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Extremely high mold count reported for the Midwest

The Midwest is experiencing a “dangerous air quality alert” this week because of an extremely high mold count, according to a press release.

“[The] mold count is the highest in the 2014 recording season,” Joseph Leija, MD, an allergist who performs the Gottlieb Allergy Count, the official count of the Midwest, said in the release. “The mold count was 53,000 [on Aug. 12], well over the 50,000 threshold that triggers the high alert warning.”

Joseph Leija

He reported a low allergy count for trees and moderate count for weeds. Typical pollen seasons are mid-August to October for weeds and ragweed and all season long for mold, depending on damp conditions, the release stated.

“Tightening in the chest and extreme difficulty breathing is what those with mold allergies will endure,” Leija said in the release.

Despite temperatures that are in the 60s and “extremely mild and breezy for August,” Leija encouraged people with allergies to “keep the windows closed and run the air conditioner to filter out allergens.”

The spike in mold spores came about due to recent warm, humid weather, according to the release.

Leija collects samples at the Gottlieb Memorial Hospital campus, located near Chicago, each morning in a pollen-catching machine that records air particles every 2 minutes during a 24-hour period. An algorithm is used to determine the official allergy count.