By the way, doctor: Do mold spores cause lung cancer?

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

By the way, doctor: Do mold spores cause lung cancer?

By the way, doctor

Do mold spores cause lung cancer?

Q. An article on lung cancer mentioned “certain other airborne substances” as risk factors. What about mold spores?

A. Your question is a good one. Mold or fungal spores can cause certain lung disorders, including infections (pneumonia), allergic reactions (rhinitis or asthma), and reactions in which the body’s immune system attacks lung cells, causing inflammation (pneumonitis). Mold spores also produce toxins (mycotoxins) that can affect the lungs, skin, and nervous system. But we have no definitive evidence linking them to specific diseases — and no evidence that mold spores cause lung cancer.

Exposure to tobacco smoke is the biggest risk factor for lung cancer. Others include a prior lung disease (such as emphysema), a chronic inflammatory condition (such as tuberculosis), or a close family member with lung cancer. Airborne particles apart from cigarette smoke account for a much smaller proportion of lung cancers. Asbestos fibers pose a risk, especially if you smoke. Many homes and commercial buildings still contain asbestos, although it’s not harmful unless it’s released into the air by deterioration or demolition. Another hazard is radon, a by-product of uranium breakdown; it may be found at high levels inside houses built on soil containing natural uranium deposits.

Most of the other airborne substances linked to lung cancer (for example, silica, mineral dusts, coal dust, arsenic, and diesel exhaust) do their damage through chronic exposure in industrial work settings. Two large studies have shown a link between particulate air pollution in large cities and risk for lung cancer. But air pollution is a complex mixture of gases and particles, and we don’t know precisely which ones are to blame.

There are many health reasons to get rid of mold in the home, but an increased risk for lung cancer probably isn’t one of them.

— Celeste Robb-Nicholson, M.D. Editor in Chief, Harvard Women’s Health Watch

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Last updated:	August 21, 2006

Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

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