A federal roundtable, a GAO report on school closures, and a rise in mold lawsuits all landed within days of each other. Here are the facts behind the headlines, and the steps that lower mold exposure at home.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
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Mold is getting national attention. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) held a Mold Surveillance Roundtable on September 18, 2026, with patients, doctors, and researchers, focused on education, diagnosis, treatment, and better national tracking.1
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The toll is measurable. CDC estimates fungal diseases, including mold infections, are linked to 7,288 U.S. deaths and $19.37 billion in costs each year.2
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Schools are feeling it. Facility problems, including black mold, flooding, and failing HVAC, led about one in five districts to cancel school in 2024-25, costing an estimated 3.5 million days of learning.3
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So are renters and landlords. Mold and habitability lawsuits against apartment owners are climbing, and insurance costs have risen sharply.4
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Fixing mold works. After New York City's public housing authority overhauled how it handles mold, researchers linked the program to nearly 2,800 fewer asthma emergency visits a year.5
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At home, start with moisture, then filter the air. The EPA says the key to mold control is moisture control.6
Why mold is suddenly everywhere in the news
On September 18, 2026, HHS hosted a livestreamed Mold Surveillance Roundtable that brought together patients, physicians, and researchers. The stated goals were better public education, improved diagnosis, new treatment options, and a stronger national system for tracking mold-related illness.7
The national conversation is catching up to what patients and practitioners shared in Austin Air's free Mold Solutions Summit, where more than 15 experts explain how mold affects health and how families can find it, fix it, and recover from it.
The September 18th HHS event, hosted by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., produced two numbers that have since been widely repeated: about 7,300 deaths and roughly $19 billion in annual U.S. costs. Those figures match CDC's own published estimates for the burden of fungal disease: 7,288 deaths a year and $19.37 billion in total national costs.8 One clarification worth making: CDC's estimate covers all fungal diseases, which includes mold infections such as aspergillosis along with other fungi. CDC also notes that the true burden is likely higher, because fungal diseases are underdiagnosed and underreported.9
HHS has also listed mold among the environmental exposures it plans to study as part of its research into rising rates of autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions, alongside food additives, pesticides, and medicines.10 That research is ongoing, and no conclusions have been published.
What also caught our attention was everything that followed the roundtable. Within days, reports from very different corners, including a federal watchdog, local newsrooms, and the commercial real estate press, described the same problem: water gets into aging buildings, mold follows, and people end up breathing it.
Schools: 3.5 million lost days of learning
In September 2026, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a nationwide review of K-12 school facilities. It found that roughly 19% of school districts canceled classes because of facility problems during the 2024-25 school year. That affected an estimated 2 million students and cost about 3.5 million days of learning.11 Nearly half of districts (47%) reported chronic facility problems that regularly disrupted instruction.12
GAO opened its findings with black mold, flooded hallways, plumbing emergencies, and extreme classroom temperatures. The report notes that insufficient ventilation can contribute to mold and mildew, that outdated HVAC systems can leave classrooms stuffy and humid, and that failing roofs let in water that damages ceilings, floors, and electrical systems. At one rural school, investigators photographed black mold growing on the basement walls beneath the classrooms.13 Money is part of the story: about 55% of districts told GAO their facilities budgets were not enough.14
One school, up close
In Nobleboro, Maine, the 1956 wing of Nobleboro Central School has been closed to students since mold was discovered in March 2026, and it remained sealed as school started this fall. Students are learning in the newer part of the building, with some classrooms split by dividers. The planned fix, which includes a new roof, siding, windows, drainage, and HVAC, carries a $10.4 million price tag. When a bank turned down the town's lease-purchase financing application, local officials moved to ask voters to approve $10.4 million in bonds at a special town meeting in October.15 As principal April Flagg put it: "We just want our school back."16
Homes: when a leak isn't fixed
Local news stories show what happens when water damage lingers in a home. In Cleveland, a mother living in a Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority apartment told Cleveland 19 News that her 28-month-old son was hospitalized with respiratory distress she attributes to black mold. She said the leak began on May 19, 2026, and that months later, a damaged wall had been removed and covered with plastic sheeting while the moisture problem remained. The station reported that the housing authority had not responded to its request for comment at the time of publication.17
There is also encouraging evidence. After a 2013 class-action lawsuit by residents with asthma, the New York City Housing Authority created its "Mold Busters" program, which improved staff training, equipment, and response times for mold complaints. Columbia University researchers presented findings at the American Thoracic Society's 2026 conference showing the program was associated with nearly 2,800 fewer asthma-related emergency department visits each year. Without it, the researchers estimated residents would have had about 25% more of those visits.18 The takeaway is simple and hopeful: when moisture and mold are addressed, people breathe easier.
