How to Protect your Health from Mold and Mycotoxin Exposure Part II

Identifying sources of health-harming mold and mycotoxin exposure.

Read time: 5-6 minutes

At a glance:

● Mold and mycotoxin exposure can happen through several routes including inhalation, ingestion, and absorption through the skin (for mycotoxins)

● Ingested mold comes from contaminated food, most commonly grains, dried fruit, peanuts, and even meat, eggs, or dairy of animals fed contaminated feed

● Inhaled mold most commonly arises from water-damaged and chronically damp buildings or structures including homes, schools, hospitals, or cars, as well as outdoor sources like leaves, litter, and compost

● Are all types of mold toxic? The short answer is no! Most types are harmless and some are even essential for making delicious food products like cured meats, soy sauce, tempeh blue, gorgonzola, and brie cheeses

● The most common types of toxic indoor and food-borne molds are Penicillium, Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Stachybotrys, and Fusarium species. Read below to find out more about each one and the mycotoxins they produce

● Check out Part III to learn about which types of mold are toxic, as well as testing and solutions to help you identify and overcome mold exposure

● Do you suspect mold and mycotoxin exposure could be at the core of your health issues? Contact us today, call or text at (416) 649-6489, or click here to schedule your free 20-minute discovery call, so we can help you get the healing process started.

How does mold exposure occur? The most common sources revealed.

There are multiple routes to be aware of when it comes to mold and mycotoxin exposure in your environment. The most common routes for exposure include inhalation into the lungs, ingestion into the digestive tract, and absorption of mycotoxins through the skin. Acute symptoms often arise first in the sinuses, lungs, digestive tract, and skin due to their direct contact with these toxins.

● Ingested mold and mycotoxins through contaminated food or beverages – Mold grows easily on sick crops or food products that are not properly harvested or stored. Special sanitation and preservation methods are required for most foods and beverages to inhibit mold growth and decay. Specific foods like dried fruit, nuts (especially peanuts), and grains like corn, wheat, and rye often have the highest levels of mold and mycotoxins. Meat, eggs, and dairy of animals who were given contaminated feed may also have high levels of toxins. Surveys were conducted that determined the prevalence of mycotoxin contamination in food crops is nearly 60-80% worldwide. [1] Ingested toxins can cause many symptoms, but most frequently digestive upset.

● Inhalation of indoor mold and mycotoxins from water-damaged buildings and structures – Especially homes, apartments, schools, hospitals, workplaces, and even cars. When the perfect conditions of sustained moisture or humidity, poor ventilation, and favourite food sources (wood, fabric, drywall, etc) meet mold spores, they will begin to colonize and emit mycotoxins and mold spores. Inhalation of mold spores and fragments can cause an allergic reaction in the airways, as well as trigger chronic inflammatory responses. Mycotoxins are released into the air by colonized mold, where they are easily inhaled, especially in poorly ventilated indoor areas. A 2007 EPA study determined that, “building dampness and mold raised the risk of a variety of respiratory and asthma-related health outcomes by 30 to 50 percent [2]

● Inhalation of outdoor mold and mycotoxins – While the outdoors generally has better ventilation, it is very common to find sources of toxic mold while working outside, especially when it comes to landscape work. Raking decaying leaves in fall, rotting wooden fence panels, or even normally decaying compost piles may all contain mold.

● Absorption of mycotoxins through the skin – Although dermal absorption of mycotoxins is not as well documented as inhalation or ingestion, it can be an important route of exposure to consider, especially if you are experiencing skin reactions. While there is little research on the effects, agricultural workers may be at the highest risk of skin exposure.

● Internal colonization of mold – Internal colonization of mold is very rare. One of the only types of mold actually capable of colonizing mucosal surfaces within the body is Aspergillus. It is most commonly found in colonizing the lungs of severely immunocompromised people. Internal colonization is serious, because the body is constantly being exposed to mycotoxins and inflammation. It is like living in a moldy home without the ability to go outside and get a break from mold and mycotoxin exposure.

