health effects on people depending on their unique immune response (related to haplotype), as well as general bio-individuality.  Given the ways in which mould can make you unwell goes far beyond an allergic response I want to share with you the various mechanisms through which this can occur. 

Mould + Allergies

One of the most well understood ways in which mould can make people sick is through allergic reactions, and this is the one most commonly recognised.

When the body encounters a foreign antigen, such as mould, it will trigger an immune response in an attempt to expel it. This will naturally result in symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, increased mucus production, and itchy eyes. In some cases itchy skin rashes and, in others, wheezing and asthma will occur.

If someone is experiencing these symptoms and they’re not seasonally related, and/or they’re triggered by certain buildings or rooms/spaces in a building, this may indicate it’s environmentally related (and potentially a result of a water-damaged building).

Mould + Infections

Another way in which mould can make people sick is through fungal infections. This is less common, and much more likely if you’re immunocompromised.

Moulds can cause specific fungal infections, however – by virtue of the micro-organisms present in water-damaged buildings – bacterial infections are also common and can result in chronic cold and flu-like symptoms, sinus issues, and pneumonia. Additionally, the immune suppression that can occur in water damaged environments can also lead to secondary infections.

Mould Toxicity

A third way mould can make humans sick is through the ingestion, inhalation, and absorption of mycotoxins, which are toxic chemicals produced by certain species of mould.

These toxins can cause a wide range of symptoms, from nausea and vomiting to neurological issues and even cancer. The chronic exposure to these toxins can also lead to damage to various organs such as the kidneys, liver, and brain, and reproductive organs.

In someone who has a vulnerable haplotype this can occur much sooner than in someone who is able to metabolise biotoxins more efficiently.

Mould + Systemic Inflammation 

Lastly, for people with a specific genetic susceptibility to mould toxins, the exposure can lead to what’s referred to as chronic inflammatory response syndrome (or CIRS for short).

In this case, the immune system is unable to clear the toxins and an acute inflammatory response becomes chronic. This can lead to symptoms such as fatigue (e.g. chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms), headaches, muscle and joint pain (including fibromyalgia symptoms), and cognitive dysfunction.

It’s important to note that these mechanisms of action are not mutually exclusive and a person may experience symptoms from multiple categories. Additionally, the severity and specific symptoms can vary greatly from person to person.

One of the challenges with recognising mould-related illnesses is that the effect on the occupants inside can be so variable. This is one of the reason’s it’s important to have an environmental assessment done by a professional to identify the presence of mould and other environmental toxins and to have a comprehensive medical evaluation performed by an environmentally-literate practitioner.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW MOULD CAN MAKE YOU SICK?

There are many symptoms and other health conditions that are associated with toxic mould exposure – if you’d like to learn more about the types of health issues toxic mould exposure can cause I’ve compiled a list of the 14 most common conditions in a free eBook for you.

DOWNLOAD THE EBOOK HERE