My mother was cleaning out her basement earlier today because it had recently flooded and has just now dried. She came upon a box of old dolls which had mold on the side.
She said that about ten minutes after she opened the box that she began to feel queezy. Upset stomache, nausea. Then her muscles started to quiver. She said she felt like she had lost her energy, and immediately had to lie down. She slept for about two hours. She says she feels okay now, but has no appetite whatsoever.
I came over and had a look at said mold. It was very thin and powdery, and covered about half one side of the box. Its color was mostly a vivid light green, with some dull areas of white. Its pattern reminded me of a membrane. I did not get any ill feeling from being exposed to it, but was covering my mouth and nose as I examined it.
Is this a normal feeling from some molds? I’m assuming that something strange is going on, as I would think that you would have to be exposed for longer to get that kind of reaction, but I don’t know what her allegies are. Any advice/suggestions/information about said mold or if it might have severe consequences would be very greatly appreciated.
I can’t offer medical advice, but only an anecdote: Recently, I went into a house that had been shuttered up several years ago to help move stuff; the place was filled with black mold growing on cardboard boxes, walls, etc. I wasn’t in the place for more than a few minutes at a time, but made several trips in and out. About the third trip in, I had to go outside to cough and retch for quite a while, and ended up extremely nauseous. I had a headache the rest of the day and ultimately had to lay down. I often get this kind of thing when I’m around mold. I’ve always assumed it was an allergy. The symptoms sound somewhat similar. But the mold I was exposed to was definitely black and vaguely furry, not like what you’re describing.
Some moulds certainly do produce toxins that can trigger nasty symptoms. The one I immediately thought of was black mould (Stachybotrys), but that’s… well, black/greenish, rather than green/white.
Nasty black mould symptoms from a fairly unscientific-looking site:
Don’t panic. I didn’t see your mold, nor am I a mycologist.
Among the most dangerous molds for brief exposure is Aspergillus, which matches your description. When I was in med school, they wouldn’t even let us open the Petri dish containing the samples. We were told that, some years ago, a stuent had taken a sniff and developed an aspergilloma (“fungus ball” in the lungs). Now I’ll concede that this may just be a school legend, or an overreaction due to one bad experience, but we did handle quite dangerous pathogens in that course -even that day- and I’d taken prior microbiology courses without ever recieving a warning like this. Botulism, plague, tuberculosis, you name it - we were simply told the safe handling procedures and expected to follow them.
I’ve seen aspergillosis in patients, even in previously healthy young people, after renovations, demolitions, and even fairly casual exposures. It’s uncommon, but it’s possible. If you search the web for this mold, you’ll find many sites with pictures and advice. I don’t know what ad vice to give, except remember this exposure, and if symptoms persist or develop, tell your physician about it. Aspergillus can infect in many different ways, especially in vulnerable individuals: it can produce a limited or chronic allegic-type response, a fungus ball in the lungs, a disseminated systemic disease, local infection via a cut, etc.
I just wanted you to be informed, and give you the name “Aspergillus” for your own information. While “Black mold” (of several types) is a legitmate concern (My insurannce company paid to have my entire basement stripped and renovated, when a plumber found two one-foot patches in the ceiling), it is very trendy and “new” (e.g. its effects were almost unknown and unexplored 20 years ago). Aspergillosis, on the other hand, has been known for a century - maybe several.
To me her symptoms sound more like a histamine reaction (ie allergic reaction) than poisoning. If she’s no better the next day (or has any serious symptom like shortness of breath) take her to a medico.
Yes, I agree, and I meant to emphasize that. It is most likely a limited allergy-like reaction, not an infection. I just wanted them to keep their eyes open. To be honest, it’s usually not possible to diagnose most forms definitively in the first few weeks or months via lab tests anyway, but a certain degree of informed suspicion can help.
The thing is, when she moved that box, she probably disturbed a large number of spores, which may have triggered a reaction. By the time you got to the box, the spores may have disappated. Thus, she had symptoms and you did not.
I agree, this is probably transitory, but if she develops any flu/cold like symptoms or anything strange comes up do have her see a doctor and mention exposure to mold and a flooded basement.
Just be careful. If it’s an allergic reaction, there’s probably no permanent harm. However, some of these mold issues do lead to lifelong medical problems in some cases. That’s with chronic exposure, of course, but it wouldn’t hurt to be pretty careful here. Don’t, for example, pick up the box and give the mold a big sniff to see what it smells like.
Molds are just small fungus plants. Fungus plants are often very poisonous - that’s why you don’t want to eat random mushrooms you’ve picked. If you consume unknown molds, even if just by breathing their spores, you could get poisoned.