A Hidden Danger
Susan and Michael Chick from Round Rock, Texas suffered from mild health problems since moving into their new home in 1998. Michael battled several cases of the flu, as well as sinus problems and migraines. Susan, who became pregnant right after moving into the house, suffered from the same, as well as some other aches and pains, but attributed them to pregnancy. In April 2001, after having a heat pump replaced, their symptoms got worse. Michael's headaches increased, he developed muscle aches, had a hard time concentrating, and suffered from short-term memory problems. Susan's problems increased as well.

"I started having a lot of muscle aches and very bad fatigue -- to the point of having trouble functioning," she says. "I had concentration problems and short-term memory problems." Susan could no longer concentrate enough to work on her Web development hobby, and had to carry a pen and pad of paper everywhere she went so she could write things down. Sometimes she would walk into a room and not know why she was there.

To what do the Chicks attribute the deterioration of their health? "When they pulled it (the heat pump) out, they showed us how it was clogged with mold," says Susan. Later Susan would find out what type of mold was growing in her home: Stachybotrys, plus 11 other types of dangerous mold.

Susan and Michael weren't the only ones affected. Their two children, Seth, 4 ˝, and William, 15 months, also developed severe health problems. Seth was 2 ˝ when the Chicks moved into the new house. Not long after, he developed pneumonia; echolalia, an autistic trait of repeating words; and had an allergic reaction to penicillin where he broke out in hives, ran a fever, and had joint swelling in the legs and arms so bad in the arms and legs that he couldn't walk. Two weeks after the reactions, the Chicks had to rush Seth to the emergency room. By the age of 3, Seth started having speech problems.

"It seems he had stopped developing and he was babbling a lot when he talked," says Susan. "Then by 3 ˝, his speech had not gotten any better and he was having trouble playing with other children." After more tests, it was determined that Seth would need "educational support" for a number of years from an occupational therapist. Seth's brother, William -- who was born in the house -- suffered from neurological problems from birth, including sensory planning and processing problems, low muscle tone, as well as reflux. Due to his low muscle tone, he was not doing age-appropriate skills -- at 9 months, he was still not rolling over.

Symptoms of Mold Exposure
According to Carolyn Gorman, a health educator for 20 years who is currently with Johnson Medical Associates in Richardson, Texas, eye, ear, nose and lung responses plus skin irritation and rash are the usual symptoms of mold exposure. "In some instances the memory is affected," she says. "Sinus infections, bronchitis, asthma and coughing could exist."

Harold Farber, M.D., pediatric pulmonologist, associate chief of pediatrics at Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center in Vallejo, Calif., and author of Cont rol Your Child's Asthma: A Breakthrough Program for the Treatment and Management of Childhood Asthma (Henry Holt), says that molds can cause "sick building syndrome." "Living, working or going to school in moldy buildings can cause headaches, nausea, flu-like symptoms and allergic symptoms," he says. But, according to Farber, most people have no reaction at all, and it depends on a person's susceptibility. "We really don't fully understand what makes one person susceptible and another not. A person with a history of allergies may become sensitized and develop allergic symptoms (runny nose, itchy eyes). A person with asthma may have mold triggering their asthma."

According to Dr. Farber, there are two kinds of illnesses that mold exposure can cause: allergic and toxic. "Asthma and hay fever can be triggered by allergy to molds. Cough, wheeze and trouble breathing can be from asthma. Hay fever can cause a runny nose and watery eyes." Dr. Farber says the classic "toxic" reaction to inhaled molds is pulmonary hemorrhage, or bleeding from the lungs.

"Ten babies from Cleveland, Ohio were admitted to the hospital with bleeding from the lungs," says Dr. Farber. "All 10 lived in homes with water damage from leaky pipes or flooding. The department of health found a clear association with toxic mold in the homes of these infants. Strachybotrys atra is the name of the toxic mold that caused this illness." Infants are more susceptible to developing pulmonary hemorrhage from toxic molds than adults. "We are not sure why this is. Perhaps it is that in babies the lungs are growing rapidly." Dr. Farber points out that when tobacco smoke is combined with toxic mold exposure, the risk increases dramatically. Farber says this pulmonary hemorrhage is extremely uncommon -- most individuals do not develop severe reactions.

About the Author: Donna Smith is a senior editor for iParenting Media and the mother of three.