What’s your favorite ghost story? We all have them, whether we believe ghosts are real or not. Do any tales spread chills down your spine? Maybe you have a friend who will swear up and down that their house is haunted. They’ll speak of the creaky floorboards, the spontaneous opening and shutting of doors, maybe even the actual sighting of ghosts. When you go over to their house, you can almost convince yourself that you can see what they’re talking about. But what if haunted houses are just moldy houses?
Well, not to ruin the novelty of these stories, but a new study has come out saying that mold exposure could actually cause people to think they’re seeing ghosts.The story of ghosts, once fun and probably fictional, is now transitioning into a real-life nightmare.
We know that toxic molds can have some crazy effects on our brain from our previous blog titled “Mold and Your Brain“. But now, researchers at Clarkson University in New York are studying the hallucinogenic effects of some types of mold, such as the ergot fungus.
The researchers at the university are working with students to assess the air quality in several “haunted” houses to see if they can find a pattern in the genetic material of the mold that would explain the hallucinations. These samples will be compared to buildings that are not known to be haunted so that the researchers can examine the differences between the two.
This comprehensive study will also analyze the hallucinogenic effects on different types of toxic mold in humans.
If this study is successful, the popular TV shows such as “Ghost Hunters” may transition into a more tame “Mold Hunters”.
All jokes aside, this will be an incredibly influential study in getting mold-exposed people the help that they need. Seeing hallucinations in your own home can be incredibly terrifying, and hopefully this study will allow people to know what’s causing these hallucinations and know exactly how to get rid of them — with science, rather than with flashy TV instruments that beep at random.
A household mold infestation is never comfortable or fun. Here at ProCare Restoration, our IICRC certified technicians will test your home for dangerous molds and remediate the problem, as well. Ghost stories are fun, but there is no reason that anyone should have to experience that kind of terror. Call us.
