Many individuals are allergic or sensitive to mold spores, which are released when colonies try to reproduce. Some mold also excretes a highly toxic material as part of its digestive process.
Conditions Right for Mold Growth
Mold can grow anywhere there is an edible, organic material and sufficient moisture. Mold can grow in a huge variety of environments: we are most familiar with mold that grows in warm, damp conditions, but some mold varieties can withstand very high temperatures, while other mold varieties can thrive in extremely cold conditions. There is even a mold variety called “dry rot” that can grow with very little moisture.
How Mold Spreads
Like all members of the fungi kingdom, mold is saprophytic, getting its nourishment from the breakdown of other organic material. Mold and other fungi are important in the Earth’s ecology because they help decompose other organic matter.
Mold colonies send out thread-like filaments that release enzymes to break down and absorb nutrients; when enough food is present, the filaments become wider and rounder, forming a patch of mold. Spores will develop on the ends of some filaments. When these tiny, durable mold spores are fully developed, the filaments release them into the air, where they are carried by air currents or anything they come into physical contact with. Mold spores are hearty and can survive even hot, dry conditions.
When a mold spore lands where conditions for mold growth are appropriate, it will send out its own filaments and begin the process again.
Danger in the Mold Life Cycle
Mold can cause a variety of health problems. In sensitive individuals, mold spores can cause a severe allergic reaction resulting in itchy eyes, nasal congestion, and even breathing difficulties. Mold spores also can be inhaled, and in some cases will grow into an internal fungal infection by forming a fungal ball in the lungs.
Established mold colonies are living things, and like all living things, they eat and excrete. Mold eats the surface upon which it grows, along with water, and excretes a digested form of that material. In some mold varieties, the excretion is a highly toxic compound called a mycotoxin. Mycotoxins can be absorbed through the skin and can cause rashes and irritation; they also can be inhaled. Inside the body, mycotoxins can wreak havoc with the human nervous system. Some mycotoxins suppress the immune system, and some are considered potent carcinogens (cancer-causing agents).
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