The Health Hazards and Risks of Mold in Your Home

Mold is a common issue that many homeowners will face. However, because it’s common, just as many homeowners don’t treat it as a serious threat. Here are the health hazards and risks of mold in your home to help you understand why you need to address mold quickly.

Tainting Air Quality

Because it’s a fungus, mold reproduces through spores, and so as the mold continues to grow and spread, it will release more and more spores throughout your home. This is especially problematic if the mold takes root somewhere like the attic, where the spores can quickly spread via your home’s air ducts. Mold drastically affects your indoor air quality, making it harmful to breathe it in. This can be especially dangerous for those with allergies, as mold spores can trigger an allergic reaction.

Structural Damage

Because mold feeds off the organic materials within your walls and ceiling, it can quickly eat through and weaken the structural integrity of your home. You can’t easily repair the damage incurred by mold, either. Extensive damage will likely require a lengthy replacement process to ensure your home is structurally sound once more. This is by far the most costly health hazard and risk of mold in your home, so act quickly for the sake of you and your home.

Mold-Based Diseases

Lastly, because there are multiple species of mold, not everyone’s mold problem will be equal. Some types of molds may be more harmless—taking weeks or years for them to start affecting your health. However, other types of mold, such as Aspergillus, can cause serious diseases. Aspergillus causes the aptly named disease “aspergillosis.” The general consequence of the disease is serious damage to your respiratory system—ranging from making it difficult to breathe to coughing up blood. These symptoms show how dangerous mold can be.