Toxic Mold

• Virtually every home, even a spotless one, contains some type of mold in the air. More than 400,000 varieties of mold exist, according to Advanced Mold Inspections. It's impossible for even a trained eye to identify each species. Identification requires a laboratory inspection.
  
  Toxic mold, sometimes referred to as "black mold," looks like several other mold varieties. It's black with a slightly green cast and grows in a spotted pattern. Toxic mold emits poisons known as mycotoxins into the air, which are toxic to humans and animals. Breathing mycotoxins into the upper respiratory tract often results in chronic sinus problems.
  
  

Exposure and TB

• Most people have frequent exposure to airborne mold and show no signs of an allergic reaction. Whether you react to mold depends on several factors, including your immune system, the type of mold and the duration of the exposure. Most allergic reactions to mold are far from deadly and include nausea, headache and sinus infection.
  
  Aspergillus, a type of mold that can grow in human lungs, increases the risk of dangerous and even deadly illnesses such as tuberculosis. Mold by itself doesn't cause tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is contracted from close contact with an infected individual, by breathing in spores containing the disease. These spores are unrelated to the spores cast into the environment by mold. Nevertheless, mold has a relationship to this disease in that repeated and prolonged exposure to mold can weaken the immune system. This leads to increased susceptibility to many diseases such as tuberculosis, cancer and lupus.
  
  

Warnings

• Mold may be found almost anywhere in a home, but it thrives in damp, humid environments. Preventing mold will prevent a number of problems in the future. Address any water leakage immediately. Patch up cracks in walls and seal leaky windows. For perpetually damp areas, install a dehumidifier. Clean the dehumidifier often, following the manufacturer's recommendations.
  
  It's difficult to remove mold from porous materials such as wood and drywall. You should probably replace the material with mold growing on it, rather than just cleaning it.