Common Health Problems Linked To Toxic Mold

Over 10,000 people have filed lawsuits for toxic mold exposure in recent months, making it a growing, but confusing problem in this country. On the one hand, there are serious illnesses that some people can contract from overexposure to mold. However, mold exists everywhere in small quantities, and there is a great deal of controversy over what levels of mold are “toxic.” It can be important to have the advice of an expert before taking a toxic mold case to court.

Mold Exposure

There are literally thousands of types of mold that can be found both indoors and outdoors. At normal levels, most of these types of mold are not dangerous for the majority of people. However, there are people with lung conditions, autoimmune diseases, and other illnesses that make them susceptible to even slightly elevated levels of indoor mold. Two of the most common strains of indoor mold that may be classified as “toxic” when found in dangerous levels include:

Stachybotrys chartarum, or “black mold” – which is usually greenish-black in color and grows in a moist environment, often in flood-damaged areas.

Aspergillis, a more common type of mold, which may be found in any mold-friendly environment

While mold can be found anywhere, it most often thrives in warm, damp, humid spaces. It spreads through spores that are colorless and able to survive in even dry environments for long periods of time before it turns into mold.

Health Risks

While there are no definitive ties between certain diseases and dangerous levels of toxic mold in a home or workplace, there are indications that these conditions may be the result of such exposure:

Allergic reactions, resulting in congestion, irritated eyes, wheezing and coughing, skin irritation, and flu-like symptoms, fever, and difficulty breathing

Aspergillosis, which includes allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), carrying the same symptoms as allergic reactions

Invasive aspergillosis, which is more severe, damaging body tissue, especially in the lungs, but also throughout the body

These indications are more often found in people who already have conditions such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, infant lung hemorrhaging, cancer, brain damage, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, reactive airway dysfunction syndrome (RADS), and more.

Because one common place that mold can travel is in building materials, some homes and offices have been dubbed “sick buildings” because mold apparently permeates the building and its materials.

Solutions

For those who have had a mold infestation in their homes, the clean-up process can be difficult. Because spores are invisible, they can remain long after obvious evidences of mold have been eradicated. However, “mold remediation,” as it is known, can occur though special, thorough cleaning protocols on hard surfaces, and often nothing less than the replacement of more porous materials.

Getting Legal Help with Toxic Mold Health Problems

Even though mold is difficult to assess as inherently toxic, and the diseases that are often associated with exposure to toxic mold are difficult to diagnose, there have been many successful cases where victims have won their claims and received generous compensation. Generally, only an experienced personal injury lawyer can fully assess a victim’s claims and determine if they have a winning case.

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