Molds

Molds occur more often in everyday life. For example, they can be on fruit and vegetables or on ceilings and walls. Because the microorganisms can be harmful to health, it is important to remove them quickly.

What are molds?

Molds are just as mushrooms as mushrooms or other edible mushrooms. However, they are much smaller. Ultimately, the mold consists of a network of fine loops that are reminiscent of roots. The individual threads are called hyphae. The mycelium is the actual mold. The mycelium consists of all hyphae. It cannot be seen with the naked eye, represents the network of roots of the fungus and can sit both within and on materials.

Occurrence, Distribution & Properties

The term mold includes various microorganisms that pull typical fungal spores and threads. A total of about 100,000 different species have been described. However, scientists believe the number is far higher. It is estimated that 250,000 molds will colonize the earth.

Mold can spread on all materials: on surfaces, floors, food, plants, dead wood or in the bathroom. In nature, molds do useful jobs. For example, they chop up rotten tree trunks in forests, making space for new plants. The fungus is able to completely attack and decompose many materials. Ultimately, the mold only needs an organic basis in order to multiply. However, this is found in far more objects than just food. This also includes, for example, wallpaper, paper, leather, fabrics, lacquers, PVC or paste. Fungi need carbon to survive. They withdraw this from the materials that attack them.

While the actual fungus is not directly visible to the human eye, it is the fruiting bodies that it forms. With the help of the fruiting body, the mold wants to multiply. As a rule, mold can be recognized by black, dark brown or green spots. These appear wherever the spores have managed to establish themselves. Because the actual distribution takes place via the spores. These are mostly transported by air. Since the spores are heavier than air, they slide to the ground when there is no wind. As soon as the spores settle on materials that are suitable for their reproduction, further mold spots can be observed after a while. Mold spores can be found almost anywhere. They already occur in nature. In summer around 3000 spores can be detected per cubic meter, in winter there are still 50.

Molds prefer a humidity of 90 percent. However, they can also develop at a lower humidity. An extreme condition is 60 percent. In the best case, the temperature is between 20 and 30 ° C. They also manage to spread at 0 to 45 ° C. However, such an environment does not correspond to an optimal situation from the point of view of the fungus.

The mold does not need light to grow. Overall, the demands of a mold are therefore rather low. Accordingly, you should keep an eye on the humidity and temperature in your own home as well as all food.

Illnesses & ailments

Mold spores are problematic in closed rooms because the concentration increases significantly here. Accordingly, people in whose apartments there is mold on the walls or ceilings absorb an above-average amount of mold. Serious health consequences cannot be ruled out.

Mold spores are usually so small that they can easily enter the body, for example through breathing. Many of the spores are less than 10µ in size on average. Molds can put a lot of strain on and impair the human body.

They get into the organism in different ways. On the one hand they can be inhaled, on the other hand they spread through the absorption of moldy food in the gastrointestinal tract. Typically, molds have an increased effect on internal organs.

Their metabolic products are particularly problematic. Mushrooms produce toxins that can result in cancer and liver damage. In addition, they promote the development of an allergy. Substances that can be found on the surface of the fungus are responsible for an allergic reaction. It is a so-called enolase. A fungus usually has different enolases. This can sometimes make it difficult to attribute the physical reactions to a mold. As soon as the body develops an allergy to a mold, the symptoms usually occur wherever the fungus is present.

Overall, mold causes various symptoms. These include, for example, gastrointestinal complaints, coughs, runny nose, conjunctivitis, asthma, skin changes, migraines or joint problems. If the mold has been eaten, stomach ache sometimes manifests itself. Therefore, food with mold stains should always be disposed of. Most of the time, cutting away is not enough. After all, the spores, i.e. the visible part, indicate that the fungus has already succeeded in infecting the entire food. The formation of spores is an indication that the fungus needs new food to survive.

In addition, it is important that an infected wallpaper or wall is adequately treated. Otherwise, the symptoms described can make themselves felt.