If you’ve been reading articles about mold, then we assume you have a fair knowledge of what it is and what attracts them. However, there are so many facts about mold you probably never heard about.
19 Amazing Mold Facts
Care to find out what they are? Then keep reading!
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Mold Is Used To Produce A Variety Of Products
You probably never knew this, but every time you eat bleu cheese, you’re eating mold too! This is very true, as active spores are existing in commercially sold bleu cheese.
Don’t get disgusted just yet, you know that active flavor you enjoy in the cheese? Well, the mold spores are responsible for it.
To add to that, mold is also used in the fermentation of some wines. It is also used to produce some of the most powerful antibiotics you can think of.
Surprising but true!
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It Is Sometimes Invisible
You heard correctly, sometimes mold cannot be seen. Although this depends on the particular stage it has reached in its growth.
The mold you see on your stale bread can be identified by its green/black color. Easy to spot right?
However, it doesn’t always take up that color at first. Initially, it starts growing with a whitish color that blends in perfectly with the white part on the stale bread. And as time passes, begins to transform into the black/green color you’re used to seeing.
The initial stages of mold growth make it hard to see, so it’s possible that the bread which you thought was still fresh actually had some mold on it you ate!
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It Affects Millions Of Humans On Earth
If you think you’re the only one being bothered by mold, think again. There are approximately 21 million asthma sufferers on Earth, and about 4.1 million of these individuals were exposed to mold.
The problem becomes more complicated among people who are already allergic to mold spores.
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Mold Itself Does Not Kill Directly
Even though it can spike breathing complications, it is relatively non-lethal.
Statistics have shown that very few people have died directly as an effect of mold exposure.
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Mold Assists With The Deaths
As we have just mentioned, very few people have died as a result of mold exposure. Nonetheless, it adds to the complications in the immune system, which allows other illnesses like pneumonia and asthma to finish the job.
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Mold Is A General Term
Similar to the way that there are many types of cancers, and they are all referred to as cancer, there are also thousands of species of mold, and they are all referred to as mold.
To be specific, there are more than 10,000 mold species known to man. Each of these species has its own unique names, fingerprint, and characteristics. Although the similarities between each of them are well pronounced.
The funny thing is, even though there are so many mold species on Earth, only 5 of them can grow indoors.
The most common indoor mold you can find is known as Stachybotrys Chartarum (black mold).
Other popular mold species include Cladosporium and Penicillium.
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Dead Mold Spores Are As Toxic As Living Spores
You would think that mold spores would become harmless after they have been killed. That is far from the truth, as the dead ones are just as toxic as the living ones.
Dead mold spores can still irritate the skin and the lungs. To make matters worse, they can still cause problems decades after they are dead.
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Vitamin D Can Reduce Mold Allergies
This should come as good news to those who are allergic to mold. Vitamin D helps reduce the immunological response to mold.
This means it can help people become less allergic to this moisture-loving organism.
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Mold Is Linked To All Sinus Problems
For a long time, it had been discovered that mold contributes to sinus problems in humans. However, recent findings are more shocking.
Experts have now confirmed that mold is in one way or the other, connected to all sinus problems.
Mold can cause several health issues, and a regular sinus problem is the first of many symptoms that prove that there is mold in your system.
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Painting Cannot Keep Mold Back
Mold living in the walls of water-damaged homes can be found deep in the drywall and even in wood. A lot of pf people use wall paint as a remedy, but unfortunately, paint cannot kill it.
It can slow it down from passing through, but only for some time. The stubborn mold will eventually penetrate the paint from inside.
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Vinegar And Bleach Can Kill Mold
It has been proven that white vinegar and bleach can be used to kill mold.
Be warned though, you shouldn’t mix these two household mold killers. If you do the solution will produce toxic fumes that are far more harmful than the mold you are trying to kill.
Vinegar is preferred on porous surfaces since it has the ability to penetrate deep. Bleach on the other hand is better suited for non-porous surfaces since it cannot penetrate deep.
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Exists In A Lot Of Homes
According to research, mold can be found in about 50% of the homes in the world. To add to that, a lot of flipped homes that have undergone paint makeovers contain large amounts of mold on their old drywalls.
As we have mentioned before, paint cannot contain or kill mold, which means these homes will end up being major health hazards for the owners in a matter of time.
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Some Molds Can “Walk”
When we say “walk”, we mean the ability to move from point A to point B.
Forest slime mold can move in a very conscious manner. They can sense their surroundings and change direction if need be.
This is a result of a process known as chemotaxis, which allows conscious movement and decision-making.
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Some Molds Can Think
Believe it or not, some molds have the ability to process information and make decisions based on their thoughts.
The Physarum polycephalum species is regarded as the smartest mold species on Earth, thanks to their chemical processes which they use to solve real survival problems.
And no, it doesn’t have a central nervous system!
One of the processes it uses to determine if a foreign chemical is dangerous or safe is called Chemotaxis (which we have already spoken about).
Research has also proven that several species of slime mold have the ability to train each other.
For example, if mold is kept in a hazardous environment, it will grow and migrate until it finds a safer environment for it to thrive.
This seems natural, but the amazing thing about this process is that if the experienced spores which have made their way out of a hazardous maze are presented to the inexperienced spores kept in the same maze, the inexperienced spores will learn from the experienced ones and flee the maze significantly quicker!
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Mold Does Not Like Fast Food
Since fast food undergoes processing, it is hard for mold to grow on them. Research has proven this, and a hamburger will not mold, it can only become old and stale.
Natural food on the other hand will decompose into an environment perfect for the growth of mold spores.
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Mildew Is A Type Of Mold
Most people assume mildew is something else, but not mold. However, mildew is in fact mold.
There is no difference between a mildew problem and a mold problem, as they both originate from the same fungi.
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Mold Is Officially A Health Hazard
We have spoken many times about how hazardous mold can be to health. Well, it isn’t just our opinion, the World Health Organization, CDC, and EPA all think the same too.
This is why they declared mold to be a health hazard as far back as 2014. It’s official!
They stated that mold is a contributing factor to many health problems which include pneumonia, asthma, cancer, allergies, and miscarriages.
Even though mold doesn’t kill, it weakens the human immune system to the point where a deadly disease can figure finish the job.
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Mold Can Easily Be Contained
As problematic as mold can be, it is very easy to contain. They love moisture and cannot thrive without it, and this is why a simple device like a dehumidifier can help get rid of them.
As long as room humidity is kept lower than 50%, mold cannot thrive.
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Mold Cannot Grow On Glass
Glass doesn’t have the ability to retain moisture, and this is why mold isn’t interested in growing on it.
If the surface gets dirty and damp, then the mold can grow on the debris, but not on the glass itself.
Conclusion
There you have it guys, some fun facts about mold you probably never knew.
Hopefully, the information provided here has given you a better understanding of mold, which will in turn help you deal with them better.
Thanks for reading!