Mold in your blood work?
Where there is water there can be mold. Mold is a by product of excess moisture.
Mold in the blood, or invasive mold infections (IMIs), occurs when fungal spores enter the body. People with weakened immune systems can get invasive mold infections (IMIs). For example if you are immunocompromised you will be more susceptible.
Specialized blood tests can detect mold DNA or antibodies (IgG/IgE) to identify mold exposure. Testing for example could find Aspergillus, a type of mold.. Most IMIs are caused by breathing in (inhaling) mold spores which are readily airborne.
Part of the life cycle of molds is the production or off gassing created by the active growth of mold. Compounds produced by mold consist of Microbial Volatile Organism Compounds (MVOCs) and mycotoxins.
If you have water damaged building materials,i you should expect some form of airborne toxin indoors. The levels will be higher and humans more suspectable to indoor expose to these toxins, simple because indoors you are recycling air where outdoors you experience a dilution factor to the toxins.
If have been tested and mold markers were found in your lab work, you need to evaluate for the presence of mold. This typically starts with a mold inspection and air sampling of your home to determine if mold is present. Expect multiple air samples all of which will be obtained in rooms you frequent, such as your bedroom, family room, kitchen, basement, etc. The findings will rule out areas for mold exposer or find the smoking gun so to speak.
It is documented that mycotoxin exposure can cause immune dysregulation, neurological disorders, cancer, and other health issues. How can you be exposed to molds toxic off gassing? Well it depends on the environment where the mold is growing.
For example let’s say you have mold testing performed and mold is found and one of the molds is Stachybotrys. This mold needs constant water to grow and its presence underscores a long term water issue. That said this spore creates satratoxin which is a trichothecene mycotoxin. Yes, its sounds bad and it is, exposure causes neurotoxicity and inflammation in the brain and induces apaptosis of the olfactory sensory neurons. Exposure can also cause fatigue, headaches, nosebleeds, pulmonary hemorrhage, chest pain, moist dermatitis, and fever. It is also a wet sticky spore so more likly to be an irritantant when enghaled.
Let’s take a more ubiquitous spore, Cladosporium. Cladosporium when found in elevated concentrations in air samples they are a significant allergen. For asthmatics and people with respiratory diseases they are a large concern. . Cladosporium also produces microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs), which are neurotoxic. Exposure to humans can cause severe headaches, seizures, and sleepiness.
Aspergillus which is commonly found growing on building materials including wood and sheetrock can cause immune suppression and is carcinogenic. It is toxic to cells (cytotoxic) and is a hemolytic mycotoxin, meaning it can destroy red blood cells.
My point being is that exposure to mold is often an overlooked health hazard, although the health hazard is well documented. Properties are bought and sold without having a professional mold inspection performed. We find mold issues in one way shape or form in approximately 70% of the sites we inspect. Some have very minor issues, some are more significant. But all issues were only found from performing a professional evaluation.