Defining Toxic Mold Spores

by: Chris Anzalone, eHow Contributor

Toxic mold is a concern for homeowners and anyone who must work or spend time in an environment with mold spores.

Though there are more than 400,000 types of mold, the majority are not toxic. "Toxic mold" refers to a very specific type of spore.

Defining Toxic
No mold spore is toxic, in and of itself. Certain molds, such as Stachybotrys chartarum and Aspergillus flavus, are classified as toxigenic. A toxic substance consists of toxins, whereas a toxigenic substance such as certain molds is non-toxic, but has the ability to release airborne toxins. Toxigenic molds release toxins known as mycotoxins.

Determining Toxicity
Only a mold expert can determine the exact mold type, and therefore determine whether or not the mold produces mycotoxins. The symptoms associated with toxigenic mold exposure match the symptoms produced by other molds, such as sinus infection, hypersensitivity pneumonitis (an inflammation of the lungs), respiratory infection, coughing and wheezing.

As a result, you cannot determine the toxicity by symptoms alone, nor can you determine toxicity by appearance. For example, Stachybotrys, a toxigenic mold, has the same color and consistency of Cladosporium, which is a non-toxigenic mold.

Contact a mold expert to determine toxicity. Cancer Risk Cancer risk sets toxigenic molds apart from non-toxigenic molds. The Environmental Protection Agency warns that molds such as Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus contain a carcinogenic mycotoxin known as aflatoxin B1. Aflatoxin B1 can contribute to the growth of liver cancer.

For this reason, you should treat all molds as a potential hazard, since you cannot determine toxicity by observation alone. Non-toxigenic molds can cause symptoms, but are seldom life-threatening.

Other Mold Types Every household mold falls into one of three categories. The toxigenic molds comprise one category, but the other two categories are allergenic and pathogenic molds. A pathogenic mold can cause illness and infection.

However, it contains no mycotoxins and is not believed to contribute to cancer growth. An allergenic mold affects only people with allergies and potentially people with respiratory sensitivities such as asthma.

from:http://www.ehow.com/m/info_8354571_toxic-mold-spores.html

Tips To Help With Spring Mold Allergies

from: http://www.allergy-details.com/mold-allergy-c/mold-allergy-peak-spring/

Mold allergy problems increase in the spring. This can be confused with a pollen allergy, but they are quite different.

You may be suffering from both, to make matters worse. What can you do about it? Mold is around all year because it grows indoors as well as outside.

If you live far enough north to experience winter temperatures below freezing, mold allergies are usually less of a problem during those months. Mold does not grow outside when it is frozen, and the drier air inside from heating reduced mold growth in your house as well. Outside is a a different matter.

As temperatures increase, the mold begins to wake up. I’ve seen mold growing on top of snow as it melts, and under the snow, so that its already growing on the grass even before you can see the grass. All of this aggravates your mold allergy

Last year’s leaf litter is this spring’s mold bed. There is no getting away from it. Allergy shots may help with your mold allergy. See your allergist about this in the winter so that you’re already taking the shots before the spring mold season.

Open the windows for fresh air in the evening when temperatures are lower and the mold less active, then close them during the day. This is the opposite of what you should do in the summer in some cases.

Make sure the fresh air intake damper for forced air heating is turned off during the spring. Do open it during the summer and winter. Reduce your humidifier setting to maintain a drier atmosphere inside. This discourages mold growth in your home.

Keeping your house a bit warmer in the spring may also help. Spring can be a bad time for mold allergies, so do your best to avoid mold problems