Anyone who has lived in the South long enough has seen black mold. It is one of the most common household irritants just in front of possums, trash bandits, toilet snakes, and those damn critters that won't move out of your meemaw's attic. Normally an unhealthy amount of bleach, ammonia, or other cheap cleaner is enough to get rid of it if you scrub hard enough, and if you bother to cover your house in the little dehumidifiers they sell at your local dollar store it likely won't come back.
Sometimes though that black mold makes its way into the soil and from there it finds a crack in your foundation or into the pipes beneath your house. No amount of scrubbing can get rid of it once it's there, and that's when the trouble really starts. If you thought Black Lung from coal dust was bad, just wait until you see what happens when those black spots aren't from coal.

Transmission & Vectors

Transmission is almost wholly airborne but can also be transmitted through water or contaminated foods.

Causes

All black mold is caused by persistent dampness in areas where mold growth can be facilitated. This means most housing materials including paint, carpet, and insulation.

Symptoms

Physical symptomology includes: sneezing, stuffy nose, shortness of breath, rash, itchiness, fever, general fatigue, hives, wheezing, and red or itchy eyes, or skin.

Prognosis

Most people who have access to regular black mold can recover with access to regular allergy medication, but when this exposure leads to an upper respiratory tract infection often further medical intervention is necessary.

Type

Fungal

Children

• Magical Black Mold

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Common

Affected Species

• Human