Mold Growth Is Western North Carolina’s “Quiet Ecological Disaster” of Devastating Proportions

Consistently high dew points and weeks of warm temperatures result in a regional increase of  indoor mold growth, worsening health conditions, and rising costs into the tens of millions.

That’s why I think it’s fair to assert that Western North Carolina is in the middle of a quiet ecological disaster of devastating proportions.

Right now, despite cooling temperatures, the Southern Appalachians continue to battle a perfect storm for mold growth. The North Carolina Pest Management Association warned in a press release that the increased moisture and flooding in the state in 2018 created the warm, humid conditions that increase pest activity, including termites, which can cause serious damage. Whenever we experience flooding, we can see an increase in termites and mold. However, as the owner and founder of A Healthier Home, I remain concerned that mold remains unacknowledged. Mold can also do serious damage to personal health and home values.

When mold gets to be a problem

As molds and mildew are fungi that grow both outdoors and indoors, a certain number of spores is normal, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. However, elevated numbers of spores can potentially result in healthiness concerns which increase exponentially and in severity over time.

Growing everywhere from basements to attic, closets to crawl spaces, mold may be gray, black, green, yellow or orange, and other colors. The surfaces to which it adheres may feel textured, like wool or velvet. Each type spreads through the release of spores into the air.

“Mold growth indoors is an abnormal condition resulting when there is excessive moisture infiltration and accumulation, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or unaddressed” according to NCDHHS.

Chronic, widespread and endemic, molds and mildews have taken advantage of the high dew point, hovering above 70, together with warm temperatures above 65 at night, residents of the area experienced from late July into early October. Now, underneath many houses remain warm, humid crawl spaces and damp basement corners where mold hides.

The worsening healthiness conditions of many WNC homes is unmistakable, based on more than 100 I’ve personally examined this year. The worst of the worst gives even the most seasoned home healthiness examiner pause. The first floor of one area home he assessed had mold on all the walls, the furniture, and every surface.

One household I visited recently was in turmoil. The entire family was sick, sicker than they have ever been before. As I walked down the stairs, my lungs burned from the severe irritation of airborne mold particles. The bottom line? Though the house can be saved, the cleanup may be upward of $12,000 after preventative measures are implemented.

Mold takes a toll on health and regional economics

Though healthy adults can breath a large number of spores without long-term ill effects, other groups, such as children or the elderly can run into trouble. Others who could be affected include those with allergies or asthma, hypersensitivity or compromised immune systems, those with heart disease or other pre-existing conditions, or those who are recovering from surgery or cancer treatments.

The economic toll on residents in North Carolina is in the tens of millions, according to figures adapted from “Valuing the Economic Costs of Allergic Rhinitis, Acute Bronchitis, and Asthma from Exposure to Indoor Dampness and Mold,” a 2016 study in the peer-reviewed Journal of Environmental and Public Health.

During that year, North Carolina health care costs directly attributable to dampness and mold exposure cost the state’s asthma sufferers $32 million, bronchitis sufferers $13 million, and rhinitis sufferers $81 million.

Mold growth results in significant epidemiological and clinical evidence that the phenomenon compromises human health.

When mold causes illness to occur

Epidemiologists at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reported that occupants of damp, molding buildings are at greater risk of developing upper or lower respiratory tract symptoms such as coughing and wheezing, shortness of breath and allergic rhinitis. The same conditions, they noted, could spur the development of asthma or exacerbate the condition of those already managing the illness.

Clinicians also reported that individuals demonstrated an increased risk of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, and allergic fungal sinusitis following mold or microbial exposure in damp buildings. The findings were published in a NIOSH journal article, “Preventing Occupational Respiratory Disease from Exposures Caused by Dampness in Office Buildings, Schools, and Other Non-industrial Buildings,” that same year.

Anecdotal evidence A Healthier Home has gathered in the field suggests a greater number of area residents than usual may be experiencing symptoms of microbial overgrowth in their environment. The symptoms reported to me in the field include fatigue, muscle aches and joint pain, weakness or stiffness, abdominal pain, upset stomach, headache, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, confusion, difficulty learning or finding the right words, or disorientation, mood swings, anxiety and panic attacks.

What to do if you suspect mold is a health issue

Individuals who believe their health symptoms may relate to the presence of mold in their homes should find good professional assistance. The first, important step is to have an informed visible examination of the entire home to check for mold. The homeowner needs an unbiased assessment of the situation before agreeing to costly remediations that don’t address the root causes of the problem. I can help.