Molds in the Home

Maybe you've seen the scary headlines: Beware of household mold!

Don't believe everything you read. Mold can make some people sneeze or wheeze, but it rarely affects the average person. Keep your house dry and you shouldn't have a problem, experts say.

"Don't panic," says Jay M. Portnoy, M.D., an allergy specialist in Kansas City, Mo. "Normal people don't become infected by mold."

What is mold?

Molds are tiny fungi that live on plant and animal matter. Indoors, mold is often called mildew. Mold grows in warm, humid conditions, although some molds grow in the cold. Molds reproduce by releasing microscopic cells called spores into the air. The air you breathe each day likely contains mold spores, as well as pollen and dust.

Because mold spores are in the air, some of them inevitably make their way into a home. They grow in damp places, such as leaking plumbing, wet basements, and bathrooms, according to the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA).

"There's always some mold in every house," Dr. Portnoy says.

Hidden mold

One clue to mold in the home is a musty smell, the Environmental Protection Agency says. You may not know where to find the mold, however. It may be hidden behind dry wall, wallpaper, or paneling. It may lie on top of ceiling tiles, or beneath carpets or carpet pads.

"Prevention is the best thing," Dr. Portnoy says. The important step in controlling mold is to be "conscious of the quality of indoor air. The best way is to keep it dry. Mold needs a source of moisture. Most commonly, water comes in through the foundation or there's leakage through the pipes." It's important for you to fix those problems quickly. Seek professional help if you need it.

Here are other suggestions on mold control from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA):

• Keep the humidity in your home at 40 to 60 percent.

• Use an air conditioner or dehumidifier to reduce humidity.

• Make sure exhaust fans are working. Keep a bathroom window open when the room is in use.

• Add a mold inhibitor to indoor house paint before you use it.

• Don't put carpeting on bathroom floors or in the basement.

• If you have water damage from leaks or flooding, remove and replace any carpets or upholstery that were soaked.

• Scour sinks and bathtubs once a month. A good sanitizing solution is 1 ounce of laundry bleach in a quart of water.

• Regularly clean refrigerator door gaskets and drip pans.

• Toss out or recycle old books, newspapers, and clothing.

Health problems

There's no disputing that mold can bother people with asthma, allergic respiratory, and skin conditions, and lung and immune disorders. Inhaling the spores may cause an allergic reaction in some people. A 2004 report by the Institute of Medicine found that "scientific evidence ... links mold and other factors relating to damp conditions in homes and buildings to asthma symptoms in some people with the chronic disorder, as well as to coughing, wheezing, and upper respiratory tract symptoms in otherwise healthy people."

Only a few dozen types of mold cause allergic reactions, the AAFA says. Symptoms of mold allergy are similar to those of other allergies:

• Sneezing

• Itching eyes

• Nasal discharge

• Congestion

• Dry skin

Sometimes the reaction to a mold is immediate, and sometimes it occurs later.

Some doctors think mold can cause more serious conditions, such as memory loss. "Insufficient evidence exists to draw firm conclusions regarding many other health outcomes," the institute's report says.

Toxic substances

Some molds produce toxic substances called mycotoxins, the AIHA says. What effect inhaling minute amounts of these mycotoxins has on health has not been clearly shown. Currently, little evidence exists that they cause significant harm.

Among those who worked on the IOM report was Susanna G. Von Essen, M.D., a pulmonary and critical care medicine specialist in Lincoln, Neb. She says people should act to prevent or get rid of mold, but they shouldn't become "paranoid" about it.

"It's kind of like the risks of dying in a plane crash. It can happen, but the risks are very small," she says.

Here's Dr. Portnoy's prescription: Don't diagnose yourself. See a doctor to determine if any health problems you're experiencing could be mold-related.