Is Mold Toxicity Real? Yes. Here’s What the Research Actually Shows
If you've been sick after living or working in a water-damaged building, you've probably encountered a frustrating contradiction.
You can find hundreds of studies documenting the toxic effects of mycotoxins.
You can find research showing neurological, immune, respiratory, gastrointestinal, inflammatory, and other symptoms in people exposed to damp and mold-damaged buildings.
You can find major government and public-health organizations acknowledging that molds produce toxins and that damp buildings can affect human health.
And then you may still be told:
“Mold toxicity isn't real.”
So let's clear this up.
Yes. Mold toxicity is real.
Molds produce substances that are toxic to living cells. Those substances are called mycotoxins, and their toxic effects have been studied for decades.
People exposed to damp and water-damaged buildings have also been found in human studies to experience far more symptoms than just allergies and asthma.
Does science have every detail worked out?
No.
We don't have a perfect test that can tell us exactly how much of a particular toxin you inhaled three years ago, how much reached different tissues, or precisely what percentage of your fatigue came from one particular mycotoxin versus the combined effects of everything that was in that water-damaged building.
Environmental medicine rarely works that neatly.
But uncertainty about those details does not erase what we already know.
And what we already know is substantial.
Even Mainstream Health Agencies Acknowledge the Basic Science
You don't have to rely on a functional-medicine doctor to establish that molds can produce toxins.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that indoor molds can produce allergens, irritants, and “potentially toxic substances or chemicals (mycotoxins).” The EPA further states that some molds commonly found in moisture-damaged buildings can produce mycotoxins and that exposure to those toxins can occur through inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact. The EPA goes on to say “It is prudent to avoid unnecessary inhalation exposure to mold.”.
Read the EPA's Mold Course: Mycotoxins and Health Effects
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) goes further. Its current mold guidance says that the health effects of mold depend on the type of mold, amount and duration of exposure, and the individual exposed. It also lists cognitive problems, mental health issues, inflammation, immune system changes, and cancer among health effects associated with prolonged mold or mycotoxin exposure.
Read the NIEHS page on mold and human health
And the World Health Organization does not debate whether mycotoxins themselves are toxic. WHO describes mycotoxins as naturally occurring toxins produced by molds and states that their adverse effects can range from acute poisoning to chronic consequences including immune deficiency and cancer.
Read the WHO Mycotoxins Fact Sheet
WHO is discussing mycotoxins broadly, particularly foodborne exposure, rather than claiming that every damp building produces those same outcomes.
But that distinction matters in the opposite direction too.
The toxic nature of mycotoxins is not the controversial part.
We already know that fungal toxins can harm mammals, including humans.
The harder scientific questions are how much of which compounds people inhale in water-damaged buildings, what combinations they are exposed to, how those exposures differ from one building to another, and why some people become much sicker than others.
Those are questions of exposure, dose, susceptibility, and diagnosis.
They are not evidence that mold toxicity doesn't exist.
The Mold Debate Often Asks the Wrong Scientific Question
The argument is often framed like this:
Has one perfectly defined disease called “mold toxicity” been conclusively proven through randomized human trials, with one diagnostic marker, one exposure threshold, and one predictable set of symptoms?
No.
But that is a very different question from:
Can water-damaged buildings expose people to biologically active substances capable of producing systemic illness?
The existing evidence says yes.
Or:
Can individual mycotoxins damage the brain, immune system, mitochondria, digestive tract, kidneys, liver, reproductive system, and other tissues?
Again, yes.
The lack of one neatly defined syndrome does not erase the toxicology.
And it doesn't erase what has been documented in exposed human populations.
We Are Never Going to Intentionally Poison Humans to Prove That a Known Toxin Is Toxic
This matters because I often see the absence of randomized controlled human trials used as though it disproves mold toxicity.
That isn't how environmental toxicology works.
If researchers already have reason to believe that a substance can damage the nervous system, kidneys, liver, immune system, reproductive system, or other tissues, it would be unethical to intentionally expose healthy people to increasingly large or prolonged doses simply to see what happens to them.
We should not expect a study in which hundreds of healthy people are randomly assigned to live for several years in heavily mold-contaminated buildings while another group lives in clean buildings.
That study is not going to happen.
Nor should it.
The same challenge exists with many other environmental toxicants.
We don't intentionally expose healthy humans to damaging amounts of lead, mercury, asbestos, pesticides, industrial chemicals, or endocrine disruptors simply to reproduce disease under controlled conditions.
