Could mould be making me sick?

Over recent years, there has been more and more awareness around the effects of mould on human health.

Mould toxicity is a condition in which an individual is overexposed to mould and becomes ill. It is not the mould that makes one ill, but the mycotoxins, which are essentially poisons released from mould. Anyone can become sick from overexposure to mycotoxins, however many people will recover from it once they move out or remediate the affected house or workplace. There are, unfortunately, some people who are genetically predisposed to becoming more ill from biotoxins. Those with the genetic halo-type HLA-DR are more likely to have trouble detoxing mycotoxins, which ultimately leads to a systemic condition known as ‘chronic inflammatory response syndrome’ (CIRS).

Mould produces mycotoxin spores that stick in the air, anything porous, in sinuses, lungs and mucous membranes. Over time they reproduce and circulate, and can be harmful to an individual’s health. They can stick around in clothing, bedding, curtains or even mattresses and pillows for a very long time – the continued exposure making the individual more and more ill.

The symptoms of mould toxicity (also called ‘mould illness’ or ‘toxic mould syndrome’) are often vague – like fatigue, memory problems, gut issues and muscle aches. It can be easy to attribute these to other causes. People often don’t know they’re living or working in mould, or making the connection that mould could be making them sick. So mould toxicity often goes unrecognised.