Mold is a blight on public health–but is the cure “profitable”?

Diseases prey on inequality–the inequality of our bodies’ reaction to them and our emotional, psychological, physical and financial ability to deal with them.  They also cause inequality if we’re not able to do so.  Take for example the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19): it was felt by the entire world, but not everyone was affected equally. The pandemic led to the largest global economic crisis since the Great Depression, with 95 percent of countries experiencing a contraction in output in 2020. It is estimated that the pandemic and the associated economic recession have led to an additional 97 million people in extreme poverty in 2020, resulting in the first increase in global poverty in nearly a quarter century (Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2020, Reversals of Fortune). 

Mold is also a force that preys on inequality and causes inequality.   According to Dr. Michael McKee, a a licensed Naturopathic Physician and Acupuncturist,  

• Up to 25 % of people have a genetic predisposition that makes it more difficult for their body to recognize and detoxify mold toxins…different individuals exposed to the same mold burden may have quite different reactions. Some people may not even feel ill at all, while others feel very sick. 

• Of the 21.8 million people with asthma in the US, 4.6 million cases are attributable to mold and dampness in the home. (Berkeley Lab, EPA Studies Confirm Large Public Health And Economic Impact of Dampness and Mold: They estimate that number of asthma cases attributable to exposure in home is 4.6 million, at $3.5 billion annual cost)

• Three out of every four homes in the US have mold and water damage present. At least 45 million buildings in the US have unhealthy levels of mold present (Mold Statistics and Facts)

So here’s the deal with mold: if you are one of the 25% of the genetic predisposition he mentions, and you are exposed to mold (remember 3 out of 4 homes have mold and water damage), your outcome may not be good.  It may be causing asthma or other illnesses.  If you can diagnose your problem and  have the means to deal with it, you may not be as severely affected. Remediation of your home, doctors and test fees and medicine are not financially available to everyone, though.

Is it economically profitable for governments to do something about mold for their citizens?  Yes, it is.  In a study yet to be peer-reviewed, a research team has estimated eradicating mold and dampness in Australian housing could cut health expenditure by A$117 million per million people, and increase income by $174 million. These figures represent 0.5%–2.1% of annual health spending and 0.08%–0.36% of gross domestic product.  It’s also estimated tackling mold and damp could result in an extra 4,190 health-adjusted life years (the number of years a person can expect to live in good health) per million people over 20 years. This is equivalent to about 1.5 healthy days per person. (Eradicating mould would save millions in health-care costs: how our homes affect our health)

Housing is a key determinant of physical health; housing conditions can increase or reduce the risk of problems including respiratory illness, heart disease and injury.  The same article cited that the absence of smoke detectors increases the risk of injuries and deaths, and when the state of New South Wales in Australia made smoke alarms compulsory in all homes in 2006, hospitalisation rates for residential fire injuries decreased by an estimated 36% annually.  

Governments could not only do better in monitoring public housing for mold, but also provide assistance for average homeowners.  We’re thinking that the following conditions should be assessed for every home in the public sector and provide guidelines and assistance for those in the private sector:

• Proper amount and type of insulation for homes in each climate (this study showed that retrofitting home insulation can improve respiratory health outcomes)

• Adequate and safe heating and cooling

• Adequate ventilation and filtration

It’s not hard to see a direct link between general health and presence (or absence) of dampness and mold in a home.  This study upgraded two blocks of flats (apartments) in Glasgow, UK, from being cold, damp and moldy to being comfortably warm, dry and mold-free throughout.  Not surprisingly, systolic and diastolic blood pressures fell very significantly, and there was an improvement in general health as reported subjectively, and reduction in the use of medication and in hospital admissions. In addition, there were markedly reduced expenses on heating costs and other previous expenses.

Although building codes exist, some homes are not designed and constructed well for their climate.  The builder D.R. Horton, a Forbes 500 company, faces many lawsuits from homeowners all over the US for homes that they say were not suited to their climate, producing mold and rot just a few years after their construction.  A typical case was reported near Louisville, Kentucky in this article.  Imagine signing a mortgage on a new home and after moving in, your family starts to have declining health because of mold!  The same thing happens all over the world, in apartments, condos, townhomes, and single-family homes.  However, those who are poor are disproportionately affected because they often can’t move into temporary housing.  A new law in the UK called “Awaab’s Law” was passed after the death of a 2-year old in 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mold in his Rochdale apartment.  The law requires social landlords in England to fix damp and mould within strict timescales. (Why so many UK homes are still dangerously mouldy - years after this toddler died)

Since it took 5 years after the death of the child for a law to come into effect, and because more than a million children in the UK live in damp households currently, building science is a subject that every adult, even renters, should have working knowledge.  When the humidity goes over 60% for an extended period, there is something wrong in your home.  When mold is wiped away and then reappears, there’s something wrong.  When you or a family member have declining health even without visible mold–as this Illinois family who found a large patch of toxic mold behind their sick daughter’s bedroom wall–something’s wrong.  Just as with any other illness, mold affects us unequally and it’s in the best interest of all to help fix all living spaces to make them inhospitable to mold.

Photo by Taylor Vick on Unsplash