Mould and Mycotoxins

I originally wrote this blog a few years ago following the last round of Moreton Bay / Brisbane Floods, I’ve revamped it to go along with the new website because whilst the flood waters subside rather quickly, the damage, they leave behind does not.  

In the clinic, I have seen a steady increase in mould toxicity symptoms, especially in children & their stay-at-home / work-from-home parents. Often these families are living in what appears to be quite beautiful and modern houses however when they scratch just a little below the surface, there is quite a significant mould issue. Often it appears (again I’m no expert this is an assumption only) that they have bought into a relatively new home with fresh paint, and that fresh paint is hiding a whole lot of mould which continues to grow until it can outshine that new paint job.  

For those of us who live in flood-affected areas, and let’s be honest that is a whole bunch of us – updating your knowledge on mould is crucial to you and your family’s health and wellbeing. I want to be very clear that establishing clear lines of cause and effect from mould to certain specific diseases such as autoimmune conditions, mental health conditions (ADHD, depression, anxiety) gastrointestinal issues, respiratory issues such as asthma as well as oncology presentations is much harder than it looks, and the evidence is still conflicting. So, whilst the science world sorts itself out, we should expect a consensus in the next 50 years or so give it another 25 before it reaches the public here are a few things you should know. 

COOL FIND – there is a site that sells plush giant microbes– another gold find in my rabbit hole research! Yep, only the science nerds will be interested in this one, who doesn’t want their little ones cuddling up to a soft cuddly character of ‘Stachybotrys chartarum’. Seriously though I love this site! 

Ok back on track … Did you know that mould was referenced in the Bible, I most certainly did not – according to MOULDPEDIA Chapter 14 of the Book of Leviticus states that if toxic black mould was found on a stone within a house, then the stone was to be removed and taken outside of the city. Anyone who had lived or eaten in the house had to wash themselves. If the mould appeared on more stones in the house after this then the house was to be dismantled and the stones placed outside the city. 

Come on science if the bible knew how to kick mould out of town, surely in the year 2024 our governments, health organisations & medical professionals not to mention literally every single household, should be well and truly on top of this. So why aren’t we? 

Well, one rationale is simply the way we classify diseases, this classification system makes it difficult to ascertain exact lines of cause and effect. Often when we get sick there are multiple reasons, multiple factors, and even multiple suspects on how we got ourselves there, and they are different to every one of us, as is our experience with that disease or condition, and of course our receptiveness of various treatments too. It’s all of bit of a puzzle right,  

What we do know without a shadow of a doubt is that … 

Mould IS toxic to human health.

Yes, it is more toxic to some than others, so let’s unpack that for a moment. 

Mycotoxin (this is the toxic compounds produced by various moulds or fungi that are toxic to human & animal health) will generally be more toxic or affect certain populations more, such as those already suffering from chronic health conditions, immunosuppressed patients, young, especially babies, as well as the elderly. You can start to see those who are already struggling health-wise, those still developing and those of us showing signs of health decline are naturally more at risk. This also means if you don’t already fall into one of those categories your risk will increase at times when you are struggling, periods of high stress, ongoing sleep disruptions, illness, and injury too.  

So, imagine for a moment you are already having several chronic health struggles, diabetes, high blood pressure, and IBS, then you find yourself awake at 2 am unable to get back to sleep for what feels like weeks, and then you go and pick up the flu on the train home from work, not that unusual a collection of events to be honest. With all this going on in your life your risk for mycotoxin (the toxic spores and compounds found in the air of mould-infected buildings) poisoning increases 100-fold.  

You can start to see why eliminating mould from your home is so important right? 

There is no doubt about it living in a home with mould is toxic to our health, and we have known this since either biblical times or since 1837 when Corda first described toxic black mould or ‘Staphybotrys chartarum’ in Prague. The early 1900s saw a rise in straw mould across Europe when farm animals perished with symptoms including bleeding, immune suppression, infection, nervous system disorders & shock. Don’t throw too much hate on Russia because they were the ones who put two and two together naming the disease ‘stachybotryotoxicosis’. In the 1940s, again in Russian workers who frequented affected barns became sick with similar symptoms to the animals, skin irritation, bleeding, respiratory inflammation, fever & fatigue, other people who ingested grains that were contaminated with mould, showed further gastro symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea & vomiting.  

Now I know it’s been a few minutes since the 1940s. So, let’s see what’s showing up in the way of symptoms for those of us living in mould-affected houses or mould-affected workplaces.   

Now reading a big list of symptoms like this can be a little daunting if not frightening, especially if we know or have just found mould in our bathroom. So, before you run away with it, just hang on for a minute.  

Firstly, all these things are related to mould sickness, however, mould is not the only cause behind each of these symptoms – more pieces to that puzzle, right? 

Secondly, it is highly unlikely that you will experience ALL of these symptoms. Even if you fall into the super high-risk category and you find yourself with a super high exposure level. Remember it affects each of us differently. Consider for a moment if you already have overly sensitive skin, repeated mould exposure might cause a flare-up of your symptoms, just like another person who is always catching colds & flu and then finds themselves sleeping in a mouldy bedroom, they will tend to have a flare-up of their symptoms.  

Now this isn’t a rule, which is why people not previously diagnosed with asthma can start to experience asthma-like symptoms following mould exposure, and those already diagnosed with asthma can experience a worsening of symptoms. 

