What are these Mold Spores and Why are They so Dangerous?
Mold spores are tiny bacteria less than 4 microns in size — so small that as many as 250,000 spores can fit on a pin head and a person/farmer can inhale as many as 750,000 of these spores per minute! They are produced by microorganisms which grow in moist hay and stored grain silage where the moisture content is high (30%) and the area is poorly ventilated.
When farmers move or work with hay and silage materials in which mold spores have grown, the mold spores attach themselves to airborne dust particles. The farmer not only inhales dust particles which may not be extremely hazardous, but he also inhales mold spores which are a serious hazard. Heavy concentrations of mold spores appear as dry, white or grey powder or clouds.
The body has natural defense filtering systems (such as mucous lining, coughing and sneezing) against dusty air which helps remove some contaminants, BUT most contaminants overpower and pass through these defenses. Mold spores not only bypass defenses because of their number, but also because they are so small.
Very fine particles, like mold spores, move into, accumulate and settle into the lower lungs. There they produce toxins. Remember that the lungs transfer oxygen to the bloodstream, and most of the actual exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen takes place in the lower lungs. Now the lungs become a roadway for toxic materials to travel through the bloodstream with the oxygen. The body’s reaction to the toxins permanently affects the lungs’ ability to transfer oxygen into the bloodstream. The lung tissue becomes permanently scared and each exposure to mold spores increases the damage.
The body’s last defense against these tiny invaders is to develop an allergy producing cold or pneumonia-like symptoms.
The Toxic Indoor Mold – Stachybotrys chartarum:
Berlin D. Nelson, Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, North Dakota State University, Fargo
Introduction
Stachybotrys chartarum is a fungus that has become notorious as a mycotoxin producer that can cause animal and human mycotoxicosis. Indeed, over the past 15 years in North America, evidence has accumulated implicating this fungus as a serious problem in homes and buildings and one of the causes of the “sick building syndrome.” In 1993-1994, there was an unusual outbreak of pulmonary hemorrhage in infants in Cleveland, Ohio, where researchers found S. chartarum growing in the homes of the sick infants. This incident increased the awareness of home/building molds and brought this fungus to the immediate attention of the medical community. In recent years there has been a cascade of reports about toxic molds in the national media. The New York Times Magazine, August 12, 2001, ran a front page story on toxic mold. Newspaper articles such as “Fungus in ‘Sick’ Building” (New York Times, May 5, 1996) or “Mold in schools forces removal of Forks kids” (Fargo Forum, June 1997) are eye-catching news items. The nationally syndicated comic strip Rex Morgan ran a series on Stachybotrys, and television news shows have run entire programs on Stachybotrys contamination of homes. The fungus has resulted in multimillion dollar litigations and caused serious problems for homeowners and building managers who must deal with the human issues and remediation.
As a mycologist, I have been advising public officials and the general public on the issues concerning indoor molds. Our region experienced one of the greatest natural disasters of modern times when the Red River flooded in 1997. In Grand Forks, ND, alone, there were 9,000 flooded homes. There was an enormous need for information on the effects of the flood on human health in the Red River Valley. Because of the increasing awareness of molds in indoor air quality, a coordinated effort by city, state and federal officials to provide information on mold prevention was undertaken. In my observations following the flood and in subsequent years of dealing with indoor mold issues, I have been impressed with the common occurrence and extensive growth of S. chartarum in homes and buildings damaged by flood waters or other types of water incursions and the lack of knowledge by the general public and public and private institutions about this fungus. This review provides information on the fungus, its biologically active compounds, the history of the problem, the controversy about this fungus, and briefly comments on detection and remediation.
