Mold is something we all are aware of in some way. Most of us have seen mold on food such as cheese or in damp places. We’ve seen mold in basements or water damaged homes with the disgusting green and black fuzz. While those are the ones we are most familiar with, there are essentially thousands of types of mold.

For us the dangers of mold exposure range from simple ailments to those that are fatal. It is imperative that you contact a specialist immediately upon discovery of mold in your home.

Mold is a type of wooly growth that easily reproduces by feeding on things that are damp, decaying organic matter, or on living organisms by a fungus. For most of us, mold looks the same, but there are in fact over 400,000 types of mold.

The positive side of this is that of those different types of mold, no more than 100,000 even have names, and of those merely 80, or 0.02%, have been identified as the cause of any type of illness. Another plus is that often mold is beneficial in the medical field by being used in antibiotics.

As recognized before only approximately 0.02% of all molds are suspected of causing any type of illness. Regrettably for us, that 0.2% represents the ones most frequently discovered in our homes and offices. The dangers of mold exposure can be deadly. As soon as you find mold in your home or begin to see it forming, contact a specialist immediately.

Being exposed to mold can cause a myriad of health problems. As mold reproduces, the spores spread all over, being transmitted mainly by the air that we breathe.

Every time we breathe, spores go into our respiratory system; while many of the spores are released when we breathe out, some stay in our lungs.   It is very important that you get a mold inspection done by a professional if your buying a new home, or suspect you have the problem in your current home.

Should the body not produce enough antibodies to kill them, they will keep growing and you will become sick. Your symptoms will be like that of a normal cold, sneezing, coughing, stuffy nose, etc. With today’s antibiotics, the mold dies and your illness goes away.

Not dealing with your mold issue will cause much worse results. The dangers of mold exposure include contracting breathing problems like asthma, in addition to permanent respiratory infection or lung cancer. As is typical with most diseases, infants and seniors will be at higher risk.

Video: Mold Inspection