Although some may be fearful of potential health problems resulting from airborne exposures to indoor fungi, the actual health effects of mold are well understood. Mold-induced human illness caused by contacting fungi or their byproducts is well-defined by the medical community and occurs in three clinical and pathologic disease patterns: oral toxicity, infection, and immune disorders/allergy.
[1] Toxin-induced disease. Fungi may produce gastrointestinal effects and injure certain internal organs after oral ingestion of poisonous mushroom or foodstuffs contaminated with mold toxins. Mycotoxins cause human illness by ingestion, not by inhalation. In the indoor residential setting, delivery of a toxic dose of mycotoxins through the inhalational route is highly unlikely.
[2] Fungal infections. Fungi may rarely cause frank pneumonia or systemic infection in immunocompetent humans after large mold spore exposures in specific geographic locations. Immunocompromised individuals have potential for increased susceptibility to systemic fungal infection.
[3] Immune disorders. These include: (a) mold-induced allergic respiratory disease including allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma; (b) hypersensitivity pneumonitis presenting with flu-like symptoms, cough, and interstitial pulmonary infiltration often in an occupational setting; (c) rare respiratory conditions such as allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (ABPM), and allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS).
Mold medical expert witness specialties include allergy, pediatric allergy, pulmonology, pediatric pulmonology, pediatric otolaryngology, and otolaryngology.