Mold: Health Effects
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Scientific evidence links mold and other factors related to
damp conditions in homes and buildings to asthma symptoms in some people with
the chronic disorder, as well as to coughing, wheezing, and upper respiratory
tract symptoms in otherwise healthy people, says a report from the Institute of
Medicine of the National Academies in 2004. An uncommon ailment known as
hypersensitivity pneumonitis also is associated with indoor mold exposure in
genetically susceptible people. Damp conditions and all they entail may be
associated with the onset of asthma, as well as shortness of breath and lower
respiratory illness in otherwise healthy children, although the evidence is less
certain in these circumstances. Likewise, the presence of visible mold indoors
may be linked to lower respiratory tract illness in children, but the evidence
is not as strong in this case.
The study was sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The
Institute of Medicine is a private, nonprofit institution that provides health
policy advice under a congressional charter granted to the National Academy of
Sciences.