More than just dirt: can mold in the home endanger our lives?
Familiar black mold spots on walls and ceilings often cause concern. Professor Eitan Friedman clarifies whether mold in a domestic setting truly poses a health risk.
The familiar black spots — mold lesions appearing on ceilings, shower walls, or inside cabinets — raise concerns for many. The question of whether they pose a real health risk troubles quite a few Israelis. To clarify the issue and separate myth from reality, Professor Eitan Friedman, director of the Genetic Institute for Early Detection at Assuta Ramat Hayal, shared recent findings in the field.
A study recently published by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in the United States examined just under 1,000 patients hospitalized primarily during the COVID-19 period across four separate hospitals. Among those examined, about 46% indeed suffered from an infection caused by the Aspergillus fungus — a type of mold.
However, Professor Friedman emphasizes that there is no real reason for public panic.
"This is not about exposure to mold for people in their homes, but about people who were hospitalized during a certain period, mainly in intensive care units. People whose immune systems are functioning properly should not be afraid of mold. Certainly not in their homes."
He explains that for healthy individuals, mold may trigger allergic reactions or asthma, but it does not cause serious fungal infections. He reiterates that "not all mold poses a real risk to healthy people who are not hospitalized." Therefore, the recommendation is to treat the problem with responsibility and a desire to improve quality of life, rather than out of anxiety regarding a fatal infection.