Rentals: lawsuits up, insurance costs up
The same pressure is showing up in the business of housing. A September 21, 2026, report from Bisnow, a commercial real estate news outlet, describes a surge in mold and habitability lawsuits against apartment owners, driven in part by aging buildings and deferred maintenance.19 New York City's 311 service logged more than 31,000 mold complaints in 2025. Recent verdicts in Long Beach, California, Las Vegas, and Austin, Texas, ranged from $1 million to $6.6 million.20
Insurers have noticed. According to the report, habitability insurance premiums have risen 300% or more, now running roughly $375 to $1,400 per unit, and several carriers have pulled out of states such as California because of litigation risk. One Los Angeles property manager called it "the biggest threat to multifamily ownership today in LA."21 For renters, the lesson is to report water problems early and in writing. For owners, it's a reminder that fixing a leak quickly is far cheaper than what can follow.
Mold isn't only a problem for the most vulnerable
Severe, invasive mold infections mostly affect people who are already seriously ill or have weakened immune systems. That's true, but it doesn't mean everyone else is in the clear. The EPA notes that mold can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs of both mold-allergic and non-allergic people.22 CDC reports sufficient evidence linking indoor mold to upper respiratory symptoms, cough, and wheeze in otherwise healthy people, and linking early mold exposure to asthma development in some children.23
For many people, the effects go well beyond a stuffy nose. In Las Vegas, a jury in December 2024 awarded a mother and her two children $6.6 million after the family described years of illness in a leaky apartment: the daughter's asthma worsened, the son had recurring earaches and headaches, their mother said she felt sick with flu-like symptoms all the time, and a ceiling collapse sent the teenage daughter to the hospital with an asthma attack.24 Stories like these are more common than most people realize. Many of them are told firsthand in our free Mold Solutions Summit, where patients and practitioners share what mold-related illness looked like in their homes and what recovery took.25
Researchers are also asking whether mold can affect the brain and nervous system. In a 2013 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Rutgers University scientists found that 1-octen-3-ol, a compound mold releases into the air, disrupted how dopamine is handled in the brain and caused nerve-cell damage and Parkinson's-like movement problems in fruit flies. The lead researcher began the work after she did not feel well while cleaning out her mold-damaged New Orleans home after Hurricane Katrina.26 It was a laboratory study in insects, not proof of what happens in people, but it has raised serious questions.
In Colorado Springs, a family has taken those questions to court, hoping to prove in what they call a "landmark" legal case that mold exposure contributed to Parkinson's disease.27 HHS's decision to include mold in its research into rising autism rates, mentioned above, shows that federal researchers also see possible effects on brain development as worth investigating.28
How much mold affects any one person depends on many things: genetics, age (children and older adults are at higher risk), immune health, other exposures, and overall health. Reducing exposure matters before someone becomes the vulnerable one.
What you can do at home this fall
Everyone reading this can take action, whether you own, rent, teach, or just want to breathe easier. These steps follow EPA guidance:29
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Find and fix the water. The EPA's core message is that the key to mold control is moisture control. Cleaning mold without fixing the leak means it comes back.