Instead, toxicology builds a case from multiple kinds of evidence:
human epidemiological studies
occupational and accidental exposures
observational studies of exposed populations
biological measurements when available
animal studies
human and animal cell studies
biochemical and molecular studies
environmental sampling
mechanistic research showing how a substance damages cells or disrupts physiology
Every one of those methods has limitations, but together, they paint a very clear picture.
That is exactly what we see with mold and mycotoxin research.
The Evidence Doesn't Come From One Study. It Comes From Five Directions.
This may be the most important point in the entire article.
There isn't one magical mold study that proves every possible health effect.
There doesn't need to be.
The evidence comes from five different directions that increasingly fit together.
1. Human population studies
People who live or work in damp and mold-damaged buildings experience higher rates of multiple health problems than comparison populations.
2. Clinical studies of exposed humans
Researchers have documented neurological abnormalities, immune changes, profound fatigue, cognitive symptoms, mental health symptoms, autoimmunity, and other systemic findings in people with known water-damaged-building exposure.
3. Environmental sampling
Researchers have actually detected mycotoxins in water-damaged building materials, indoor dust, and contaminated environments.
4. Toxicology
Individual mycotoxins have repeatedly been shown to damage mitochondria, immune cells, neurological tissue, intestinal cells, liver, kidneys, and reproductive or endocrine systems.
5. Mechanistic research
Scientists can identify biological mechanisms by which these toxins create injury, including oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis, inflammatory signaling, altered protein synthesis, endocrine disruption, and intestinal-barrier damage among others.
No single category of research proves every individual case of mold illness.
Together, however, they create a much stronger scientific picture.
And that is how toxicology works.
You Don't Have to Believe Every Claim in the Mold World to Recognize That Systemic Mold Illness Is Real
I think this distinction gets lost.
I do not believe we help patients by assuming every unexplained symptom must be mold.
We should always be looking for the full range of potential causes.
I don't think every positive urine mycotoxin result should automatically be treated as definitive proof of illness from a particular building.
And there are absolutely questions in mold medicine that need better research.
But we don't practice good medicine by swinging to the opposite extreme either.
The only medically legitimate effects of water-damaged buildings are not sneezing and asthma.
There is a large scientific territory between:
“Mold causes everything.”
and:
“Mold can only cause allergies.”
That middle ground contains a substantial body of human exposure research, environmental measurements, toxicology, and mechanistic evidence.
That's where the more interesting science actually lives.
And that science is what supports us in treating mold toxicity as a real cause of illness.
A Water-Damaged Building Is More Than Mold Spores
Another major problem is reducing mold exposure to an allergy to airborne spores.
A water-damaged building can contain a complicated mixture of:
mold spores
microscopic fungal fragments
mycotoxins
beta-glucans and other fungal cell-wall components
microbial volatile organic compounds
bacterial endotoxins
actinomycetes and their metabolites
other bacteria favored by damp conditions
chemicals released from damaged building materials
Even the EPA emphasizes that mold isn't necessarily the only contaminant present in damp buildings. Bacteria and chemicals released from wet building materials may be present as well.
So when someone asks, “Did mold cause this symptom?” the biological reality may be more complicated.
You may have been breathing an entire microbial soup.
And different parts of that exposure can affect different systems of your body.
Human Studies Show That Damp and Moldy Buildings Can Cause More Than Respiratory Symptoms
Respiratory effects are the least controversial.
Large epidemiological reviews have repeatedly associated damp and moldy buildings with asthma, wheezing, coughing, respiratory infections, bronchitis, allergic rhinitis, and other respiratory problems.
But the human literature does not stop there.
Fatigue Has Been Associated With Damp and Mold Exposure
A 2025 systematic review specifically examined fatigue in relation to indoor mold and dampness.
The researchers evaluated six studies representing more than 40,000 participants and concluded that the evidence supported an association between indoor mold or dampness exposure and fatigue.
The paper also points out that an earlier review found that 112 of 114 epidemiological studies published between 2011 and 2018 supported an association between elevated indoor mold or dampness and one or more single- or multisystem health symptoms.
Read the systematic review on mold, dampness, and fatigue
That matters because profound fatigue is one of the symptoms I hear about most often in mold sick patients.
And it was one of my most profound symptoms from being mold toxic as well.
