The Neurocognitive Effects of Mold Exposure and Why Behavior Changes Matter

garzaj25
Dec 28, 2025
5 min read

Updated: Jan 4

Mold exposure is often discussed in terms of respiratory symptoms, allergies, or asthma. Far less attention is given to its effects on the brain and nervous system, despite growing evidence that mold and mycotoxin exposure can significantly impair neurocognitive functioning and influence behavior. In environments such as schools, workplaces, and homes, these effects can have serious implications for learning, emotional regulation, and safety.

How Mold Affects the Brain

Certain molds produce mycotoxins, toxic compounds that can cross the blood–brain barrier. Once in the central nervous system, these toxins may trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruption of neurotransmitter signaling. Research has linked chronic mold exposure to impairments in:

Attention and concentration
Memory and information processing
Executive functioning (planning, impulse control, decision-making)
Sleep regulation

These cognitive disruptions can occur even in individuals without obvious respiratory symptoms, making mold-related neurocognitive effects easy to overlook or misattribute.

Behavioral and Emotional Impacts

Neurocognitive impairment does not occur in isolation, it often presents through changes in behavior. Individuals exposed to mold may experience:

Increased irritability or emotional volatility
Heightened anxiety or depressive symptoms
Reduced stress tolerance
Impulsivity or difficulty regulating emotions
Behavioral regression in children

In school-aged populations, these symptoms may be misinterpreted as disciplinary issues, learning disabilities, or behavioral disorders, rather than signs of an underlying environmental health concern.

Implications for Children and Learning Environments

Children are particularly vulnerable to mold-related neurocognitive effects due to their developing brains and higher exposure relative to body size. In school settings, mold exposure has been associated with:

Declines in academic performance
Increased behavioral referrals
Difficulty with peer relationships
Fatigue and absenteeism

When multiple students or staff experience similar cognitive or behavioral changes, mold contamination should be considered as a potential contributing factor, not merely an environmental maintenance issue, but a public health and public safety concern.

Mold, Stress, and the Pathway to Dysregulation

Chronic exposure to environmental stressors like mold places continuous strain on the nervous system. Over time, this can impair emotional regulation and adaptive coping skills. In high-stress environments, such as schools already managing trauma, violence prevention, or mental health challenges, mold exposure may further exacerbate dysregulation and conflict.

From a behavioral threat assessment and prevention perspective, unexplained changes in mood, cognition, or behavior should prompt a holistic review, including environmental factors, rather than focusing solely on individual pathology.

Why This Matters for Prevention and Safety

Public health alerts regarding mold contamination in schools underscore the need for early identification and remediation. Addressing mold exposure is not only about air quality, it is about protecting cognitive health, supporting emotional stability, and maintaining safe, functional learning and work environments.

Integrating environmental health awareness into school safety planning, behavioral assessments, and wellness initiatives can help prevent misdiagnosis, reduce unnecessary disciplinary actions, and promote healthier outcomes for students and staff alike.

Mold in Schools: A Growing Public Health and Safety Crisis

Across the United States, reports from parents, students, and school districts underscore a troubling pattern: mold contamination in school buildings is increasingly disrupting education, endangering health, and raising serious safety concerns. Recent news from Virginia, Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois demonstrates that mold isn’t just a building maintenance issue, it’s a community health and safety issue that demands urgent attention.

When Students Take Action: Virginia Youth Speak Out

In Alexandria, Virginia, a group of 12- and 13-year-old students uncovered widespread mold in their school’s classrooms and hallways—where runny noses, coughing, and headaches were common among peers. After collecting samples and confirming contamination in 15 classrooms, they organized a petition calling for policy changes to ensure healthier school environments. Their advocacy highlights how mold exposure isn’t just uncomfortable—it can interfere with learning and wellbeing, motivating students to demand safer school conditions.

Mold Delays School Openings: Michigan Districts Prioritize Safety

Further north in Michigan, mold and moisture issues led to the delayed start of the school year for students in both Saline and Dundee Community Schools. High humidity over the summer resulted in mold and mildew inside classroom environments, prompting the closure of parts of school buildings and professional remediation before students could safely return. This disruption of the academic calendar underscores how mold contamination can create safety concerns significant enough to halt normal school operations.

Parents Link Mold to Children’s Health Issues: Illinois Cases Bring Attention

In the suburbs of Chicago, parents of students at Woodlawn Middle School in Long Grove connected their children’s chronic health problems to mold exposure in their school. Families reported symptoms ranging from dizziness and headaches to neurological issues, and medical tests reportedly showed evidence of mold toxicity. After moving their children to other schools, parents said symptoms disappeared—though the school district maintained that its own testing showed no concerning mold levels. Still, these families continue to call for more rigorous air quality testing, HVAC remediation, and transparency.

Closure of Residence Hall Resulting in Lawsuits: Inadequate Prevention and Response

A university in Ohio temporarily removed a major residence hall from use after significant mold and fungal growth was discovered in late 2024 following water intrusion. The university ordered all students living in the building to vacate and relocated roughly 500 residents, effectively closing the dorm for at least one academic term while remediation and testing were conducted. The incident drew public attention after reports of visible mold and mushrooms growing inside the building, raised health and safety concerns among students and parents, and led to multiple lawsuits alleging inadequate prevention and response. The broader campus remained open, but the closure of the residence hall underscored how mold contamination can force sudden operational shutdowns in large institutions.

Why This Matters for Public Health

Mold exposure is known to cause a range of health effects, particularly for those with allergies or asthma, but also for individuals without obvious sensitivities. Symptoms can include irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, fatigue, headaches, and more severe reactions in susceptible individuals. In schools, where children spend many hours per day, poor indoor air quality can directly affect the health, comfort, and academic performance of students and staff alike.

Even when symptoms are less dramatic, chronic exposure can contribute to greater absenteeism, decreased concentration, and persistent health complaints that strain families and school resources.

Public Safety Beyond Health Symptoms

Recognizing the neurocognitive and behavioral effects of mold exposure shifts the conversation from “building maintenance” to brain health and prevention. Schools and organizations that take a proactive, multidisciplinary approach, combining environmental monitoring, health screening, and behavioral awareness, are better positioned to protect both learning and safety.

When behavior changes appear sudden, widespread, or unexplained, it may be time to look beyond the individual, and into the environment itself.

Health, Safety, and Policy

Addressing mold contamination requires action at multiple levels:

Improved facility maintenance and environmental monitoring to prevent moisture buildup and mold growth.
Transparent and scientifically robust air quality testing, including specialized testing for problematic mold and mycotoxins when appropriate.
Clear public health policies that prioritize wellbeing over minimizing operational disruption.
Community involvement and advocacy
Increased awareness on consumption of foods known to be at higher risk for mold or mycotoxin contamination (e.g., grains, corn, wheat, rice, peanuts, tree nuts).
Promote environmental and biological (Ex: blood and urine) testing for those who might be affected by mold exposure.
Expand available treatment options to include naturopathic physicians (NDs) which are licensed healthcare providers trained in conventional medical sciences and evidence-informed natural therapies, with a strong emphasis on prevention, whole-person care, and addressing root causes of illness rather than symptoms alone.

Mold isn’t a minor nuisance, it’s a public health and safety concern that cuts across health, education, infrastructure, and environmental policy. Recognizing and addressing the risks proactively is essential to protecting the children and adults who spend their days inside these buildings is imperative. Providing treatment for those impacted by mold exposure is essential.