Moldy Claims
Toxicity
Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds
A growing colony of mold produces many chemical substances. Some of these easily evaporate into the air and are called “microbial volatile organic compounds.” These chemicals are responsible for the musty, disagreeable odor associated with mold growth. Microbial volatile organic compounds become toxic at concentrations far higher than are found in moldy homes, offices, or schools, but their odor is both apparent and disagreeable at very low concentrations. Microbial volatile organic compounds soon dissipate when mold growth ceases. See Flannigan and Miller, supra note 11; Kaminski, E. et al., Volatile flavor compounds produced by molds of Aspergillus, PennicilliumPenicillium, and Fungi imperfecti, Appl. Microbiol. 27(6): 1001-1004 (1974).
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