Mold is a type of fungus that reproduces via airborne spores. Mold spores anchor and proliferate anywhere they find the moisture they need to break down the organic matter on which they thrive. Ideal mold habitats include shower curtains, damp walls and roofs, plant pots, and standing water. Cellulose-based materials like paper based products, ceiling tiles and wood and wood products make particularly inviting places for mold.
How Molds Cause Allergies
Mold allergy, like pollen allergy, is an inhalant allergy. The allergy culprit in molds are their spores. Rarely exceeding 100 microns in size, with most less than 20 microns, mold spores sport a variety of distinctive surface features, like hooks, thorns, spikes, folds and wrinkles, to help them find purchase in their airborne travels. Each type of mold produces a distinct spore that can survive in a wide range of temperatures.
Inhaled mold spores trigger IgE-antibodies in sensitive individuals, causing the release of inflammatory agents to mediate the response and the commensurate sneezing, coughing, hoarseness, dry scaling skin, and all the other usual allergic symptoms.
The Chitin Factor
There’s also another potential allergy trigger in molds: chitin. A polysaccharide better known for making up the exoskeletons of shellfish and insects, chitin is also the single largest component of the cell walls of most molds. [Ravven, Wallace. "One of Life’s Most Common Compounds Causes Allergic Inflammation." ICSF Today, University of California, San Francisco 23 April 1997 10 Mar 2009 ] A “hygiene hypothesis” proposes that sanitizing homes of dirt and all its commensurate organic material, has destroyed the bacteria that would ordinarily reduce chitin. According to the theory, molds and chitin bearing insects, uninhibited by their natural microbial enemies, reproduce unchecked and trigger allergies.
Alleviating Mold Allergies
The best way to alleviate mold allergies is to discourage mold growth in the first place. And in an ironic tip of the hat to the "hygiene hypothesis," the best way to do that is to keep things clean, as well as to reduce moisture and humidity.
Cleanliness: Bleach removes mold on nonporous surfaces like counter tops, sinks, tubs, toilets and floors. But moldy porous surfaces, like dry wall and carpeting, typically have to be completely removed and replaced.
Controlling Humidity: A healthy humidity for mold sensitive individuals is 45% or less . Low air temperature via a lowered air conditioning thermostat is not a guarantee of low humidity. The best way to maintain healthy household humidity is to control moisture.
Controlling Moisture: Some things you can do to help keep things dry and mold-free:
- Use a central air conditioner with a HEPA filtration system.
- Keep duct work clean.
- Use a working exhaust fan in the bathroom, or open a window when the bathroom is in use.
- Maintain plumbing integrity, and find and repair any leaks promptly.
- Avoid the use of nonremovable carpeting in a bathroom.
- Clean household surfaces using a solution of one ounce household bleach to a quart of water.
- Clean refrigerator door gaskets and drip pans regularly.
- Use a home dehumidifier.
- Polyurethane and rubber foam mattress and bedding material are inviting to fungus, so use a mattress cover or another material.
- Reduce moisture by reducing clutter around the home.
- Check water drainage around the home, to make sure it flows away from the foundation.
- Make sure gutters are cleaned out.
- Drain houseplants well, or keep them on a porch.
- Reduce outdoor mold habitats, like piles of leaves and mulch and overhanging branches and brush near the home.
Diagnosing and Treating Mold Allergies
Mold allergies are typically diagnosed by an allergist, via patient medical and complaint history, and usually confirmed by skin tests exposing the patient to extracts of various fungi. As with most allergies, the main treatment is avoidance, which can be difficult in the case of mold spores. Some basic good health practices can help:
- Wear a dusk mask when gardening, cleaning or working in areas likely to cause mold exposure.
- Stay inside during periods of high mold spore concentration
- Use over-the-counter antihistamines and decongestants to relieve symptoms.
- Consider immunotherapy treatment – allergy shots, to improve resistance to the components of mold that trigger allergic responses.
Mold spores and the chitin in the cell walls of molds can cause aggravating allergy symptoms, but keeping things clean, and controlling humidity and moisture, can help eliminate mold and ameliorate mold allergies.
Sources:
American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
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