MOUNT VERNON, OH – Growing concerns about the health effects of mold exposure have been featured in headlines and news stories across the country, according to Mount Vernon News.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), mold spores continually waft through the indoor and outdoor air.
When they land on wood, paper, carpet, drywall or any other damp area, they begin to reproduce rapidly and, to survive, digest whatever substrate on which they are growing, the article noted.
Jim Fridrich, a sanitarian with the environmental health division at the Knox County Health Department
, said exposure to mold, which is a fungus, can lead to hayfever-like symptoms in sensitive people.
Fridrich said another reason mold is becoming a more frequent problem is the lack of ventilation in homes today.
"We spend a lot of time trying to make our homes insulated and energy efficient," Fridrich said.