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Symptoms of Working in a Moldy Office

Some older office buildings have poor ventilation systems, which mean there may be trapped moisture where mold can thrive. Also improper maintenance of an office building's HVAC system can cause elevated humidity, which in turn gives mold the conditions it needs to wreak havoc on the structure. Unfortunately, according to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), in terms of health, there are no standards or recommendations for airborne concentrations of mold or mold spores. Essentially what this means is that the government does not regulate how much mold workers in these mold infested buildings can safely come in contact with. It is simply up to the building's management company to frequently inspect and correct any mold issues found and limit a person's exposure to mold.

  1. Allergies

    • Mold can cause allergic reactions in individuals who are in constant contact with mold. The symptoms of mold exposure can include itchy and watery eyes, sneezing, runny nose and hay fever, many of the same symptoms found in spring allergy sufferers. The allergies may disappear once an individual has left the contaminated area.

    Respiratory Problems

    • When a person works 40 hours per week in a mold infested building, she can suffer from respiratory problems, particularly if the person has asthma. Inhaling the mold has a high probability to cause an asthmatic to have an asthma attack and in others can cause irritation of throat, nose and eyes and shortness of breath.

    Sinusitis

    • Exposure to office mold may cause sinus complications. The typical complication from this type of infection is fungus getting trapped in the sinuses and may have to be surgically removed. This differs from a general sinus infection in that it is caused by bacteria, also known as acute sinusitis, and can be corrected with antibiotics. Fungal sinusitis is known as chronic sinusitis and is a result of long-term swelling and inflammation caused by constant exposure to mold. An array of symptoms can occur with fungal sinusitis, which include fever, headache, nasal congestion, runny nose and sore throat.

    Infections

    • Mold can cause infections in any individuals, particularly those who have health complications, including those with weakened immune systems, on chemotherapy and individuals with chronic lung diseases. According to The Center for Disease Control, people with obstructive lung disease have been known to and may develop mold infections in their lungs when exposed to mold and mold spores. In a different finding, The Institute of Medicine showed that mold can cause respiratory infections in healthy people as well.

    Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis

    • While this is a rare, when an individual has long-term exposure to a mold infested building, it is possible he may fall ill with this condition. Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis specifically occurs when the mold spores cause inflammation in the lungs over a long period of time. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, chills, cough and fever.

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