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Dry fast. Dry wet materials and water-damaged areas within 24 to 48 hours to help prevent mold growth.
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Keep humidity in range. Aim for 30% to 50% indoor relative humidity using dehumidifiers, air conditioning, and exhaust fans in kitchens and bathrooms.
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Know when to call a pro. The EPA says a homeowner can usually clean an area smaller than about 10 square feet. Larger areas, or mold tied to sewage or contaminated water, call for professional help.
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Filter the air you breathe. A high-quality HEPA air purifier captures airborne particles, including mold spores, so less of what's floating around reaches your lungs. It works alongside moisture control, not in place of it.
Where Austin Air fits
Every Austin Air purifier is built around True Medical Grade HEPA, rated to capture 99.97% of airborne particles down to 0.3 microns and 99% down to 0.1 microns,* paired with activated carbon and Mineral-Based Filtration for gases and odors. The HealthMate uses a 4-stage filter with up to 15 pounds of carbon and zeolite and 60 square feet of HEPA, and filters last up to five years under normal residential use.30 The Bedroom Machine adds a fifth stage for the room where you spend a third of your life.31 For families recovering from a mold problem, the Mold Recovery Home Bundle puts a purifier in the main living area and each bedroom, with volume savings, easy payment options, and free shipping.32
Austin Air purifiers have been used in independent clinical studies at institutions including Johns Hopkins and Cincinnati Children's Hospital. You can review them on our clinical trials page.33 Air purifiers are not medical devices and do not diagnose, treat, or cure any disease, and no purifier replaces fixing a moisture problem.
If you're a renter, parent, or teacher
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Renters: Report leaks and visible mold to your landlord in writing, keep dated photos, and check your state and local housing code. Tenant protections vary by location.
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Parents: Ask your school how it tracks leaks, humidity, and HVAC maintenance, and whether any rooms have been closed because of water damage.
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Teachers: Our free Parent-Teacher Toolkit includes email templates, fundraising ideas, and a petition to help bring cleaner air into classrooms.34
Want to go deeper? Watch the free Mold Solutions Summit
If the news has you wondering about mold in your own home, our free Mold Solutions Summit brings together more than 15 experts on testing, remediation, recovery, and prevention. It's free to watch, and the same page includes our Mold Toolkit.35
Frequently asked questions
What did the HHS Mold Surveillance Roundtable cover?
Held September 18, 2026, the roundtable brought together patients, doctors, and researchers to discuss better education, improved diagnosis, new treatments, and a national system for tracking mold-related illness.36
How many people die from fungal and mold infections in the U.S.?
CDC estimates fungal diseases are linked to 7,288 deaths a year in the U.S., with $19.37 billion in total annual costs. CDC says the true numbers are likely higher due to underdiagnosis.37
How many school days were lost to building problems like mold?
GAO estimates about 3.5 million days of learning were lost in 2024-25 when roughly one in five districts canceled classes due to facility issues, including black mold, flooding, and HVAC failures.38
Can an air purifier get rid of mold?
No purifier can fix mold growing on a wall or under a floor. That requires finding the moisture source and cleaning or removing the damaged material. A HEPA air purifier can capture airborne particles, such as mold spores, reducing the amount in the air you breathe while the source is being addressed and afterward.39
What indoor humidity helps prevent mold?
The EPA recommends keeping indoor relative humidity between 30% and 50%, and drying water-damaged materials within 24 to 48 hours.40
Does household mold affect healthy people?
Yes, it can. The EPA says mold can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs of both allergic and non-allergic people, and CDC links indoor mold to cough, wheeze, and upper respiratory symptoms in otherwise healthy people.41
Mold stories tend to come and go with the news cycle. The moisture that causes them doesn't. Whether it's a school wing in Maine, an apartment in Cleveland, or a basement down the hall, the fix starts the same way: stop the water, dry things out, and clean up the air.
