

Ireland’s Great Potato Famine was also the result of mold. In 1845, the population of Ireland was approximately 8 million people, of which half were enormously dependent upon potatoes as a food source. An extended rainy season, which lasted from May 1845 until March 1846 provided the ideal conditions for a huge mold infestation. The mold grew on the leaves of the potato plants causing them to rot. Within weeks, fields of diseased potatoes covered the entire country. The resulting financial collapse and starvation wiped out nearly half the population of Ireland.
Mold is also believed to be responsible for the deaths of the archaeologists who have opened some of the ancient tombs in Egypt and other parts of the world. While you may think that mold remediation and monitoring indoor air quality are 20th century ideas, toxic molds have been impacting human life for longer than anyone can say for sure.