Occupational risk of mold and mycotoxin exposure

Some occupations have a higher risk of mold and mycotoxin poisoning due to high levels ofthes e toxins in dust that enters the air and becomes inhaled or ingested [3]. They usually relate to jobs that deal with farming, landscaping, harvesting or storage of grains, and animal husbandry, especially in indoor settings. One unique occupation that can experience severe mold toxicity is wind instrument musician. If instruments are not properly maintained, mold can colonize and be directly inhaled in high concentrations. [4]

● Farmer’s Lung – agriculture, grain harvest and storage, especially peanuts, corn, wheat, rye, or dried fruit

● Animal husbandry – working in barns or stalls with horses, chickens, pigs, or cows, and hay (as a food source for mold)

● Landscaping – exposure to decaying organic matter like leaves and old fencing

● Trombone Player’s Lung – wind instrument players. Although the source of mold exposure is not as directly tied to the occupation, schools, hospitals, older fire stations, gyms, locker rooms, hockey rinks, etc. are notorious for having toxic levels of mold.

● Teachers and school staff

● Hospital staff

● Firefighters

● Athletes

Despite these occupations naturally carrying a higher risk, any person could be exposed to mold and mycotoxins in their workplace if there are unaddressed leaks or chronic dampness. Pay attention to how your school or workplace smells, how warm and humid it feels inside, if there is proper ventilation (airflow), or possible signs and symptoms in your coworkers.

Why does mold occur indoors?

Mold has been around long before mankind and has evolved alongside us. As a relatively simple organism (compared to humans), mold has had plenty of time to perfect its methods of survival and spreading. Mold is able to survive in a huge range of extreme conditions, and thrive in conditions that include humidity, darkness, poor airflow, and warmth. Most of the species of mold that are toxic to humans grow best in a high relative humidity above 50% and temperatures above 75ºF/24ºC. In addition to these environmental conditions, mold also requires a source of food to colonize and digest. Building materials like wood, drywall, and fabric are favorite food sources.

Most commonly, mold occurs as a result of water leaks or sustained high levels of humidity. Sometimes the mold and leak are visible, and sometimes they are hidden, growing insidiously behind drywall. Moisture may enter a home from outside through backed-up gutters, roof leaks, or broken hose faucets. Mold spores may end up in your HVAC system from a contaminated room and eventually end up in every room of the building. The spores “activate” and colonize once a food source and constant moisture become available within about 24-48 hours. Many older homes and buildings, as well as newer homes that had rushed construction and cheap, mold-loving materials are common sources of exposure. Mold may also occur as a result of poor construction design, such as water draining toward the foundation or roof design.

Is ALL mold harmful to human health?

No, some sources state there are over a hundred thousand species of mold–yet only a few hundred have been shown to produce mycotoxins that negatively impact human health. Most types of mold are benign, however, the toxic types are most commonly found indoors, where they have a profound effect on inhabitants.

Certain types of mold may actually be beneficial to humans when properly utilized. At some point, people learned to harness certain types of mold to create delicious and complex flavors in fermented foods like bleu, gorgonzola, and brie cheeses, tempeh, and cured or aged meats. A “miracle mold” called Koji, or Aspergillus oryzae, is the secret ingredient for miso soup, sake, and soy sauce and is said to have profound health benefits by improving the human microbiome. [5] Apparently, it can even increase your weekly “defecation frequency–something that most Westerners need. [6]

The important antibiotic medication Penicillin was developed from a type of Penicillium mold growing on a cantaloupe as researchers discovered that it inhibited the growth of competitive bacteria.

When correctly harnessed, mold can be beneficial to humans. Unfortunately, too few people are aware of the harmful aspects of mold and mycotoxins in their environment, and our goal is to change that. In the Part III, we will cover harmful types of mold and their associated mycotoxins.

Conclusion of Part II

Mold exposure can come from anywhere in our environment. It is important to be aware of both symptoms and possible sources of exposure to mold and mycotoxins–but not worry excessively or live in fear.

Remember, there are very few types of mold that can colonize inside of the body–no, this is not an episode of “The Last of Us”. If we stop the source of external exposure due to contaminated food and air, while assisting the body in detoxification of mold and mycotoxins, it is possible to clean up your system and resolve chronic ailments.

In the next section, we will take a deep dive into which molds and associated mycotoxins are dangerous for human health, as well as how to test both your home and body. Finally, we will cover Dr. Steph’s top solutions for addressing mold to help clients regain their vitality and sense of well-being. Click here to go to Part III: Solutions and Testing to Keep you Safe from (and Prevent!) Mold Exposure.

Do you suspect mold and mycotoxins may be lurking in your environment? Our team at Vagus Clinic can help you get to the root cause of your health issues. Contact us here, call or text at (416) 649-6489, or click here to schedule your free 20-minute discovery call.

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