Synonyms

• Acute idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage, aflatoxin, aflatoxin B1, aflatoxins, AIPH, alimentary toxic aleukia, Aspergillus, bioterrorism, building-related illness, citrinin, diacetoxyscirpenol, ergot alkaloids, ergotism, filaments, fumonisins, fungi, fungus, Fusarium, idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis , IPH, mold, mold allergy, mold poisoning, mycosis, mycotoxins, mycotoxosis, ochratoxin, Penicillium, penicillin, patulin, Saint Anthony's fire, satratoxin, sick-building syndrome, spores, St. Anthony's fire, Stachybotrys atra, Stachybotrys chartarum, T-2, trichothecenes, zearalenone.

Background

• Toxic molds are fungi that can produce substances that are harmful to humans. Not all fungi are toxic. In fact, some may not be harmful or may even beneficial to humans.
• Mycotoxins are the harmful substances produced by toxic molds. They may be harmful if inhaled or ingested. Less commonly, skin exposure can be the source of mycotoxin poisoning. More than 300 different compounds are recognized as mycotoxins.
• The single-celled spores of molds can be resistant to cold, heat, drying, and pressure. The lightweight spores become airborne and will germinate and begin cell division if they land in an appropriately moist environment with a food source, such as dead organic matter. Eventually, they produce a visible colony of simple, multi-celled filaments that appear fuzzy, like a common bread mold. This filamentous structure is more complex than yeast, which grows as single cells that are not associated with each other, but not as organized as a mushroom, which has large organized structures with a substantial stem and definite cap.
• Since mold spores are easily dispersed in the air, they are extremely common, both indoors and outdoors, and will grow into colonies of filaments in almost any humid area, if provided with nutrients. This ability to use many different types of nutrients and grow in wet areas is why so many different types of fungi, both molds and mushrooms, can be found in swampy and wetland areas. This also makes molds a particular problem after floods or leaks if clean up is not done immediately and thoroughly.
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