Mold is a special type of fungus made up of many tiny organisms that are practically invisible to us with the naked eye. Meeting almost everywhere, from ancient times she accompanied a person, bringing him both harm and benefit. How harmful is mold and where does it come from? Let's try to understand this issue.
What is mold?
Each of us has seen mold at least once in our lives. Despite the fact that outwardly the mold looks like a spotted multi-colored “something”, if you look at it under a microscope, you can see that it consists of threads with a bunch of balls around. These tiny balls are the spores with which it reproduces. Flying in the air, spores travel to our food, skin, and lungs, causing respiratory and digestive problems.
If so, what about the well-known blue cheeses? Fortunately, molds bring humanity not only harm, but even some benefit. In nature, there are several types of mold that can be eaten. Most often they are used in the preparation of wines, beer, bread, yeast, marbled cheeses and even sausages! Due to the existence of mold in nature, we have various enzymes and antibiotics, among which is the well-known penicillin, which helps in the treatment of many internal diseases.
What is mold for?
As you know, there is nothing superfluous in nature, and molds are no exception. To maintain their vital activity, mushrooms process plant residues, rotting roots and grass, fallen branches and leaves, organic matter of dead organisms, dead insects and animal excrement, that is, they are decomposers - “janitors” of nature. By breaking down dead organic matter, they return carbon compounds to the soil, thereby enriching it. The work carried out by molds on the mineralization and decomposition of various organic compounds plays an important role on the scale of the Earth's biosphere, thereby closing the carbon cycle in nature.
Promotional video:
Why is mold growing?
Coming from the street, we are always not alone in the house: on ourselves and our clothes we bring various types of microorganisms, including mold spores. And naturally, in our homes there is a breeding ground for these spores, which gradually turn into mold. Such a favorable environment can be paper, wood, concrete, stones, fabrics, whitewash, and even indoor flowers. When settling on these surfaces, disputes need another important condition: the presence of high humidity and poor ventilation.
In order to turn into a full-fledged mold, the spores must “attach” to one or another surface and, if the ventilation in the room is poor, and the humidity is high (in this case, a corner in the bathroom or a bag of vegetables can become ideal surfaces for mold formation), then the mold will easily settle there, because all the conditions for growth and subsequent reproduction will be met.
Daria Eletskaya