Environmental Diseases

Mold is almost everywhere. While most people know that exposure to pollution and toxic chemicals can lead to illness, there are toxins inside of most homes that can make people sick as well. Scientific evidence in forensic toxicology has shown that certain molds within the home can lead to or exasperate diseases.

Mold itself is very common, growing anywhere that there is moisture. Certain kinds of mold produce toxins, called mycotoxins, which can be dangerous for people. This toxic mold is hard for an individual to distinguish from benign varieties, so any mold should be treated as potentially toxic.

Symptoms of toxic mold exposure vary from person to person. Some signs of exposure are relatively mild, such as sneezing or a runny nose. These can become more serious, especially as the amount of time exposed to mold increases. Nose bleeds, breathing disorders and chronic sinus infections are all more advanced symptoms. In some cases, the exposure results in extreme problems, such as memory loss, blindness or brain damage. The most extreme cases can even result in cancer or death.

Thankfully, there are ways to remove toxic mold. Solid surfaces, such as walls and floors, can be cleaned thoroughly with bleach to kill the mold. Softer surfaces, such as clothing or ceiling tiles, will need to be thrown away and replaced.

Because many of the symptoms of exposure are similar to many other diseases, getting the proper diagnosis is key to rectifying the problem. Internal medicine experts, especially those who deal with toxins and environmental diseases, will be able to help diagnosis and solve the problem.

Mold exposure is a controversial topic, and not all scientists believe that mold is a dominate cause of disease. Researchers at Harvard have recently put together work claiming that there is no scientific evidence that mold causes the worst symptoms, such as cancer.