Black mold is a serious problem for owners of domestic residencies, but mold in general is also cause for concern. There are a variety of mold and fungi which present hazards to both health and hearth. Cladosporium is a common and, fortunately, non-toxic household mold but Aspergillus is not and produces mycotoxins that are dangerous to respiratory problems. Despite being the source of penicillin, Penicillium is a very toxic mold and like Aspergillus it also produces mycotoxins that can adversely affect a person’s health. Homes with allergy sufferers need to be kept free of these molds and routine cleaning can reduce the risk of illness. Identifying the cause of mold growth and where it spawns helps in keeping toxic fungus from infesting a home.
An immediate cause of mold growth is moisture. Where water collects is a potential breeding ground for mold and high humidity creates the atmosphere for growth. Cladosporium often grows on window sills or inside of refrigerators. Basements and bathrooms are also places with the moisture necessary for mold to exist. Flooding, and the amount of time it takes to dry out a flooded home, can cause very serious infestations of mold, particularly black mold. Hurricane Katrina produced such extensive mold growth that scientists considered the levels of mold present in some houses to be the equivalent of what is normally produced in a waste water treatment plant. Dark places are also good for mold growth which is why it often forms in basements or inner walls and crawl spaces that never see daylight.
There are any number of jokes and stories about things that grow in the back of a refrigerator, but Aspergillus mold isn’t really funny. It requires decomposing organic material and can easily thrive on leftover and forgotten food in the refrigerator. Other common molds that grow on food include Alternaria, Cladosporium and Penicillium, all of which can grow deeper than the surface level and spread harmful mycotoxins throughout. One particularly dangerous mycotoxin, Aflatoxin, causes cancer and grows on food.
Means of containing and storing food may be thought safe, but are actually potential breeding grounds, which can lead to black mold poisoning if ingested or even inhaled. Lastly, plastic storage containers can trap moisture and cause the food inside to rot and fester with mold. Loose lids on jars are means for oxygen and moisture to enter and begin the evolution of mold contamination within the glass container. What’s important is to understand that moisture and humidity are the primary causes of harmful mold infestation. If a room has a relative humidity above fifty-five percent, that area is a prime candidate for a problem to occur. De-humidifiers, floor fans, and ceiling fans can reduce the risk of moisture staying in a room long enough to produce the conditions necessary for toxic molds to form and grow.
Another critical piece of information is that mold can spread, so any refrigerator food near infested fruits, vegetables, or other foods need to be inspected and disposed of if there is any evidence of mold. A good rule of thumb would be to dispose of any food not eaten within forty eight hours of it having been prepared, and also discarding food stored with or near other contaminated food. Knowing the causes of mold growth will allow a person to be vigilant and either create an environment where mold does not have the chance to thrive (e.g. de-humidifiers in basements), or take immediate action when conditions look ripe for mold to grow and spread.