The Hidden Home Hazard That Could Be Making You Sick

Mold in the home can cause a wide range of health issues—from mild allergies to serious chronic conditions—yet it often goes undetected. Experts say understanding the risks and how to identify mold is key to protecting your health.

What Impact Does Mold Have On Your Health?

Mold exposure can significantly affect health, particularly in individuals with asthma, allergies, or compromised immune systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Mold produces allergens, irritants, and mycotoxins, which can cause respiratory symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, nasal congestion, and throat irritation.

Mycotoxins, which are made by mold to compete with other microbes in the area, are highly toxic and can lead to “headaches, fatigue, visual changes, irritation of the respiratory tract, digestive complaints, urinary frequency, and a compromised immune system,” mold expert Jill Crista told Newsweek.

Crista, who holds a doctorate in naturopathic medicine, added, “As a whole, exposure to mold often leads to anxiousness and insomnia, not from stress but because the chemicals and toxins induce an inflammatory reaction that affects the brain’s sense of safety.”

Functional medicine practitioner and fellow mold expert Dr. Jill Carnahan said that mycotoxins are as small as a virus particle, meaning our alveoli, the air sacs in your lungs, “absorb them right into the bloodstream.”

Carnahan added that mycotoxins can then “accumulate in tissues” and go on to cause a wide range of health issues.

She estimated that roughly 70 percent of her patients who come to her with autoimmune diseases, cancers, unexplained weight gain, cognitive issues, unexplained mast cell activation disorders, chronic infections or chronic fatigue, have experienced mold exposure.

How Much Exposure To Mold Causes Illness?

The CDC said that most people breathe in mold spores every day without getting sick, but those with weakened immune systems are susceptible to developing invasive mold infections, which are rare but can be severe and life threatening.

Prolonged exposure may lead to chronic respiratory conditions or exacerbate existing ones.

A 2007 study by U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that out of the 21.8 million people reported to have asthma in the U.S., approximately 4.6 million cases are estimated to be attributable to dampness and mold exposure in the home.

The lab also highlighted multiple studies that found there to be between a 30 to 70 percent increase in the prevalence of health effects in homes with dampness and mold.

The National Academy of Medicine also confirms sufficient evidence linking indoor mold exposure to upper respiratory tract symptoms in otherwise healthy individuals.

The amount of exposure to mold that results in symptoms is quite individual, Crista said, as some people will have a higher sensitivity than others, and it is common for people to react differently to the same exposure.

She said factors that can impact whether a person could develop health implications following exposure include:

• How close the person is to the mold and how long are they exposed
• What microbial species it is
• Whether the spores are trapped behind building materials or entering the air the person breathes
• Whether the mold is producing mycotoxins
• Previous exposure to mold
• A person’s nutritional status
• (To a lesser degree) a person’s genetic susceptibility

How Is Mold Illness Treated?

The first step in addressing mold-related illness is to remove yourself from the source of exposure. Some people recover within weeks, said Crista, while others may experience lingering symptoms.

“Due to the complexities of the various toxic and immune effects, treatment from that point on is individual,” she said.

Carnahan said that in her practice, treatment may include detoxification methods such as sauna sessions, salt baths, and aerobic exercise. She often recommends supplements like glutathione, a liver-supporting antioxidant, followed by binders such as charcoal to help remove mycotoxins from the body.

Conventional treatment typically focuses on reducing exposure and managing symptoms. This may involve professional mold remediation, avoiding damp environments, and using air purifiers.

Doctors may prescribe antihistamines, decongestants, or corticosteroids to relieve respiratory symptoms. In more serious cases, antifungal medications may be used if an infection is diagnosed. Addressing underlying conditions like asthma or allergies is also an important part of recovery.

How Can You Tell If There Is Mold In Your Home?

Corey Levy, the co-founder of We Inspect, a California-based company that tests and inspects homes for mold, told Newsweek that one of the biggest challenges with mold is that it often hides “out of sight entirely.”

Obvious giveaways of mold are black or green spotting on walls or ceilings and musty odors, but in many cases, “mold can grow behind walls, under flooring, or in HVAC systems without being immediately detectable,” he said.

Carnahan told Newsweek that washers, dryers, fridges, under sinks and bathtubs, as well as unsealed tiles in the bathroom can have mold too, adding it is “surprisingly common.”

The CDC advises that if you see mold in your home, no matter what type it is, “you need to clean up the mold and fix the moisture problem.”

In 2021, 3.8 million U.S. residents reported mold in their homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Levy added that the key to determining if there’s a potential mold issue in your home isn’t just looking for mold itself, it’s looking for signs of water damage.

“Mold is a byproduct of moisture problems, active or inactive, so clues like staining, bubbling, buckling, or rusting of building materials are often early indicators,” he said.

Discussing the process of detecting mold in a home, Levy said that typically home inspectors will check surface areas and use air sampling, which can “miss hidden contamination.”

More advanced testing like ‘The Dust Test’ can “give a clearer picture of what mold species are present in the home, especially those linked to health issues,” he said.

It is more common to find mold in homes these days, according to Levy, because of the rising humidity levels and extreme weather, such as flooding, hurricanes, and heavy rains, which lead to water intrusion.

What To Do If There Is Mold In Your Home

Once you’ve detected mold in your home, “proper remediation involves physically removing mold-contaminated materials, not just spraying chemicals or fogging to ‘kill’ it,” Levy said.

He explained that dead mold and the toxins they release can still cause health problems if left behind, so the situation requires a thorough clean-up of the surrounding environment, especially settled dust, which he said often holds onto mold spores and fragments.

“Soft goods like upholstered furniture, rugs, and clothing may also need to be cleaned or discarded, depending on the extent of the contamination. These items can harbor particles that re-contaminate a space even after remediation is done.”

Levy said mold identification and remediation should be treated with the “same seriousness as other health-related hazards and certified or licensed professionals should be used to identify sources and remove them.”

“Mold is not just a cosmetic or structural issue, it’s a health issue,” he explained. “Recognizing that can change how people approach both prevention and recovery.”