7 Symptoms of Mold Toxicity That You Should Look Out For

In the era of daily oil spillages and environmental disasters, mold is usually passed off by people as a mere annoyance that could be easily ignored. In reality, mold in large quantities could represent a huge health concern for people and animals alike. Here are 7 signs of mold toxicity that you should look out for.

• Extreme coughing

Extreme coughing can be caused by a multitude of factors, and not everyone affected by mold toxicity will show this symptom. Prolonged exposure to mold, though, can cause severe coughing, especially in small children, infants, seniors and people with respiratory or immune system disorders in general.

• Insomnia

This is a more subtle effect because mold will not affect your sleep patterns directly. But from a psychological standpoint, sleeping in a damp room is uncomfortable, to say the least. This can lead to an inescapable feeling of anxiety. Plus, exposure to mold damages your nasal passage, causing respiratory problems which will give you sleepless nights.

• Headaches

This is a common symptom shared by a lot of affections and can appear after uninterrupted exposure to mold. Headaches are your body’s way of saying that your system is trying to fight off the spores that you’ve been exposed to.

Fortunately, exiting the mold infested area and inhaling fresh air will make your headaches more manageable.

• Fatigue

Besides being already tiring by themselves, constant coughing episodes and asthma limit the amount of oxygen that your body takes, which will make you feel exhausted. Exhaustion caused by mold toxicity can destroy your personal and work life, so consult a medical specialist should it occur.

• Hives

One of the most unpleasant, not to say visual, symptoms of mold toxicity is the appearance of hives. They are triggered the moment your immune system detects the presence of mold spores on your skin. The rash can be very itchy, but be sure not to scratch yourself too much because you can get a nasty case of skin infection.

• Digestive Issues

Mold produces mycotoxin, a toxic substance that can cause digestive problems when inhaled or absorbed through the skin. If you are suddenly experiencing problems such as vomiting, nausea, intestinal cramping and diarrhea, consider mold toxicity as one of the main suspects.

• Persistent Asthma Attacks

How this usually works is that mold spores can deposit on the lining of the nose, eventually reaching the lungs and causing asthma.

Exposure to mold can worsen the condition of people already diagnosed with asthma, increasing the length, severity, and rate of occurrence of attacks, rendering the standard asthma treatment useless.

Still, this can be a tricky one because mold toxicity can cause asthma-like attacks symptoms in people that did not have the condition initially; it’s like a feeling of tightness around the chest area and loud wheezing.

With that said, mold exposure can cause serious health issues to you and your loved ones. If you have any or all of the symptoms presented above, make sure to consult a specialist.