It’s alarmingly easy for mold to grow and fester in your home. All it needs to thrive is a damp, dark place, and your home is riddled with prospective squatting spots. With the threat of mold constantly looming, you have to wonder, “Can I get sick from mold exposure?” Mold can have many different impacts on your body and sickness is just one of them. Here are a few common ways mold can affect you:

Itchiness

Most people experience at least minor allergies when they’re exposed to mold. Mold allergies can cause itchiness in the eyes, nose, throat, and skin. Usually, you’ll experience itchiness in the first three places if you’re breathing the mold in, and you’ll experience the last if you come into direct contact with mold.

Sore Throat

It starts with itchiness and then it spreads in your body, just like it’s spreading in your home. The more you breathe in mold, the more likely it is that your throat will become irritated and sore.

Congestion

After your throat starts to get a little sore (particularly in your home, where the mold resides), you’ll also start to experience some effects that last a little longer, like congestion. The congestion starts in your face, around your sinuses, but eventually spreads to your chest. This is when things can start to get dangerous.

Headaches

The sinus congestion leads to severe headaches. You’ll know the issue is due to mold if you cease to experience the headache while you’re outdoors. This will confirm that you’re not experiencing seasonal allergies or a minor headache due to dehydration (a common source).

Respiratory Problems

Chest congestion can lead to breathing-related issues. Those who experience mold allergies will start to experience shortness of breath and a tightness in the chest that can even lead to a claustrophobic feeling. You can develop longer lasting afflictions like asthma and Bronchitis. With these latter troubles, coughing can also be caused by mold.

Lung Infections

People with pre-existing conditions, especially those with autoimmune diseases, are particularly affected by mold. Because their immune system isn’t strong enough to fight off the impact of mold in their body, they can even develop lung infections.

Scarring in the Lungs

Severe lung infections can cause scarring in the lungs, or pulmonary fibrosis. This isn’t a temporary ailment. It’s a lung disease. The scar tissue can harden over time, making it more and more difficult for you to get the Oxygen you need.

Pregnancy Complications

If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, it’s vitally important that you eradicate mold in your home at once. The more you breathe mold in, the more it can damage your body—your respiratory health in particular—and stunt the development of your baby.

Cancer

In extreme cases where mold is left to fester and grow out of control, in which nothing is done at all about the presence of mold in the home and the exposure is long term, you can even develop cancer.

So, to answer your question, “Can I get sick from mold exposure?”: yes, and worse. Don’t assume the musty smell in your home will go away with time. Call a licensed mold remediation professional at RestoPros right away to stop mold in its tracks.