Top Black Mold Symptoms: Mental, Neurological and Respiratory | Mold Inspection Middletown
Top Black Mold Symptoms: Mental, Neurological and Respiratory – While many types of mold are relatively harmless in small quantities, some types of mold can be downright deadly no matter how much of it there is. We’re talking, of course, about toxic black mold – also known by its scientific name of stachybotrys chartarum. Black mold carries with it many adverse health risks, from mental to neurological to respiratory. Let’s go into detail on each.
Mental
The toxins present in black mold are neurotoxic, which means they kill off neurons in the brain and cause an altered mental state, nervous disorders like tremors and personality changes like mood swings. Here are some more symptoms to be on the lookout for:
- Confusion
- Short attention span
- Difficulty concentrating
- Slow reflexes
- Disorientation
- Dizziness
- Numbness
- Trembling
- Memory loss
- Impaired learning
- Hallucinations
- Shock
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Aggression
- Tingling
- Shaking
- Seizure
Neurological
Neuropsychological testing in those who suffer from toxic black mold exposure show symptoms similar to mild traumatic brain injury. A variety of neurological and nervous disorders can result such as tingling, shaking, and numbness in the extremities. Additional symptoms include:
- Depression
- Nervousness
- Chronic fatigue
- Headaches
- Trouble concentrating
- Poor balance
- Forgetfulness
- Peripheral neuropathy
Respiratory
If you live in a home where black mold is present, you could start to experience respiratory ailments over time. You may think those symptoms just represent asthma or allergies, but the truth is, toxic black mode could be the culprit. Addressing this now can save you a lot of health problems later. Toxic black mold is also deadly.
The toxic black mold spores and mycotoxins can get stuck in the mucous membranes, causing an irritated throat, mouth, and nasal cavity. Here are some additional symptoms to watch out for:
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Coughing
- Sore throat
- Pulmonary edema
- Pulmonary hemorrhage
- Bleeding gums
- Runny/itchy nose
- Stuffy nose
- Nose bleeds
Symptoms vary widely from person to person. It can be very difficult to diagnose and treat symptoms from toxic black mold exposure, simply because doctors usually attribute such symptoms to other more common ailments. Some even feel their patient is displaying psychological problems. They may order a battery of tests to diagnose the problem, but sometimes it’s too late by the time anyone realizes what’s going on.
Symptoms generally start off mild, such as sneezing and wheezing, and progress to constant headaches and fatigue, memory loss, weight loss, and vomiting. End stages of black mold exposure include blindness, brain damage, bleeding lungs, cancer and death. The symptoms increase in correlation with the extent of exposure. That’s why early detection and diagnosis is so important.
Never touch any mold you suspect is toxic black mold. In fact, don’t touch any type of mold – you never know which type is the dangerous kind. Call Stock Environmental Consulting to test and inspect for mold in your home or business.
