Mold toxicity can cause a wide range of symptoms that can be hard for you to describe. Your provider may also have a hard time piecing together why you’re experiencing certain symptoms. This is especially true if they don’t have experience and training in mold issues. However, your symptoms may not be related to mold but caused by something else entirely.
Molds
Mold exposure is far more common than most people realize. Whether you’re living in a humid climate, renting an older apartment, or spending time in a workplace with poor ventilation, mold can quietly take hold, and so can its symptoms. Many people experiencing mold toxicity report issues that seem unrelated at first: brain fog that won’t clear, stubborn sinus congestion, chronic fatigue, or unexplained skin irritation.
Because mold toxicity symptoms can look like so many other conditions, such as asthma, seasonal allergies, or even persistent viral infections, people often go months or years without answers. And while following the twists and turns of a medical mystery can be entertaining on TV, navigating unexplained symptoms in real life is overwhelming, isolating, and exhausting.
The encouraging news is that mold exposure can be identified and treated with the right approach. At Parsley Health, our clinicians often see cases where traditional evaluations missed key clues. Using advanced functional testing, especially for women experiencing multisystem symptoms, we look deeper to uncover whether mold might be playing a hidden role in your health story.
If you’ve been wondering whether mold toxicity could explain the way you feel, understanding the early signs is the first step toward getting clarity and relief.
When you’re exposed to too much mold, spores that you’re sensitive to, or certain types of mold known to cause health issues, you can develop a condition called mold toxicity.
Different types of mold are around us all the time, but some are more dangerous than others. Some people have mold allergies or sensitivity to the naturally occurring toxins, called mycotoxins, that mold can emit. People with weakened immune systems from various conditions may also be more susceptible to mold toxicity.
Mold is a common fungus that grows in places with a high humidity level, like basements or bathrooms, or a lot of moisture, like roofs, pipes, wood and tile floors, and ceiling tiles. These are places where water leaks can occur, creating an environment where mold can flourish.
You can be exposed to mold at home or where you work. Structures and buildings with poor ventilation, plumbing, drainage, and more are prone to mold growth.
Mold and other fungi can also grow in soil, especially in areas with high rainfall and humidity or with lots of decaying vegetation. And mold can grow in water, including tap sources. Exposure can occur from water vapor emitted while showering, washing hands or brushing teeth, flushing toilets, and more.
Mold that grows in soil and water typically doesn’t pose a threat to the general population. But for people who have weakened immune systems or sensitivities, these molds may cause symptoms.
According to Megan McElroy, PA-C, a physician assistant at Parsley Health: “Mold toxicity issues are commonly overlooked in conventional medicine.”
The symptoms of mold issues can be divided into two main categories. The first category, McElroy says, is an immune system reaction to mold spores, which typically involves allergy symptoms or allergic rhinitis. These may include a runny or stuffy nose, a skin rash, itchy skin and eyes, asthma symptoms like shortness of breath, and more.
The second type of mold issue is a chemical and inflammatory reaction to mold. As McElroy explains, this is driven by mycotoxins, which can initiate an inflammatory response in the body.
A small Harvard study in the journal PLOS One reports that people who have experienced exposure to toxic mold spores have different cytokine profiles than those without exposure. Cytokines are immune system proteins that can either combat inflammation or cause it.
Some people, especially those who are immunocompromised or have chronic lung disease, can develop a mold infection in their airways, according to the CDC. These infections, called mycoses, can activate mast cells, which are part of the immune system. This activation can cause symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, sinusitis, and even cognitive difficulties.
12 potential mold poisoning symptoms
- Cognitive difficulties (brain fog, poor memory, anxiety)
- Pain (especially abdominal pain, but can include muscle pain similar to fibromyalgia)
- Unexplained weight gain or weight loss
- Numbness and tingling in extremities or other areas of the body
- Metallic taste in the mouth
- Vertigo or dizziness
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
- Digestive issues (especially limited tolerance to food, persistent bloating)
- Significant fatigue that interferes with daily activities
- Changes in mood
- Excessive thirst and dehydration, bed-wetting in children
- Symptoms that resemble hormone imbalances (hair loss, rashes)
People often use the terms mold poisoning and mold toxicity interchangeably, but they refer to two different experiences on the spectrum of mold-related illness. Understanding the distinction can help you better recognize what’s happening in your body and why certain symptoms linger even after the initial exposure has stopped.
Mold poisoning typically describes an acute reaction caused by breathing in or touching mold spores. This is the type of response most people think about: sudden coughing, sneezing, eye irritation, or a flare of asthma-like symptoms after encountering visible mold in a bathroom, basement, or damp building. These reactions are usually immediate and often improve once the mold source is removed.
Mold toxicity, on the other hand, involves a deeper, more systemic response, often from ongoing exposure to mold or its byproducts, known as mycotoxins. These tiny compounds can trigger inflammation pathways throughout the body, leading to chronic symptoms like persistent fatigue, brain fog, headaches, digestive issues, or hormonal imbalances. Because these symptoms develop gradually and affect multiple systems, mold toxicity can be harder to identify and is frequently misdiagnosed.
At Parsley Health, our clinicians commonly meet patients who were told their symptoms were related to allergies, stress, or even aging, when mold toxicity was part of the underlying picture. Instead of focusing solely on the immediate exposure, we look at how the body has been affected over time, using advanced testing when needed to determine whether mold, or mycotoxins, could be contributing to the bigger story.
Understanding the difference between mold poisoning and mold toxicity doesn’t just offer clarity; it helps guide the next steps in your care, from identifying possible sources of exposure to creating a personalized plan to support recovery and reduce inflammation.
The topic of mold toxicity or injury is controversial. Scientific research and journal articles both acknowledge the issue and say it’s a myth. Other articles point to “media hype” about the hazards of mold.
Some preliminary research does show that mold can present health issues. And the Environmental Protection Agency acknowledges that mold exposure can cause symptoms in both allergic and non-allergic people.
Doctors largely recognize that mold can trigger allergies and asthma and that mold can sometimes cause lung infections. They also recognize that overexposure to mold in the workplace and at home may be linked to hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP). HP can occur when people inhale problematic dust, which can be contaminated with mold.
Ultimately more research is needed to uncover the best strategies for determining if someone’s symptoms are related to mold exposure, and if so, what to do about it.
“Conventional medicine recognizes that mold can cause allergies but does not recognize that mycotoxins emitted by some species of indoor mold can cause a problem,” says McElroy.
Doctors unfamiliar with mold and mold treatment may miss one of the main types of mold reactions—the chemical and inflammatory reaction. This is for a few reasons.
- The concept of mold toxicity remains controversial
- Mold testing does not have a gold standard
- Mold injury does not have a standardized treatment protocol
- Few human-based studies have looked at the connection between a moldy environment and human health
- Studies that do exist sometimes contradict one another
- The presentation of mold issues is very different among patients
- Not everyone exposed to mycotoxins will have a reaction to them
- Airway infections from mold often mimic asthma and COPD symptoms
Fortunately, root-cause medicine providers consider environmental factors that affect health when evaluating patients and may have additional advanced training in treating mold exposure symptoms.
One of the biggest challenges with mold is that mycotoxins can cause only some people to launch an inflammatory response. “This unpredictable response can go on for years after a long-term exposure in a susceptible individual,” McElroy explains.
Ultimately, if you’re experiencing unexplained symptoms that are affecting your quality of life, persuing the root-cause is important. The symptoms may not be due to mold at all, but something else.
References
12 Mold Toxicity Symptoms & Mold Exposure Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore, Parsley Health, Available at: https://www.parsleyhealth.com/blog/mold-toxicity-symptoms
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