Mold Exposure Has Been Associated With Brain Fog and Neurological Symptoms
The neurological findings are particularly difficult to explain away as simply “mold allergy.”
One study evaluated 100 patients who had been exposed to toxic molds in their homes.
Researchers reported neurological signs and symptoms in approximately 70% of the patients. They also found abnormalities in immune-cell populations in more than 80% of the group, and neurological testing in subsets of patients identified problems involving short-term memory, executive function, concentration, and coordination.
Read the Rea et al. study on building-related mold illness
Another study examined people exposed to molds in water-damaged buildings who developed peripheral neuropathy symptoms including numbness, tingling, tremors, and weakness.
The researchers found elevated antibodies against multiple neural antigens (autoimmune reactions). Nerve-conduction testing identified sensory, motor, or mixed sensory-motor neuropathies in many of the exposed patients.
Read the study on neural autoantibodies and neuropathy after mold exposure
Neither study answers every possible question about neurological mold illness.
But that's exactly why we look for convergence.
When human symptoms, objective neurological testing, immune findings, and experimental neurotoxicity start pointing in the same direction, that matters.
The Finnish Studies Are Particularly Interesting
A 2017 Finnish paper described two populations exposed to confirmed moisture-damaged, mold-contaminated buildings.
One was a family of nine who moved into a newly built home that was later found to contain significant mold and bacterial contamination.
Within approximately a month, family members began developing respiratory and mucous-membrane symptoms.
Over time, their symptoms expanded into multiple systems and included:
severe fatigue and exhaustion
headaches and migraines
insomnia
memory problems
tremors and twitching
sensory neuropathy
weakness
gastrointestinal disturbances
skin problems
increasing allergic reactions
blood-pressure and heart-rate changes
muscle and joint pain
All members eventually developed multiple chemical sensitivity according to the report.
Then the family left the building.
The authors reported that symptoms gradually began improving after relocation.
Read Severe Sequelae to Mold-Related Illness as Demonstrated in Two Finnish Cohorts
The paper also examined teachers and students from a mold-damaged school.
Among 30 teachers, 11, or 36.6%, had autoimmune conditions, compared with the approximately 5 to 8% background prevalence the authors cited for Finland.
Six of 30 teachers had hypothyroidism or goiter, and the researchers also reported clusters of rare autoimmune conditions and several cancers.
Those numbers are striking. But because the cohort was small and observational, they should be treated as a signal rather than proof that mold caused every disease reported in the group.
That distinction doesn't make the findings meaningless.
It tells us what good science should do next:
Investigate the signal.
A Second Finnish Study Found Dramatically More Neurological Symptoms
A later Finnish study examined 90 nurses and midwives who had worked in a moisture-damaged hospital and compared them with 45 workers without known exposure to poor indoor air.
The differences were striking.
Among exposed versus comparison workers:
central or peripheral nervous-system symptoms: 81% vs. 11%
fatigue: 77% vs. 24%
brain fog: 62% vs. 11%
multiple chemical sensitivity: 40% vs. 9%
musculoskeletal pain: 51% vs. 22%
reported arrhythmias: 57% vs. 2.4%
Respiratory symptoms were also substantially more common in exposed workers.
Read the Finnish hospital-worker mold study
Human Studies Have Also Found Immune Abnormalities
Immune dysfunction is another major part of the clinical picture I see in mold illness.
People may start dealing with recurrent infections, chronic inflammation and pain, autoimmunity, histamine and mast cell issues, fungal infections and overgrowth, or a strange combination of both immunosuppression and excessive inflammation.
There is biological precedent for this.
A study of 209 adults exposed to mixed molds in water-damaged buildings identified alterations in T cells, B cells, and natural killer cells.
Researchers also reported abnormalities in immune-cell proliferation and increased autoantibodies, including antibodies against central- and peripheral-nervous-system myelin.
The exposed group reported significantly more neurological and inflammatory symptoms than controls.
Read the study on immune changes after exposure to water-damaged buildings
And once again, the toxicology lines up.
A 2022 review examined six major environmental mycotoxins:
aflatoxin B1
ochratoxin A
deoxynivalenol
T-2 toxin
fumonisin B1
zearalenone
The authors found evidence for both immunosuppressive and immunostimulatory effects, depending on the toxin, dose, duration of exposure, and biological context.
Read the 2022 review of mycotoxin immunotoxicity
That seemingly contradictory pattern is important.
