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Health Risks of Black Mold in the Shower

Stachybotrys or black mold is a slimy greenish color that grows where there is constant moisture. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this mold is less common than other molds in homes, but not rare. The health effects of black mold depend on the person’s susceptibility and level of exposure.

While mold will not grow on ceramic tiles, if there is sheetrock or any wooden frames in your bathroom that are constantly moist, it will grow there. The spores are not easily airborne, but living near them can cause health risks.

  1. Hay Fever-like Allergy

    • For someone who is very sensitive to molds, the most common symptoms are burning watery eyes, stuffy, sometimes bloody nose, dry cough and sneezing, and respiratory problems, such as wheezing and asthma attack. Headaches, skin rashes and fungal infections are also seen in people with a suppressed immune system or pre-existing respiratory conditions. If allowed to continue, these symptoms, which are not very serious in themselves, can become chronic.

    Immune Sensitivity

    • Dr. Vincent A. Marinkovich with the Department of Pediatrics at Standford Medical School in Stanford, California, notes that the people most likely to suffer health risks from black mold are those who are already weak including infants, children, the elderly, people with other allergies, compromised immune systems, and pregnant women. When the body is invaded by molds, the immune system tries to eliminate them and works overtime if the contamination is constant. If the immune system is weak already, the blood gets overloaded with antibodies reacting with antigens. This can give chronic flu-like symptoms.

      You need to remove any black mold from your home if anyone in your family falls into one of these groups. Some symptoms have also been seen in healthy people. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) discovered in 2004, sufficient evidence that exposure to indoor mold could be linked to upper respiratory tract coughs and wheezing in healthy people and with asthma symptoms for those with asthma.

    Bleeding of the Lungs

    • According to the Federal Occupational Health website, infants below six months with bleeding of the lungs have been linked to exposure to black mold. This was in highly contaminated houses and the infants were exposed for long periods of time.

      Other more general symptoms are lack of concentration and fatigue. All symptoms disappear when the black mold is removed.

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