Mold In The House Increases Infant Asthma Risk

If you have a new baby in the house, make sure your house is mold-free. Research suggests that infants exposed to mold are more likely to develop asthma.

Researchers at the University of Cincinnatiidentified three types of mold that are especially harmful — all of which occur in homes with water damage. Their findings are published in the August 2012 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

“This is strong evidence that indoor mold contributed to asthma development and this stresses the urgent need for remediating water damage in homes, particularly in lower income, urban areas where this is a common issue,” says lead author Riina Reponen, Ph.D. “Therapeutics for asthma may be more efficient if targeted toward specific mold species.”