Hurricanes and Floods - When Disaster Strikes - page 315

One of the problems with toxic mold is that it could be harming your health even though
you may not see or smell any mold, and that its effects can creep up on you quite insidiously,
just a little bit at a time, until one day you come to the realization that you feel sick all the time
and can no longer lead a normal life. The symptoms of toxic mold poisoning are quite varied,
and most medical doctors will not recognize these symptoms as being caused by toxic molds.
Not all molds are equal! Some molds have relatively low toxicity, meaning that you may
see and smell obvious signs of a mold infestation, yet if it is a low-toxicity mold, it might not
cause any noticeable negative health effects. Whereas a super-toxic mold, like the deadly Sta-
chybotrys black mold, could be hidden inside your home's walls, or behind the floor boards,
not smell at all “moldy,” yet be the cause of a catastrophic loss of health. In my experience, a
“musty” smell means mold, and a “moldy” smell means lots of mold. Whether or not your
problem is serious depends upon many variables, such as the type of mold, mold mycotoxin
concentrations in household air, personal sensitivity and/or allergies to molds and mold my-
cotoxins, rate of home ventilation air changes, moisture issues in the home, and so on.
Health Effects of Mold and Other Fungi
“ Mayo Clinic researchers say they have found the cause of most chronic sinus infections—an im-
mune system response to fungus. They say this discovery opens the door to the first effective treat-
ment for this problem, the most common chronic disease in the United States. ” — Science Daily ,
“Mayo Clinic Study Implicates Fungus as Cause of Chronic Sinusitis,” Sept. 10, 1999
Many molds, not just black mold, give off a highly toxic substance that can severely affect your
health, particularly in the case of children, seniors, and anyone with allergies or a compromised
immune system. In severe cases, black molds have been known to kill healthy soldiers and
horses that were sleeping on straw bedding infected with Stachybotrys . Here is a partial list of
symptoms:
• The most common effects are respiratory ailments, including shortness of breath,
wheezing, chronic sinusitis, and exacerbated asthma. Side effects of sinus issues in-
clude acid reflux and postnasal drip.
• Signs of mold-toxin overload often include poor low-contrast visual distinction
(which makes night driving difficult), panic attacks, feelings of claustrophobia, head-
aches, tremors, seizures, confusion, and the inability to concentrate.
• Migraines and shimmering vision are common effects that my wife and I have each
experienced when we spent too much time in a mold-contaminated room.