The weather conditions of winter bring with them the danger of mould in the home or workplace.

Indoor mould can cause serious damage to the health of those living with it. In fact, there is growing evidence that living in damp and/or mouldy environments can lead to a number of health problems, including a wheezing cough, respiratory problems and even depression.

Evidence has shown that mould and damp in homes, schools, offices and institutional buildings could be responsible for more than a fifth of all cases of asthma in the US, which translates into around five million of the 22 million Americans suffering from asthma (IndoorAir, 2007). Mould could even be responsible for some mental problems such as depression.

Although mould has been around for thousands of years, mould-related health problems have appeared only recently.

This could be linked to the types of buildings we are now living in and also to people with poor immune systems and stressed lives. The groups who are potentially more vulnerable to exposure to mouldy areas indoors are those who suffer from chronic illness, the elderly and pregnant women.

However, the compelling explanation for this trend is the worldwide use of air conditioning. According to William Fisk, leader of the Indoor Environment Group at the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory in Berkley, California, more than 15 studies have consistently pointed to a strong link between air conditioning and numerous respiratory symptoms.

Microbes that thrive in air-conditioning systems, including mould and bacteria, are the most likely culprits in the relationship (Environ. Health Perspect., 2007).

Breathing in mouldy spores can lead to allergic reactions such as asthma or a runny nose

Environmental journalist Bob Weinhold wrote in his 2007 report ‘A spreading concern: inhalational health effects of mould’ that many organisations around the world are reaching the same conclusion: not to mess with mould. “If you can smell it or see it (especially if health problems are occurring), clean it out, throw it out or get out.”

So why is mould so toxic? To the naked eye, mould appears to just cling to the surfaces it grows on, but as it multiplies, it actually releases tiny spores into the air that are easily inhaled. Breathing in spores is what adversely affects your body in a number of ways.

It can lead to allergic reactions such as asthma or a runny nose. Heavy and repeated exposure can lead to hypersensitivity pneumonitis and an inflammation of air sacs in the lungs.

It produces various volatile organic compounds such as alcohol and ketones, which are known irritants responsible for the characteristic musty smell, for causing headaches, dizziness, fatigue and other systemic effects.

Certain species of mould produce mycotoxins – poisonous metabolites that play no part in the mould’s growth or reproduction – and include some of the most toxic agents in existence.

It can cause infectious diseases in people with weak immune systems, affecting the skin, eyes, lungs and other organs.

Here are some mould precautions you can take as general guidelines around the home.

Check for damp if you suffer from depression. Based on a World Health Organisation survey of data from eight European cities in 2002 and 2003, researchers from Brown School of Medicine in Providence, Rhode Island, found that people living in damp, mouldy households were 34 to 44 per cent more likely to have a diagnosis of depression than people living in a mould- and damp-free home (Am. J. Public Health, 2007).

The link between mould and mental health was such a surprise to the researchers that they decided to conduct smaller studies to account for physical factors, such as overcrowding, and psychological aspects, such as not having control over one’s living environment. Again using the data from WHO, they found “a small relationship between depression, mould and dampness”.

Mould is especially dangerous for children. Using the Asthma Pre­dictive Index (API), research­­­ers from the Department of Environmental Health at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio found that three-year-olds living with high levels of visible mould in the home during early infancy were seven times more likely to have a positive API, suggesting an increased risk of asthma when compared to those not living in a mouldy environment.

Mould has such an impact on respiratory health that in one six-year-long study involving 2,000 British children, the presence of a noticeable mouldy smell in the home was just as strong a determinant of the development of asthma later in life as having a family history of asthma or hay fever (Envrion. Health Perspect., 2005).

Conventional medicine’s answer to asthma is hazardous drugs such as steroids. However, evidence suggests that simply tackling mould and mildew in the home could ease or even cure the problem for millions of asthma sufferers.

Rule out damp and mould if you or your family suffer from illnesses which have no identifiable causes. Indoor mould has been linked to a range of other health problems including headaches, fever, excessive fatigue, cognitive and neuropsychological effects, gastrointestinal symptoms and joint pain (Can. Fam. Physician, 2002).

As a precaution, keep your home clear of mould if you have cancer. Although all the evidence isn’t fully collected regarding this connection, one study has found that women at work exposed to moulds (of agricultural and industrial origins) were three and two times more likely to have cervical and lip cancer respectively (Occup. Environ. Med., 2008).

kathryn@maltanet.net

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