Well its officially here! Two solid days of powerful afternoon showers! Anyone else get pelted by hail a few days ago? Wow! All this moist weather going around means some extra dampness around the house.
And more indoor time combined with more dampness is a perfect recipe for higher levels of mold - even some you can't even see!
Here is a great link to some information on indoor molds and allergies:
http://www.weather.com/activities/health/allergies/helpclinic/help_allergy_mold.html
According to their information, there are some molds that are known to cause allergies:
Which Molds are Known to Cause Allergies?
There are thousands of types of mold, however, only a few of these are currently available for allergy testing. The following are the most likely causes of allergic disease based on the types of mold spores collected in the air:
- Alternaria. A common outdoor mold; allergy to this mold can be associated with severe asthma.
- Cladosporium. The most common airborne outdoor mold.
- Aspergillus. A common indoor and outdoor mold; also associated with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.
- Penicillium. A common indoor mold; allergy to which is not associated with antibiotic allergy.
- Helminthosporum. More commonly found in warmer climates.
- Epicoccum. Found in grassland and agricultural areas.
- Fusarium. Commonly found on rotting plants.
- Aureobasidium. Common outdoor mold, commonly found on paper, lumber, and painted surfaces.
- Phoma. An outdoor mold, especially common during wet periods.
- Smuts. Found in areas of agriculture.
- Rhizopus and Mucor. Commonly found on decaying leaves and damp indoor areas. Airborne forms of these molds are less common.
- Yeasts. Commonly found in the air during wet periods in agricultural areas. Allergic disease to Candida albicans is controversial, despite some people having positive allergy testing to this type of mold.
