Can mold cause health problems?

Question

I clean fridges all day at my job. Some have bad mold in them. One day when I was minding the store by myself. Acustomer came in looking for something. She seen all the mold in the fridge and told me long exposer to mold can cause health problems. Is this true? What are the signs of these health problems.

Answer 1

Exposure to mold can cause health effects in some people. The most common effects are allergic responses from breathing mold spores. These allergic responses include hay fever or asthma and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat or lungs. We usually cannot say how much mold is too much as our reactions to allergens can vary greatly depending on individual sensitivity. Allergic responses can come from exposure to dead as well as to living mold spores. Therefore, killing mold with bleach and or other disinfectants may not prevent allergic responses.

Less common effects of mold exposure include infections and toxic effects. Serious infections from living molds are relatively rare and occur mainly in people with severely suppressed immune systems. Many types of molds may produce toxins but only under certain growth conditions. Toxic effects have been reported from eating moldy grain, but evidence is weak that breathing mold spores in buildings causes toxic effects.

Allergy and irritation are the most common symptoms of mold exposure. Although symptoms will vary, the most common symptoms seen in people exposed to mold indoors include:

Nasal and sinus congestion
Eye irritation, such as itchy, red, watery eyes
Respiratory problems, such as wheezing and difficulty breathing
Cough
Throat irritation
Skin irritation, such as a rash
Headache
Exposure to high amounts of mold is not healthy for anyone, so obvious mold growth in the home should be cleaned up. However, some individuals may be more susceptible to health problems from mold exposure. These include:

Individuals with current respiratory sensitivities (e.g., allergies, asthma, or emphysema)
Individuals with a compromised immune system (e.g., HIV/AIDS infection, organ transplant patients, or chemotherapy patients)

Hope this helps, goodluck

Answer 2

certain type of mold can cause health problems. Mostly when the mold is breathed in and enters the lungs. To avoid this if you work with a lot of molds wear a mast at the least and see your Dr. if you have had any problems with breathing (being out of breath, coughing fits, etc) It could be psycho-somatic but you never know. Also talk to your employer about checking with OSHA for information on mold.

Answer 3

I developed asthma after I was exposed to damp and mould in my home. I improved the ventilation, no more mould now, and the damp problem has been fixed, and now my asthma is really improving.

Keep away from mould, I wish I had. I did not develop asthma until my late 30's. The first I knew was when I felt out of breath all of the time, even after walking up one flight of stairs, I sounded like I had a cold all of the time, and then I began having unexpected asthma attacks when I felt like I couldn't breath.

Speak to someone in Health and Safety if you can or a Union Rep. Good luck

Answer 4

Mold can give you problems with - nasal/sinus, cough, wheezing, sore throat, skin and eye irritation, and upper respiratory infection. These sypmtoms can vary in different people - so if you have a job that has long exposure to mold,
please wear a mask so you do not inhale some of the spores. These should be provided for you from your employer.

Answer 5

Yes, it can effect your health badly and quickly.

Read this article about mold and it's health effects.

I would copy it, but can't

http://fortwaltonbeachwaterdamage.blogspot.com/2007/09/mold-and-your-health.html

Answer 6

Yes. No idea what the signs are but you had better start wearing a particle mask before your lungs turn green.

Answer 7

yes yes yes... it will effect your lungs in a way that you never want to encounter...... wear a surgical mask... better still dont do it!!! Good luck Grant in Pennsylvania

Answer 8

http://www.allergynursing.com/moldy/health_hazards.html