Someone can struggle to fight infections while simultaneously experiencing excessive inflammation and immune reactivity.
Those two things can coexist.
Mycotoxins Can Damage Mitochondria
This is one of the mechanisms that deserves much more attention in chronic fatigue and mold illness.
Your mitochondria are responsible for producing most of the usable energy inside your cells.
If mitochondrial function becomes impaired, the effects aren't confined to one organ.
Every high-demand system of your body can suffer.
A review examining mycotoxin-induced mitochondrial dysfunction found that toxins including citrinin, aflatoxin, and T-2 toxin can disrupt mitochondrial function.
The researchers described oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, activation of apoptotic pathways, and subsequent cellular injury or death.
Read the review on mycotoxins and mitochondrial dysfunction
This matters clinically.
If mitochondria are impaired throughout the body, the effects can show up in all high-energy tissues.
The brain.
Muscles.
Heart.
Digestive tract.
Immune system.
That begins to make the strange multi-system pattern of mold illness considerably less mysterious.
Mycotoxins Can Directly Damage Human Neurological Cells
Certain mycotoxins are clearly neurotoxic.
Experimental research has documented mechanisms including:
oxidative stress
mitochondrial dysfunction
inflammatory signaling
blood-brain-barrier effects
injury to glial cells
disruption of normal cellular signaling
apoptosis of nervous-system cells
One particularly relevant study exposed several types of human neurological cells to satratoxin H, a trichothecene produced by Stachybotrys.
Researchers observed activation of inflammatory and apoptotic pathways in human brain capillary endothelial cells, astrocytes, and neural progenitor cells.
Most importantly for the indoor-mold question, the researchers concluded that neurological-cell damage could occur at satratoxin H exposure levels found in water-damaged buildings contaminated with fungal growth.
Read the human-cell study of satratoxin H and neurological injury
Again, we're not going to expose healthy human volunteers to progressively higher levels of satratoxin H until their neurological function deteriorates.
Human-cell research exists precisely because we can investigate mechanisms of toxicity without deliberately injuring people.
Mycotoxins Can Damage the Digestive Tract
Gut symptoms are incredibly common in people I see with mold illness.
Bloating.
Food reactions.
Diarrhea or constipation.
New intolerances.
SIBO-like symptoms.
Digestive problems that improve temporarily and then return.
Toxicological research shows that multiple mycotoxins can directly affect intestinal tissue.
A major review examining mycotoxin-induced intestinal-barrier damage found that mycotoxins can disrupt intestinal integrity, thin the protective mucus layer, alter inflammatory signaling, and disturb microbial homeostasis.
The review includes evidence involving deoxynivalenol, aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, and several other mycotoxins.
Read The Compromised Intestinal Barrier Induced by Mycotoxins
Mycotoxins Can Disrupt Hormones
The endocrine effects are another example where the toxicology is already quite clear.
Zearalenone is an estrogenic mycotoxin produced by several Fusarium species.
Because of its structural similarity to estrogen, zearalenone and its metabolites interact with hormone signaling.
A major review found effects involving testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, steroidogenic enzymes, granulosa cells, and Leydig cells.
The mechanisms included oxidative stress, endoplasmic-reticulum stress, mitochondrial disruption, cell-cycle effects, and apoptosis.
Read the review of zearalenone and steroid-hormone disruption
So when we describe certain mycotoxins as endocrine disruptors, that isn't a wellness-industry theory.
It's toxicology.
Each Mycotoxin Has Toxic Effects to Different Organs.
Ochratoxin A has been extensively studied for its nephrotoxicity (toxic effects on the kidneys).
Aflatoxin B1 is profoundly hepatotoxic (liver toxic) and carcinogenic.
Trichothecenes interfere with protein synthesis and affect rapidly dividing tissues, immune function, gastrointestinal tissues, and other systems.
Zearalenone has potent endocrine and reproductive effects.
Gliotoxin has significant immunotoxic properties.
Citrinin has well-documented nephrotoxic and mitochondrial effects.
These toxins don't all do the same thing.
That's one reason two people exposed to different mold-contaminated buildings can develop remarkably different symptom patterns.
It's also why talking about “mold toxicity” as though there were one mold, one toxin, and one illness misses the point.
Indoor Molds Really Can Produce These Toxins
Another argument I occasionally hear is essentially:
“Yes, mycotoxins are dangerous when they're in food. But that doesn't have anything to do with mold growing in a building.”