References
¹ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2026, September 18). Mold surveillance roundtable [Livestream]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/live/HGASzB29mBU
² Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Fungal disease burden by the numbers. https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/data-research/facts-stats/by-the-numbers.html
³ U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2026, September). K-12 education: Facility issues led about one in five districts to cancel school in 2024–25, affecting 2 million students (GAO-26-107970). https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-107970
⁴ Bisnow. (2026, September 21). Mold is growing into major problem for apartment owners. https://www.bisnow.com
⁵ American Thoracic Society. (2026, May 17). Public housing mold intervention program reduces asthma-related ED visits. EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1127655
⁶ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). A brief guide to mold, moisture and your home. https://www.epa.gov/mold/brief-guide-mold-moisture-and-your-home
⁷ NTD. (2026, September 18). HHS holds mold surveillance roundtable. https://www.ntd.com/ntdplus/live-now-hhs-holds-mold-surveillance-roundtable_1173167.html
⁸ Hellmann, J. (2025, April 16). HHS to look at environmental toxins as cause of autism. Roll Call. https://rollcall.com/2025/04/16/hhs-to-look-at-environmental-toxins-as-cause-of-autism/
⁹ U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2026, September 15). K-12 students lost millions of days in classrooms due to school facility issues. GAO WatchBlog. https://www.gao.gov/blog/k-12-students-lost-millions-days-classrooms-due-school-facility-issues
¹⁰ Bracher, E. (2026, September 19). Mold fixed at midcoast school but a $10 million question remains. Bangor Daily News. https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/09/19/midcoast/midcoast-education/mold-fixed-at-midcoast-school-but-one-10-million-question-remains/
¹¹ Green, M. (2026, September 16). Cleveland mother says toddler hospitalized due to mold in CMHA apartment. Cleveland 19 News. https://www.cleveland19.com/2026/09/16/cleveland-mother-says-toddler-hospitalized-due-mold-cmha-apartment/
¹² U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Mold and your health. https://www.epa.gov/mold/mold-and-health
¹³ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). About mold and health. https://www.cdc.gov/mold-health/about/index.html
¹⁴ 8 News Now Investigators (KLAS-TV). (2024, December). Jury awards Las Vegas family millions in toxic mold suit against apartment management company. Yahoo News. https://www.yahoo.com/news/jury-awards-las-vegas-family-072049121.html
¹⁵ Austin Air Systems. (n.d.). Mold solutions summit. https://austinairsystems.com/pages/mold-solutions-summit
¹⁶ Rutgers University. (2013). Symptoms of Parkinson's disease linked to fungus. https://www.rutgers.edu/news/symptoms-parkinsons-disease-linked-fungus
¹⁷ Inamdar, A. A., Hossain, M. M., Bernstein, A. I., Miller, G. W., Richardson, J. R., & Bennett, J. W. (2013). Fungal-derived semiochemical 1-octen-3-ol disrupts dopamine packaging and causes neurodegeneration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(48), 19561–19566. https://www.pnas.org/content/110/48/19561
¹⁸ The Denver Post. (2025, January). Can mold exposure cause Parkinson's disease? Colorado family hopes to prove “landmark” legal case. Medical Xpress. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-mold-exposure-parkinson-disease-colorado.html
¹⁹ Austin Air Systems. (n.d.). HealthMate. https://austinair.com/products/healthmate
²⁰ Austin Air Systems. (n.d.). The Bedroom Machine. https://austinair.com/products/the-bedroom-machine
²¹ Austin Air Systems. (n.d.). Mold Recovery Home Bundle. https://austinair.com/collections/air-purifier-bundle-s-old/products/mold-recovery-home-bundle
²² Austin Air Systems. (n.d.). Clinical trials. https://austinair.com/pages/clinical-trials
²³ Austin Air Systems. (n.d.). Parent-teacher toolkit. https://info.austinair.com/parent-teacher-toolkit-home
Last updated Sept 24, 2026.
