Mold and Hair Loss

On August 17, 2007 we had rain damage to the inside of our new home. We have lived here for 4 months. The rain caused damage in the bedroom were my daughter sleeps. She is an asthmatic and has severe ezcema she has battled this for several years. We have a small area of mold on the ceiling in this room from the rain damage. We have been waiting on the builder to repair this area for 4 weeks now. 1 week after the mold appeared my daugther started loosing her hair after several trips to the Dr. and specialist they determained our daughter has alopecia areata. I’am wondering if there could be any association between the mold and her hair loss.

Thank You

Black mold can make a person sick, and any sickness has the potential to cause hair loss. Molds in walls need to be treated and your daughter should not live in her room until you determine that it is mold free. You might put a dehumidifier in the room to dry it up. If there is a water problem which might promote mold growth, a great deal of water will become apparent in what you collect each day.

For more info on mold, see:

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Mold Resources