The evidence doesn't support that distinction.
In a 2009 study, researchers analyzed 100 building-material samples from water-damaged indoor environments.
Sixty-six percent contained at least one of the mycotoxins researchers were looking for.
The researchers also detected mycotoxins in settled and cultured dust and concluded that molds growing on a range of indoor materials in water-damaged buildings can produce mycotoxins, with mycotoxin-containing particles capable of settling on indoor surfaces.
Read Molds and Mycotoxins in Indoor Environments: A Survey in Water-Damaged Buildings
Another study examined dust collected from water-damaged New Orleans homes following Hurricane Katrina.
Researchers detected verrucarol, a marker associated with macrocyclic trichothecenes produced predominantly by Stachybotrys (black mold), as well as sterigmatocystin, a mycotoxin produced by certain Aspergillus species.
Read the Hurricane Katrina indoor-dust mycotoxin study
An earlier Finnish study also detected multiple mycotoxins in moldy interior building materials collected from moisture-damaged buildings.
Read the Finnish study of mycotoxins in water-damaged building materials
So the evidence is:
Molds can produce mycotoxins.
Species capable of producing mycotoxins grow inside water-damaged buildings.
Researchers have actually measured mycotoxins in contaminated building materials and household dust.
Exposure to mycotoxins can occur through inhalation and through the skin.
And many of those same compounds have demonstrated toxic effects on mammalian tissues and human cells.
My Own Illness Taught Me What These Studies Now Make Much Easier to See
I didn't start out as a doctor who specialized in mold illness.
I became interested in this field in part because I spent more than 15 years trying to understand my own chronic illness.
At different points I dealt with severe fatigue, brain fog, food intolerances, chemical sensitivities, EMF sensitivities, digestive problems, histamine/mast cell issues, hormonal problems, chronic infections, insomnia, anxiety, and other symptoms.
But I didn't understand the pattern.
One of my earliest severe exposures happened while I was living in an old apartment and working in a laboratory in the basement of an old university building.
I became profoundly fatigued.
There were periods when I was sleeping 16 hours a day and still dragging myself to class.
My brain felt so foggy and disconnected that I sometimes described it as feeling like my head was stuffed with cotton balls.
When I spent time working in that basement laboratory, the brain fog became dramatically worse.
And then something interesting happened.
I moved out.
I stopped working in that laboratory.
And that particular brain fog went away.
I still didn't understand why.
Over the following years, my symptom picture would change when my environment changed.
One place seemed to trigger horrific cognitive symptoms.
Somewhere else, insomnia, anxiety, rashes, and digestive symptoms became dominant.
At the time, it all looked random.
Looking backward, it wasn't random at all.
The environment was one of the variables that kept changing.
Eventually I understood that mold and the other exposures that can accompany water-damaged buildings were major drivers of my illness.
And when I finally addressed the actual cause rather than endlessly treating the downstream symptoms, my health improved dramatically in ways that years of symptom-by-symptom treatment never accomplished.
That experience is one reason I'm so unwilling to reduce this issue to:
“Well, mold can cause allergies.”
That description would not have come close to explaining what happened to my body.
And it doesn't come close to explaining what I see in many of the people who find their way into my practice.
I see many varieties of multi-system, chronic illness in my patients being caused by mold, and reversed when the cause is addressed.
Then Why Doesn't Everyone in a Moldy Building Get Sick?
Because toxicology has never worked that way.
Exposure is one side of the equation.
Susceptibility is the other.
Even NIEHS states that health effects from mold depend on the type of mold, amount and duration of exposure, and the person exposed.
People differ in:
genetics
detoxification capacity
immune function
mitochondrial health
respiratory health
microbiome composition
nutritional status
age
hormonal state
cumulative toxic exposures
chronic infections they’re carrying
length and intensity of exposure
One member of a household may become profoundly ill while another experiences only worsening allergies and eczema.
A third person may develop insomnia and digestive problems but never connect them with the house.
The absence of identical symptoms doesn't tell us the exposure was harmless.
We don't use that reasoning with cigarettes.
We don't use it with asbestos.
We don't use it with lead.
We don't use it with air pollution.
Human susceptibility varies.
So Is Mold Toxicity Scientifically Supported?
Yes.
What does the total body of evidence show?
