Some people, such as those with allergies to molds or with asthma, may have more intense reactions. For these people, exposure to molds can lead to symptoms such as stuffy nose, wheezing, and red or itchy eyes, or skin. How do molds affect people?Įxposure to damp and moldy environments may cause a variety of health effects, or none at all. Large mold infestations can usually be seen or smelled. How do you know if you have a mold problem?

Other materials such as dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation materials, drywall, carpet, fabric, and upholstery, commonly support mold growth. Wet cellulose materials, including paper and paper products, cardboard, ceiling tiles, wood, and wood products, are particularly conducive for the growth of some molds. Many building materials provide suitable nutrients that encourage mold to grow. When mold spores drop on places where there is excessive moisture, such as where leakage may have occurred in roofs, pipes, walls, plant pots, or where there has been flooding, they will grow. Mold in the air outside can also attach itself to clothing, shoes, and pets can and be carried indoors. Mold can enter your home through open doorways, windows, vents, and heating and air conditioning systems. How do molds get in the indoor environment and how do they grow? We do not have precise information about how often different molds are found in buildings and homes. The most common indoor molds are Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Aspergillus. Mold can also grow in dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation, drywall, carpet, fabric, and upholstery. Mold grows well on paper products, cardboard, ceiling tiles, and wood products.

Mold will grow in places with a lot of moisture, such as around leaks in roofs, windows, or pipes, or where there has been flooding. Molds are very common in buildings and homes.

Acceptable dead space in lungs