In short
...Some moulds produce mycotoxins that are harmful to humans
...Some people face auto immune like responses in the presence of mycotoxins. Some people are also incapable of removing mycotoxins from their body
...The health impacts of mould toxicity are varied in both type and severity
...Mould toxicity is an international problem
...It is perfectly possible to recover from mould illness under the right conditions
Who recognises mycotoxins as a health issue?
Over 150,000 people are part of mould illness groups on Facebook
"Mycotoxins are linked to a range of negative health affects"
European Human Biomonitoring initiative
"The main human... burdens of mycotoxin exposure are related to chronic toxicity"
"Certain molds are toxigenic"
"Mycotoxins can cause... a serious health threat to humans"
(This source refers to digestion only, rather than inhalation)
"Molds have the potential to cause health problems"
What is it?
'Mould biotoxin illness', also commonly linked with 'Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome' (CIRS), is a complex issue where the immune system is both unable to clear mould toxins ('mycotoxins') from the body whilst also becoming dysregulated creating a variety of health issues. Due to the presence and inability to clear mycotoxins from the body, symptoms can develop in multiple systems including the liver, skin, gastrointestinal tract, endocrine system, lungs and kidneys, creating a wide variety of symptoms both in type and severity. Mould illness from exposure to mycotoxins is a common and serious condition, yet little is known about it in the current medical system.
The topic of mould illness has gained traction in the UK following the death of 2 year old, Awaab Ishak, and a recent Panorama documentary exposing the extent of mould infested homes in the UK.
Why is it important?
Many people in the UK are at risk or have been exposed to mycotoxins mainly because of flooding or water damage to their home. The Health Security Agency estimates that there are currently c.2 million people living in homes with significant damp or mould. The consequences of living in a home that affects a person's health are serious and often starts a negative cycle that significantly interrupts a persons life and can require intervention from friends and family.
Due to the lack of research, testing and observation, the true scale of the illness is unknown although the Toxic Mould Support Group on Facebook lists 67,000 members with several other splinter groups registering several thousand members each. There is also a more established mould treatment sector in the US that includes testing facilities, clinics, home remediation and more evidenced case law driven by a number of successful lawsuits. Dr. Shoemaker, who has pioneered much of the research in the area, estimates that c.25% of people are genetically susceptible to mould toxicity.
It is important to note that not all people exposed to mycotoxins will become ill, which depends on the person's genetics and current state of their immune system.
What are the affects?
Symptoms can vary significantly from person to person and are driven by a variety of factors such as duration of exposure, the type of mycotoxins in the environment, the genetics and health of the person and other contextual factors. Some people may experience only minor or no symptoms, whilst others can experience more severe symptoms.
For anyone visiting this website and currently suffering from mould illness, I want to say that whilst this information will appear scary, it's important to remember that many people make full recoveries from the myriad illnesses caused by mold toxicity which I experienced myself and today I have never been healthier. There is also a small but very experienced and talented community of professionals, capable of solving complex cases of mould illness.
Example symptoms
Dr. Shoemaker, a leading US based researcher on CIRS, lists the following symptoms on his website:
(Symptoms Of Mold Exposure | Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker - Surviving Mold)
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Fatigue
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Issues regulating body temperature
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Headaches
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Light sensitivity
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Memory impairment
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Joint pain and cramps
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Skin sensitivity
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Confusion
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Excessive thirst
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Blurred vision
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'ice pick' pain
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Numbness
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Diarrhoea
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Disorientation
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Static shocks
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Vertigo
Department of Cell and Molecular biology, Louisiana
(Link to the National Library of Medicine > Mycotoxins - PMC )
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Liver damage and chronic liver disease
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Growth issues in children
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Kidney damage and chronic kidney disease
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Neurotoxicity and associated cognitive issues, dizziness, headaches, nervous system effects
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Gastrointestinal toxicity such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia
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Endocrine disruption from hormone imbalacing estrogen mimicing
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Reproductive toxicity causing infertility, early puberty, menstrual disorders, fetal development issues
(Further detail from this medical article is provided in the 'Research' tab).
Please refer to the research section for more in depth information
Several of the following testimonials are from America, where the mould industry is significantly more mature. Therefore treatment of mould toxicity and CIRS is more common and the testing available to prove the health impacts are more available/ advanced
AJ's epilepsy stopped permanently and scans showed his brain had healed after being removed from exposure to mycotoxins at home and at work
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Working for the family HVAC business, AJ began to experience episodes of Deja Vu and fear. Eventually these became so severe he was experiencing 10-20 a day.
