What Are Mold Spores and Why Are They so Dangerous?
Just as plants produce seeds for reproduction, molds produce tiny spores. These spores are less than 4 microns in size – so small that as many as 250,000 spores can fit on the head of a pin. On the farm, molds tend to grow in stored hay, grain, or silage when moisture content is high (30 percent) and storage areas are poorly ventilated. Mold spores attach themselves to airborne dust particles when farmers move or work with hay, grain, or silage materials in which mold spores have grown. As a result, farmers inhale both dust particles and mold spores. In fact, a farmer can inhale up to 750,000 of these spores per minute. The body has natural defense mechanisms (such as coughing and sneezing) that help prevent dust and other particles from entering the lungs. However, mold spores can often bypass these defenses because of their small size and overwhelming numbers. Mold spores move into, accumulate, and settle into the lower lungs. Since most gas exchange takes place in the lower lungs, t
