Mold (fungi) are organisms which play a vital role by decomposing old food, plants and wood. Low to moderate levels
of molds are commonly found in the air and on soil, dust and surfaces both indoors or outdoors. Indoor mold growth is
especially common in areas with water damage.
High concentrations of mold can cause health problems by 3 mechanisms: 1) They produce hundreds of allergens which can worsen asthma and allergies. Many studies have linked high levels of indoor or outdoor molds in air or dust with significantly higher levels of asthma in infants, children and adults. 2) Molds produce a wide range of toxic chemicals called mycotoxins which can damage the kidneys, nerves, respiratory and immune systems and cause cancer, and 3) Molds (fungi) can cause infections. Molds such as Candida and Aspergillus frequently cause life threatening infections in patients with compromised immune systems such as those with HIV/AIDS, cancer, are badly malnourished or on immune suppressing drugs (Curtis, 2004).
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of molds are commonly found in the air and on soil, dust and surfaces both indoors or outdoors. Indoor mold growth is
especially common in areas with water damage.
High concentrations of mold can cause health problems by 3 mechanisms: 1) They produce hundreds of allergens which can worsen asthma and allergies. Many studies have linked high levels of indoor or outdoor molds in air or dust with significantly higher levels of asthma in infants, children and adults. 2) Molds produce a wide range of toxic chemicals called mycotoxins which can damage the kidneys, nerves, respiratory and immune systems and cause cancer, and 3) Molds (fungi) can cause infections. Molds such as Candida and Aspergillus frequently cause life threatening infections in patients with compromised immune systems such as those with HIV/AIDS, cancer, are badly malnourished or on immune suppressing drugs (Curtis, 2004).
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