Mold and Your Health: What EPA and CDC Actually Say
If you've searched for information about mold and health, you've probably found a lot of conflicting claims. Apex Property Assurance isn't a medical provider, so rather than offering opinions on what mold might be doing to your health, here's what the two most reliable public sources, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), actually say.
The EPA states that mold has the potential to cause health problems: it produces allergens, irritants, and in some cases substances that can be toxic. Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals, including hay-fever-type symptoms such as sneezing, a runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash. The EPA also notes that mold exposure can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs of both mold-allergic and non-allergic people.
The CDC adds that exposure to damp and moldy environments may cause a variety of health effects, or none at all. For some people, mold can cause a stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing or wheezing, or burning eyes. People with asthma or mold allergies may have more severe reactions, and people who are immune-compromised or have chronic lung disease may be at greater risk of lung infections from mold.
It's worth being just as direct about what isn't well established. The EPA notes that symptoms beyond allergic and irritant reactions are not commonly reported from inhaling mold, and that research is ongoing. The CDC has also stated that it does not recommend mold testing as a way to determine whether someone will get sick, since health effects vary from person to person and there is no accepted standard for how much mold in a home is too much.
None of this is a reason to ignore a musty smell or visible growth, it's a reason to get an independent inspection rather than rely on guesswork. If a physician has suggested your home's environment could be worth looking into, Apex Property Assurance works alongside your doctor: we handle the property side, inspecting, testing, and documenting, while any health questions stay exactly where they belong, with your physician.
This article is for general information only, drawn from public EPA and CDC guidance, and is not medical advice. If you're concerned mold may be affecting your health, please consult a licensed physician. EPA and CDC guidance is periodically updated, so the sources below link directly to their current pages.