A Spreading Concern: Inhalational Health Effects of Mold

T he issue of mold contamination has drawn the national and international spotlight on the heels of publicity about prominent situations , such as a hotly contended link between mold and severe illness—and one death—in 10 Ohio infants in 1993 and 1994; a major 2001 insurance battle over the moldy Dripping Springs, Texas, house of Melinda Ballard and her family; the mushrooming mold infestations indoors and out along the Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed ashore in 2005; and the mold infestation that helped spur the February 2007 outcry over the treatment given to recuperating soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. As recently as 25 years ago, inhaled mold was considered primarily a nuisance, not a serious health threat. But the growing scientific and medical evidence suggests the threat is widespread and, for some people, quite serious. In the 9 June 2006 report Mold Prevention Strategies and Possible Health Effects in the Aftermath of Hurricanes and Major Floods, the CDC concluded that " excessive exposure to mold-contaminated materials can cause adverse health effects in susceptible persons regardless of the type of mold or the Mold on the move. Recent high-profile news reports have raised awareness of the possible threats posed by indoor molds such as Stachybotrys chartarum (above), also known as S. atra.