Can mold exposure act as a neurotoxin and precipitate seizures?

Mold and Seizures: Evidence-Based Assessment

No, mold exposure is not established as a neurotoxin that causes seizures, and there is insufficient evidence to support this association in clinical practice. 1, 2, 3

Established Health Effects of Mold

The American Academy of Pediatrics has conducted comprehensive reviews and identifies only specific, well-documented health effects from mold exposure 1, 2:

• Respiratory manifestations are the primary and most clinically significant effects, including allergic rhinitis, asthma exacerbations, cough, wheezing, and nasal congestion 2, 3
• Mucous membrane irritation affecting eyes, nose, and throat occurs in both sensitized and non-sensitized individuals 2, 3
• Rare allergic conditions such as allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, allergic fungal sinusitis, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis can occur 3

Neurological Claims: What the Evidence Shows

The Institute of Medicine conducted a systematic review and reached a critical conclusion 1:

• No conclusions could be drawn for an association with neuropsychiatric symptoms due to insufficient evidence 1
• The American Academy of Pediatrics explicitly states there is no validated method to test humans for toxigenic mold exposure 3, 4

Conflicting Lower-Quality Evidence

While some observational studies suggest neurological symptoms from mold exposure 5, 6, these suffer from significant methodological limitations:

• A 2003 study reported neurological dysfunction in 70% of 100 patients exposed to mold, including memory loss and abnormal brain scans 6
• However, a contemporaneous systematic review in Clinical Microbiology Reviews found that studies on Stachybotrys and serious illness "nearly uniformly suffer from significant methodological flaws, making their findings inconclusive" 7
• Review articles mention mycotoxins can cause neurological signs and symptoms 8, 5, but these are primarily case series and opinion pieces without rigorous epidemiological support

Specific Answer Regarding Seizures

There is no evidence in the medical literature establishing mold exposure as a cause of seizures 1, 2, 3:

• Seizures are not listed among the established health effects in American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines 1, 2, 3
• The Institute of Medicine review found insufficient evidence even for general neuropsychiatric symptoms, let alone specific conditions like seizures 1
• When mycotoxins are ingested (not inhaled) in agricultural settings, they can affect the central nervous system, but this represents a completely different exposure route and context 1

Clinical Approach When Patients Report Neurological Symptoms

If a patient reports neurological symptoms including seizures in a mold-contaminated environment 3:

• Evaluate for established mold-related respiratory conditions first (allergic rhinitis, asthma, sinusitis) through focused history, physical examination, and allergy testing via skin prick testing or specific IgE to mold allergens 3
• Investigate alternative etiologies and do not attribute neurological symptoms to mold without ruling out primary neurological disorders 3
• Address the environment regardless through moisture control and mold remediation, as mold causes documented respiratory harm 3

Critical Pitfalls to Avoid

• Do not order mycotoxin testing in blood or urine, as these tests are not standardized for clinical use and there is no validated method to test humans for toxigenic mold exposure 3, 4
• Do not delay investigation of serious neurological symptoms by attributing them to mold exposure, as this may miss life-threatening conditions 3
• Do not assume causation based on temporal association alone without ruling out other established causes of seizures 3

Environmental Remediation (Regardless of Neurological Symptoms)

Since mold causes established respiratory harm, remediation should proceed 2, 3, 4:

• Clean water damage within 24 hours to prevent mold amplification 3, 4
• Maintain indoor humidity below 50% using dehumidifiers 2, 4
• For areas >10 ft² or HVAC involvement, hire professional remediators following EPA guidelines 4
• Discard all porous materials, as mold cannot be adequately removed from these surfaces 4