… & the puzzle continues … 

Let’s keep talking about symptoms for a moment longer, often when we are considering mould or mycotoxins to be behind a patient’s presenting symptoms, there are other clues. Often there can be a pattern of ‘worsening at night’ so if you do have some of these symptoms and they do seem to be worse in the evening or during the night, it’s worth getting a mould inspection done on your house or at least do some digging yourself.  

Another way to shed some light on the cause of your symptoms is to spend some time away from ‘suspected building work or home’ and see if there is any improvement, if you take the kids on holidays to the beach, and everyone starts to improve it might be a strong indication that something is not right back at home. Likewise, if a COVID or another virus is going around at work or school, and you come down with the same symptoms as Tom, Dick & Harry, you’re not going to run out looking for mould in every corner of your workplace or your home. We have to play it cool both ways, a little bit of common sense does go a long way in health too. 

So now we tackled the symptoms, let’s go on and assume you have just discovered some dampness in the living room ceiling, and you can already see a few specks of mould starting to appear. First, don’t panic. You do not need to book an interstate holiday to escape impending death and disease. Call your trusted tradie and get them to check out what’s going on, assess the damage and see if there is a mould issue to be concerned about. Just like there are good and bad bacteria there is good and bad mould, so to speak. So, if your trusted tradie does think mould is going to be an issue (ie. there is more than what you can see). Then you get to make a plan with them, or you can call a building biologist for a second opinion (always good to have those) who specialising in mould assessments and treatment plans, who know in an ideal world they could even work together! 

My only recommendation is NOT to cover it up, mould is not deterred by a fresh lick of paint. Mould is just like a disease, give it the right environment and it will do deeper, and it will continue to grow. Then that interstate escape might be a very good idea indeed! 

For those of us in flood-affected areas, regular building checks are a must. Even if the water didn’t come inside your home or shed or granny flat, there is always the moisture factor so annual checks especially following heavy rains are advisable. Remember what shows up as fine one year can come back with a very different picture the following year. 

Queensland is renowned for its (mostly) sunny weather, this beautiful tropical & sub-tropical climate does have its drawbacks though and mould is one of them. If you live in a hot humid region, you will generally be more susceptible to mould infestations.  

Remember it’s not so much the mould itself that is toxic, but the tiny little spores or mycotoxins it releases at the slightest disturbance, these little fragments travel through the air, quite invisible to the naked eye and easily settle on your skin, hair, clothes, and other household fabrics, and of course we breathe them in too. The more we breathe these little toxic spores and their by-products the more at risk we become to all those health conditions we talked about earlier.  

As a Nutritionist when it comes to checking for mould, I’m going to get you to start in your pantry. Dry goods, nuts in shells, especially peanuts, rice, other grains & pulses are all susceptible to mould. As are your soft bread products, wraps, rolls, buns all those sorts of things. So, let’s start the checklist there … most of us living in QLD will already know to store anything, that we are not going to consume within a couple of days, in the freezer. Yep, frozen bread is definitely a thing. 

Food for thought:   

Have you ever wondered how all those pre-packaged food items that fill up our big supermarkets stay mould-free? Well, that’s one of the major roles of chemical preservatives. A few of the more common ones are listed for you below:  

• sorbic acid, sodium sorbate, sorbates: cheese, wine, baked goods, and more 
• benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, benzoates: jams, salad dressing, juices, pickles, carbonated drinks, soy sauce, and more 
• sulphur dioxide, sulphites: fruits, wines, & more 
• nitrites, nitrates: meats 
• lactic acid: yogurt, kefir, cottage cheeses, and more 
• propionic acid, sodium propionate: baked goods, and more 
• ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate: cheese, chips, and more 
• butylated hydroxytoluene, butylated hydroxyanisole: oils, packaging, and more 
• gallic acid, sodium gallate: wines and more 
• sulphur dioxide, sulphites: beverages, wines, & more 
• tocopherols (Vitamin E): oils, cereals, and more 

Sounds delicious right? 

For those of you wanting more specific answers to the chemicals in your food items, there is a great app I have been personally using and recommending for a few years now. It’s called ‘The Chemical Maze’. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been updated in a few years now, however, the information on there is still a great place to start for anyone wanting to get more clued in with food additives and it covers a lot of cosmetic products too. 

Getting back on track, here is a quick mould checklist to help you extend the life of your food and keep food waste to a minimum. 

1# Go through your pantry every 4 weeks during those hot humid months. Ensure your dry stores are sealed in airtight containers and anything that you’re not going to be using regularly goes into the freezer.  

2# Make your own bread, it lasts longer naturally especially if you make sourdough! 

3# Store your berries in airtight, glass containers in the fridge, this will help prevent spoilage. Anything that starts to go soft, stew them up for delicious additions to any breakfast, snack, or dessert too. 

4# Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Onions & Garlic – these generally should be stored (uncut) in a dark drawer outside of your fridge, however hot humid days and nights can see these guys tuning quickly too so be sure to check them daily. You can always cut these guys up too and store them in the freezer if you can’t get through them in time. 

If it is mouldy toss it out !!!

This is especially true for those of us struggling with health issues or run down with illness or even if you are simply stressed out of your eyeballs.  

There are thousands of types and species of Mould & funguses, not all of them harmful and they are absolutely, essential to our incredible ecosystem. They are the decomposes. Breaking down organic matter and releasing nutrients back into the soil. We cannot exist without these microbes. However, mould toxicity is a real and silent threat to our health, so we do need to be vigilant about keeping them generally out of our homes and our food stores. Remember the key word here is vigilant, NOT obsessive! With this knowledge, we can take action to create a safer and healthier living environment for ourselves and our loved ones.