More Mold In The Air Is Bad News For Allergy Sufferers
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's not spring pollen season. It's not fall ragweed season. If you're sneezing and stuffy right now, it could be mold allergies.
"I would say it's one of the top. It's up there," says Dr. James Deangelo, of Allergy and Immunology Associates.
Outdoors, mold is in hay, straw, grass and leaves. But it's indoors, too.
"You can see it growing, for example on a tree bark, or perhaps see it indoors growing on the walls. It will be black, green, different colors," Dr. Deangelo points out.
The allergy is from what you can't see - the mold spores. So small you can't see them, but you inhale them.
"If you have a very hot rainy day, and right after the rain you feel that nasal congestion," he describes.
Counts are typically high this time of year. And they will stay high until the first frost in the fall.
The rain and heat make for humid conditions, and mold thrives.
To control mold allergies, the best strategy is to keep humidity levels low. So run the air conditioner, and keep sources of moisture, like wet carpets, out of the house.
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