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The biggest myth about dangerous black mould

According to the experts.

Thereโ€™s a lot of talk about black mould being toxic โ€“ which it can be. But not all black mould is dangerous.

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John Liddell, Managing Director of The Mould Doctor, says, โ€œThere are over 100,000 different types of mould. Not all types of mould are a threat, some are fairly benign, and some even have medicinal uses.โ€

He adds: โ€œPenicillium is used in the production of penicillin, an antibiotic commonly prescribed to cure strep throat, bronchitis, and other forms of infection.โ€

The problem is that itโ€™s tough to identify different mould types unless you are a professional.

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(Credit: Getty) (Credit: Getty)

Lucinda Curran is an Indoor Environmental Health Consultant. She says, โ€œThere is a lot of alarm around, โ€˜black mould.โ€™โ€

โ€œThis particular mould is Stachybotrys chartarum, and it is known to have devastating effects on health, especially in those sensitive or sensitised to it,โ€™ says Lucinda.

While some species of black mould are toxic, Lucinda says others can be equally problematic, depending on the individual.

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โ€œPeople can become sensitised to a particular genus or species of mould,โ€ says Lucinda. โ€œThis often occurs through repeated exposure to it. For instance, living or working in a mouldy environment. Eventually, the person can begin to react to that particular genus or species of mould.โ€

Speaking from personal experience, Lucinda says, โ€œI have become very sensitive to specific genera of moulds due to the number of mould assessments Iโ€™ve done.โ€

If you are concerned about your health, you should chat with your doctor or another health professional. 

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(Credit: Getty) (Credit: Getty)
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How do you know if black mould is toxic?

There are two types of toxic mould: Stachybotrys and Memnoniella. The most common type of toxic mould in homes is Stachybotrys, which needs a direct water source to grow. 

Unless youโ€™re a professional, itโ€™s impossible to tell if the mould growing in your home is toxic.

โ€œIdentifying mould is a specialist area,โ€ says Lucinda. โ€œMould is examined under a microscope by mycologists. In my line of work, unless it has been sampled and sent to a lab for analysis, something that looks like mould is called โ€œsuspected visible mould.โ€

The semi-good news is if you have toxic mould in your home, โ€œtheir spores are unlikely to travel far.โ€

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โ€œThe spores of Stachybotrys chartarum are quite sticky, which means they often clump together. Their spores are unlikely to travel far through the air because they are heavy,โ€ says Lucinda. 

โ€œThat said, it can spread โ€“ but it wonโ€™t go from one end of the house to the other in a short space of time without some sort of help.โ€

If you discover a large amount of mould growth in your home, you should call a professional mould removal company to inspect the area and determine if your home requires treatment. 

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