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How Is Mold Created?

Unsightly mold and mildew problems can develop anywhere - no place is safe from the potential nuisance that is mold (even though many people seem to think mold is more prevalent in hot, Southern areas compared with Northern climates). However, mold isn't only unattractive and dirty - it also can cause severe health problems for some people who are exposed to it. Exactly how does mold come about?

  1. Identification

    • Mold is a form of fungi not unlike yeasts and mushrooms. Mold has been around for centuries; no one really can be sure how many kinds of mold exist, but it's probably in the thousands. There are more than 100,000 species of mold in existence, and about 1,000 of them are common and active in the United States.

    Function

    • Mold spores are microorganisms that eventually turn into spores. How exactly do these spores turn into full-fledged mold? In order for an organism to establish itself, it has to land onto something that it can grow and thrive on. These organisms get nutrients by absorbing them through their systems using microscopic threads. These threads suck material out of dead organic material such as wood and paper. Add moisture to these wood and paper products, and you have the beginnings of mold.

    Significance

    • Mold is only visible to the eye when a mold colony is present. Mold colonies are detailed networks of hyphae. These are called myceliums. Organelles (basically, little organs) and nutrients can be transmitted through myceliums. Mold colonies do not consist of discrete organisms.

    Warning

    • In many "fake" environments that are not outdoors, namely buildings, the environment (both the temperature and the humidity) is stable enough for mold to grow and thrive. In an indoors environment, mold colonies will mostly be noticeable as fuzzy growths over food or other kinds of surfaces.

    Effects

    • Though the belief is that mold is more prevalent in warm and hot areas, some types of molds are capable of growing in temperatures as low as 2 degrees Celsius. If the temperature conditions are not stable enough to encourage growth in the mold, the mold might remain dormant and inactive. There are even molds that have survived in areas as cold as the North Pole!

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