Mold Facts from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

1. Mold has been documented as being present on household dust, since this can be used as a food source; maintaining clean household standards can ameliorate this.
2. Certain molds have been documented as producing mycotoxins, which have shown the potential to create health hazards. These types of molds include, but aren’t limited to: Stachybotrys chartarum, Aspergillus versicolor, Fusarium verticillioides, Penicillium aurantiogriseum.
3. Stachybotrys mold (referred to colloquially as ‘black mold’) generally requires a high water profile to thrive, so properties with a continuous water issue can be highly susceptible to this mold.
4. As the availability of moisture changes i.e. from light moisture to heavy moisture, it has been noted that the predominant species of mold changes. For example, in areas with light moisture, one may expect to find Cladosporium mold, but with a heavier moisture flow, Stachybotrys could develop and become the predominant mold species.
5. Mold(s) are typically considered saprophytes, which means they feed on dead organic matter (substrates such as drywall).

 
Facts taken from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Healthy Homes Issues: Mold. Version 3
March 2006