IS TOXIC MOLD MAKING YOU SICK?
Toxic Mold and Environmental Justice:
an informational blog & community resource
Toxic mold is a SILENT KILLER disproportionally preying on the economically disadvantaged and historically marginalized. It is our duty to act in community to spread awareness about the health effects of toxic mold, offer healing and solutions, drive legislative change, and save lives. Toxic mold exposure should be considered among the likes of environmental hazards like lead or asbestos that continue to affect the exposed victims for years to come or even a lifetime.
WHAT IS MOLD?
Molds are a kind of fungi— small organisms that particularly flourish in damp environments.
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Molds play important roles in natural ecosystems– destroying organic materials and decay. This, however, makes mold a serious problem in our houses and inside of our bodies.
Inhaled mold can lead to allergies. Certain species of mold produce potent toxins (mycotoxins), which are toxic to human nervous systems. In addition to being dangerous to human health, mold threatens the structural integrity of buildings. Once a building has a mold problem, that building is even more vulnerable to future mold problems.
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Building leaks and mold growth can even collapse buildings with people inside of them (Elias 2021). In Maumee, Ohio, an apartment complex, Chesterfield Apartments, forced their residents to move after discovering evidence of mold that led an inspector to deem the complex as “structurally unsafe”.
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“ Mold toxicity is far more common than is currently recognized. Those knowledgeable in this field estimate that millions of people are wrestling with this problem but are entirely unaware of its existence.”
(Dr. Neil Nathan 2018, p. 41)
Have you been exposed to toxic mold?
I’m a 25 year-old Stanford student and toxic mold exposure survivor. Several years ago, before starting at Stanford, I unknowingly rented a house with black mold. I became very ill. I spontaneously developed intense chronic pain, unrelenting migraines, challenging stomach issues, and crushing fatigue. It took about a year to figure out what was causing my symptoms. I eventually moved out of the moldy environment, but it took several long years to heal the damage the mold caused to my body and immune system.
If I had stayed in that home any longer, I would've dealt with life-long consequences.
Tragically, I moved out with almost nothing. I had to start my life over again.
I was forced to get rid of most of my possessions for my own health and safety. All of my books, clothes, furniture, records, pictures, and toys had become contaminated with mold spores and their toxic mycotoxins while I was living in that environment.
After my difficult journey, I am committed to supporting people who have experienced the detrimental effects of toxic mold, particularly those who are a part of communities that have less access resources. I want to use the platform and connections that I have as a Stanford student to bring attention to this issue. Thank you for visiting my website.
Mold-related infections cost the US economy about $5.6 billion per year” (Mudarri, 2016).