Mold is a fungus that exists naturally in and around all structures. The individual mold spore is a microscopic, airborne organism. Collectively, the spores make up a colony; a very visible mass that people commonly identify the mold organism. As the toxic colony lives and grows indoors, it gives off toxins that cause a number of illnesses in the human body. The airborne spores can also pose a potential problem.

Mold toxins and spores enter the body via touch, ingestion, and inhalation. Inside the body, it can cause symptoms that are as minor as sneezing, but also as severe as brain damage. Prolonged exposure to mold does irreversible damage to the body. Usually, the elderly, immune suppressed, young children, and infants are the most susceptible to the ill effects of contamination, even from the briefest exposure.

The illnesses caused by mold toxins and spores are not the only casualty of a mold infestation. The growing colony feeds on materials such carpeting, wallpaper, sheet rock, and anything else that contains cellulose. As it feeds, the mold destroys the structure. Eradicating the mold most often requires replacement of those structures and the extensive cleaning of many others. This is a job for professionals, and can become quite expensive.

Mold infestation is preventable with proper maintenance. Colonies are easily eradicated with remediation, and replacement. Although this can also be a costly process in cases if colonies that have been allowed to grow for a long time. People still suffer from illness due to mold infestations that could have been prevented or should have been eradicated. For these victims, there are personal injury laws and lawyers.

Personal injury attorneys who specialize in mold cases can recover cost and losses that often result from toxic mold exposure. Cause of action for such cases can range from breach of contact to workers compensation claims. In some states, strict liability applies—in which the property owner is liable because he owned the property.

Property owners aren’t the only defendants in such cases. Architects, realtors, material suppliers, insurance companies, and even janitors have been held liable for damages in mold cases. Theses damages include recovery of lost wages, relocation costs, reimbursement of medical and remediation costs, and much more.

Toxic mold attorneys are personal injury attorneys who are very skilled in representing the interests of injured clients. They employ a host of devices such as records research, scientific testing, private investigation, etc. in an effort to make his client whole and to punish those at fault for the contamination. A mold attorney should be consulted as soon as a mold problem is detected.