How cheap construction made so many buildings unsafe, why the illness they cause has been dismissed for decades, and the overlooked approaches that allow patients to recover
Story at a Glance:
Mold illness is remarkably common, yet it is routinely missed, as its patients present with a bewildering array of symptoms that rarely fit a recognized diagnosis, and acknowledging it would expose builders, landlords, insurers and schools to almost unlimited liability.
Much of this was avoidable. Modern buildings are sealed tightly, made from materials that feed mold the moment they get wet, and rushed to completion, while far safer alternatives cost only slightly more. Since the builder rarely pays for the mold that follows, a wave of lawsuits now shows this cost is routinely shifted onto the families who move in.
Mold affects people very differently. Some become so sensitive that a brief visit to a moldy building incapacitates them for days, while most people in a damp building never become seriously ill, and the cell danger response explains much of why this happens and why the illness is so often reversible.
Most attempts to remediate homes fail because the repair spreads contamination through the house, and while the most well-known protocol often works, it is too demanding and expensive for many patients.
This article will review how to recognize mold illness, which tests are worth trusting (for both the body and the building), how to find a safe place to live, how to remediate a home in the order that actually works, and the more accessible and economical approaches we have found for addressing each facet of this complex illness (e.g., colonization and sensitization).