A mold-related condition not recognized by the medical community has, for years, persisted online. The often self-diagnosed commentary around “toxic mold syndrome” has attracted pseudo-medical experts and defense attorneys aiming to capitalize on fears that mold exposure is causing a cadre of symptoms where the treatments pitched could be worse than the actual ailment.
“Toxic mold syndrome” entered the national consciousness from people sharing stories on Instagram, TikTok and Reddit about how they recently moved into a home and are “suddenly” ill. The videos typically contain images of rashes, red eyes, complaints about headaches or brain fogs and claims their doctors ignored the signs.
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The posts often accompany affiliate links or encourage users to sign up for “detox protocols” or to buy products they promise will resolve symptoms.
Doctors Christopher Chang and M. Eric Gershwin with the University of California-Davis Health wrote in a 2019 review that the illness isn’t recognized by the medical community, and that science doesn’t support mold causing the wide range of symptoms people claimed to experience.
“In fact, there is no evidence that the presence of mycotoxins in the air is enough to cause any disease known to man,” they wrote. “Molds legitimately can cause allergies and can be a trigger for asthma.”
The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology has said that fungi grow in humid environments and can be found on foods, in medicine and in homes. It has a variety of uses, but the forms that could cause an illness are Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium and Penicillium. Mold allergies aren’t new. Many people are allergic to Penicillium, the fungus used to create penicillin.
An allergic response to mold could involve sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose and congestion, to name a few. People who said they contracted “toxic mold syndrome” have argued the symptoms are more psychological.
“When you hear people talking about toxic mold syndrome, or that you have mold exposure and it’s leading to all of these non-specific multisystemic effects,” said Dr. Zachary Rubin, a Chicago-based pediatric immunologist and allergist, on Instagram. “There’s really not a lot of credible scientific evidence to support that this is actually happening.”
Rubin added that studies on mold exposure are limited and often draw conclusions based on at-home tests where people complained of adverse health effects but don’t have comparative results to those with no symptoms and similar exposure levels.
Ignorance about the illness has created an environment where people suffering from symptoms will order non-FDA-approved tests that could say someone was exposed, leading them to take medications and supplements that could harm their bodies, Rubin added. It’s also allowed for law firms to secure millions of dollars in settlements with landlords and home builders.
“We certainly know that living in a damp indoor space can be potentially detrimental for your health,” he said, “but the idea of toxic mold is controversial, and there’s a lot that needs to be done to even figure out what’s going on there.”
Prolonged exposure to mold can affect a person’s health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it can cause respiratory symptoms and infections, worsen asthma or create hypersensitivity pneumonitis, an immune system disorder.
Mold draws some to litigation
Past class action lawsuits on mold-infested homes or apartments have netted renters or homeowners multi-million dollar payouts since 2003, with a South Florida family securing a $48 million settlement in 2021 after falling ill due to toxic mold, according to SanAir Technologies, an environmental testing company.
Builders caught in litigation include Lennar Homes and D.R. Horton. A Facebook group has been dedicated to claims against D.R. Horton, with users writing they’re “constantly sick ever since moving in.”
“I also have had people stay the night and they have left feeling sick and congested,” Nora Nichols wrote in the Facebook group. “Clogged ears, sore throat. Nose is stuffy.”
Texas-based influencer Ashley “Mold Girl” Frazier sued Lennar after learning her new-build home had humidity and moisture issues causing mold to grow. She filed the lawsuit after Lennar Homes pushed back against independent inspections. Frazier refocused her TikTok and Instagram on the litigation and people’s experiences living with mold.
One inspection Frazier contracted revealed she had two million mold spores in her master bathroom, kitchen sink cabinet and around the second and third bedrooms.
“Following lab analysis of the air samples taken during her inspection, Linda Lauver sent a letter to plaintiff advising her that the home was uninhabitable due to the elevated levels of mold spores detected,” according to the lawsuit.
Frazier has said on her social media that her family lived in the home for less than two years before problems arose. The lawsuit entered abatement in October 2024, pending any mediation Frazier reaches with Lennar. She wrote on Instagram Monday that she’s still not in her home and is paying for it.
Law firms like Murphy Law in Louisiana and Abkarian Law Group in California have webpages set up to build a lawsuit class against homebuilders. The Abkarian Law Group bills itself as “The Mold Attorney,” with a page on how to gather evidence for a tort lawsuit relating to mold exposure.
Unverified tests, medications
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, mold testing is complex and limited in scope. It doesn’t recommend that people use results to judge whether fungi caused their illnesses.
The department added that various methods exist to identify particles in the air, dust or on porous surfaces and furniture. Tests won’t always be suitable to identify the exact type of mold present, reproduce the environment mold was found in or give only snapshots of the sample’s culture at a specific point in time.
“Whether health effects will occur depends, for each person, on how much mold gets into their body, the amount and potency of various substances that the mold mixture can contain, and the unique susceptibility of each person to the effects of these substances,” the department said. “Unfortunately, mold tests alone will not determine if a specific problem environment is causing a person’s complaints.”
One company offering tests and treatments is MoldCo, which sells mold tests and prescription treatments starting at $79 a month. The company doesn’t list the medications or supplements that it offers to people it determines are infected. Ariana Thacker, a venture capitalist, started MoldCo in 2023 following a health scare she attributed to mold, according to Fierce Healthcare.
Chang and Gershwin discredited the treatments companies like MoldCo promote and said it contributes more to people’s misunderstanding of health.
“All that these tests that are being performed by laboratories of disrepute does is to further propagate misinformation and inflict unnecessary and often exorbitant costs on patients desperate for a clinical diagnosis, right or wrong, for their constellation of maladies,” they wrote.
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