Athlone students' work warns of hidden dangers of mould in homes

Three students from Our Lady’s Bower in Athlone – Annamarie Mullan, Aideen Derwin, and Bláithín Moran – tackled a pressing household issue: the dangers of mould, even designing a device aimed at alerting homeowners to this hidden threat.

Their project, 'The Mould Busters', was the winner of the intermediate group section of the Technology category at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibitin.

The team shared their findings and recommendations on managing mould growth, particularly in Ireland's damp climate.

Annamarie explained that her project was inspired by a personal connection.

“My sister has asthma, and I wanted to understand what was affecting the mould in my room,” she said.

Her research led to a surprising discovery: extended window ventilation could exacerbate mould growth.

“I used to leave my windows open for six hours a day, but we found that this made the room too cold, increasing relative humidity. Now, I open them for just one hour and turn the heating on more often to control mould growth.”

Aideen highlighted how Ireland’s climate contributes to the problem.

“Our cold, damp weather creates ideal conditions for mould,” she explained.

“Factors like relative humidity, temperature, CO, and light levels all play a role, but high humidity is particularly common in Ireland, driving mould growth.”

Bláithín emphasised the health risks associated with excessive mould.

“Mould releases toxins called mycotoxins, which can be inhaled through the air.

“These toxins can be allergenic, pathogenic, or toxigenic. Toxigenic moulds are dangerous even for healthy individuals, but they pose a severe risk to people with compromised immune systems,” she said.