It shows that:
damp and mold-damaged buildings are associated with human illness
systemic symptoms including severe fatigue and neurological complaints occur more frequently in exposed populations
neurological abnormalities have been documented in exposed patients
immune abnormalities have been documented in people exposed to water-damaged buildings
specific mycotoxins are established toxic compounds
different mycotoxins can damage mitochondria, immune cells, nervous-system cells, gastrointestinal tissue, kidneys, liver, and reproductive or endocrine systems
molds growing on water-damaged building materials can produce mycotoxins
those toxins have actually been measured in indoor building materials and dust
inhalation is a recognized route of mycotoxin exposure
different mold species produce different compounds
different people have different susceptibilities
No single study proves every part of mold-related illness.
But science rarely works through one magical study.
It works by asking whether epidemiology, observations in exposed humans, clinical measurements, toxicology, animal experiments, human-cell research, environmental measurements, and known biological mechanisms begin telling a coherent story.
Here, many of them do.
And because it would be unethical to intentionally expose human beings to potentially damaging doses of known toxins simply to reproduce disease under randomized conditions, this combination of evidence is exactly how environmental toxicology has to be evaluated.
What Should You Do If You Think Mold Is Making You Sick?
Look for the pattern.
Did your health change after:
moving into a home or apartment?
starting a new job or at a new school?
a roof or plumbing leak?
flooding?
renovation?
spending more time in a basement?
bringing belongings out of musty storage?
moving into an older or visibly water-damaged building?
Do you feel significantly better when you're away?
Do your symptoms return when you come home?
Are multiple body systems involved?
Have you accumulated a growing list of diagnoses without anyone explaining why so many things went wrong at once?
Those clues deserve attention.
For more evidence, and an actual score for how likely it is that toxic mold is a contributor to your symptoms, take the mold illness assessment.
You Need More Than Someone Who Simply
“Believes in Mold”
You need careful clinical reasoning.
I don't assume every symptom is caused by mold.
I look at the exposure history, symptom pattern, relevant testing, other potential causes, what systems have become disrupted, and what may be preventing recovery.
Because by the time mold illness has become chronic, simply identifying mold may not be enough.
You may also need to address:
the environment
toxin elimination and detoxification
immune dysfunction
fungal colonization
gastrointestinal dysfunction
mitochondrial injury
hormonal disruption
nutrient depletion
nervous system dysregulation
other downstream consequences specific to your body
This is why mold recovery needs to be individualized.
When you're ready for help figuring out whether mold may be one of the drivers keeping you sick, book a free discovery call to explore working together.
I provide telehealth naturopathic care for patients in Oregon and Colorado.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mold Toxicity
Is mold toxicity scientifically proven?
There is substantial scientific evidence that molds can produce mycotoxins, that mycotoxins can damage human and animal tissues, that these toxins can occur in water-damaged buildings, and that people exposed to damp and mold-damaged buildings experience higher rates of multiple health problems.
What has not been established is one universally defined “mold toxicity syndrome” with a single diagnostic test, exposure threshold, and predictable presentation.
Those are not the same question.
Can mold exposure cause neurological symptoms?
Human exposure studies have reported significantly higher rates of brain fog, memory problems, peripheral neuropathy, dizziness, fatigue, and other neurological symptoms in mold-exposed populations.
Laboratory studies also show that certain mycotoxins can directly damage human neurological cells.
Can mold cause fatigue and brain fog?
Fatigue has been associated with indoor mold and dampness across large epidemiological studies, including a recent systematic review.
In one Finnish hospital-worker study, fatigue occurred in 77% of mold-exposed workers versus 24% of controls, while brain fog occurred in 62% versus 11%.
Can mycotoxins make humans sick?
Yes.
WHO recognizes mycotoxins as toxins capable of producing adverse human health effects ranging from acute poisoning to longer-term consequences including immune deficiency and cancer.
The specific health effect depends on the mycotoxin, route and amount of exposure, duration of exposure, and individual susceptibility.
Why can one person become very sick from mold when someone else seems fine?
Susceptibility differs enormously between people.
NIEHS specifically notes that the health effects of mold depend on the type of mold, amount and duration of exposure, and the individual exposed.
Different people enter the same environment with different genetics, immune systems, mitochondrial health, microbiomes, hormonal states, prior exposures, and overall physiological reserves.
Different responses don't invalidate the exposure.
References
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Medical Disclaimer
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease or replace individualized medical care. Mold-related symptoms overlap with many other medical conditions. New, severe, persistent, or concerning symptoms should be evaluated by an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