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After consulting a second opinion from 6 neurologists, he was recommended to have brain surgery to remove part of his brain
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Refusing to accept brain surgery, AJ consulted a functional medicine doctor, who's first question was about AJ's line of work in HVAC and tested for mycotoxins which AJ describes as the turning point
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Mould was also discovered to be growing in AJ's home
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After not being exposed to mould at home or at work, AJ's seizures reduced and he began to heal, eventually having his last seizure
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The healing in his brain was later proven by an MRI brain scan
Mark - Break the Mould (UK)
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Mark describes how his life began to unravel after moving into a house in Oxford in 2016
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By 2023, he was experiencing insomnia, depression, anxiety, tinnitus, balance issues, heart pain, memory loss, word finding problems, numbness and a deep inability to cope with everyday life
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After taking some time away, one of his children returned and immediately developed a rash and Mark began to struggle to complete basic tasks. Googling later that night he came across Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS)
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Testing of the house found significant presence of mould with personal tests showing chronic immune activation. After moving from the property Mark has made "significant progress"
"It was like I lost my personality"
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Kimberly, a 47 year old mum from Arizona was forced to stop work after suffering from confusion, insomnia, anxiety, losing 25 pounds and struggling to get dressed in the morning
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Eventually she withdrew from life outside home, after rejecting her doctor's and family suggestion that she had depression and bi polar disorder she insisted on further testing
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Inspectors found 3 different types of mould including Stachybotrys Chartarum (black mould)
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SPECT brain scans showed that Kimberly's brain had swollen from exposure to mould that was limiting blood flow to her pre frontal cortex
There are also some people that live essentially unaffected by mould in their home (although this probably still isn't recommended). Some people also only display minor symptoms
Treatment & recovery
1
Removal from mouldy environments
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The first step to recovery is not being exposed to mouldy environments
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Primarily this means the home and work place (where you spend most of your time)
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This includes mould in carpets, in shower curtains, hiding in cupboards
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Don't panic, as challenging as this seems (particularly if you need to move homes temporarily or remediate your home), there are plenty of resources of people who have suffered the same complexities and over come them. Lean into the community
2
Removal of mycotoxins from the body
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A specific detoxification program should be administered by a professional mould practitioner. Whilst they are in shorty supply in the UK, I have named some on the Industry Support page
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A tailored mould removal program will generally start with testing for what mycotoxins and other fungal or bacterial infections are in your body
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Your practitioner will guide you through a specialised detoxification program which can include enzymes like glutathione, activated charcoal, anti biofilm treatments, phospholipids and more
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There are various other ways of removing mould from the body such as saunas, lymph drainage, and improving general health
3
Rebuilding systems of the body
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Mycotoxins can cause a variety of health issues across various parts of the body, everyone is different and will likely need to work on different things
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This can include strengthening the blood brain barrier, retraining muscles after muscle waste, strengthening gut and nasal bacteria is almost always an important one
What is the state of mould illness in the UK?
Health system
Societal awareness
Laws & regulation
Remediation
Overall rating
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Mould toxicity illness is completely unrecognised by the NHS. There are no testing facilities, no trained practitioners and no treatment facilities
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The UK has a very small pool of specially trained mould toxicity practitioners however they are only accessible privately
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Knowledge of mould toxicity across the UK is extremely limited, although increasing following several deaths and declining living standards across the country
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There are no charity or public bodies dedicated to research or treatment of mould toxicity
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Legal protections against exposure to mycotoxins in the home are minimal and mainly covered by the Homes & Fitness Act 2018 which placed stricter obligations on landlords than in the existing Landlord & Tenant Act 1985
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Awaab's law, effective from October 2025, will significantly strengthen the requirement for social housing landlords to remediate mould in homes within strict timeframes
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However, the ability to enforce these legal rights is difficult in reality, due to poor testing capability in the UK, no agreed standards for remediating mouldy homes, a limited number of remediation firms, and high costs / greater power imbalance in the favour of landlords vs. tenants
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Interestingly, regulation, monitoring and enforcement of mycotoxins in the Food supply chain is extensive and covered by EU directives, testing at ports, monitoring & enforcement from the UK Health Security Agency and the Food Standards Agency
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There are a handful of home remediation companies capable of removing mould and mycotoxins at a professional level
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But unlike America, there is no agreed standard and the industry is unregulated therefore the quality of remediation varies significantly
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Remediation is very expensive, typically costing in the low thousands, and can require structural changes to a building
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