Is my home making me sick? A calm place to start

Most people who search “is my home making me sick” are already worried. The first thing to know is that worry isn’t the same as danger, and that the evidence on mold is more nuanced than either the alarming headlines or the people who say it’s all in your head.

[TODO: Dr. Dahlgren to review the whole page; mold is not yet in the chemical evidence matrix and needs its own sourcing]

What the research supports

Living in a damp or moldy building is associated with respiratory symptoms such as cough and wheeze, and with asthma, including asthma getting worse in children who already have it. Evidence grade: Established

That finding is about damp buildings as a whole, which includes mold, bacteria, dust mites, and chemicals released from damp materials. It doesn’t pin the effect on one organism.

[TODO: confirm grade and cite the primary sources (e.g. the WHO dampness and mould guidelines)]

Where the picture gets less certain:

• Claims that mold toxins (mycotoxins) cause a wide range of body-wide symptoms in people living in damp homes. Evidence grade: Emerging
• Specific blood or urine tests that claim to prove mold illness. There is no universally accepted biomarker. Evidence grade: Emerging

Saying “emerging” isn’t dismissal. Some people are clearly unwell in a particular building. It means we should be careful about what we claim, and careful about the expensive tests that promise more than they can show.

Signs worth taking seriously

• A visible patch, or a persistent musty smell, especially after a leak or flood
• Water damage that wasn’t dried out quickly
• Symptoms that ease when you’re away from the building for a few days and return when you go back
• Others in the home or workplace with similar symptoms

None of these proves mold is the cause. Together they are a good reason to look closely.

First steps

1. Find and fix the water. Mold needs moisture. A leak, poor ventilation, or condensation is the real problem to solve.
2. Dry out quickly. Wet materials need drying fast after a leak. [TODO: confirm timeframe and cite (EPA guidance)]
3. Be careful with testing. Home kits and one-off air samples are hard to interpret. A qualified inspector who looks at the building, and finds the moisture source, usually tells you more.
4. Bring a specific question to your doctor rather than a diagnosis. “My cough eases when I’m away from home, and we had a leak last spring. What should we check?” gives them something to work with.

Go deeper

The Mold Workbook walks through your home room by room, explains testing and remediation in plain language, and ends with a printable page for your doctor’s visit.