asergillus fumigatus mold "the most successful fungal pathogen" to humans.. produces abundant respirable ergot alkaloids when it grows on latex paint or vinyl. (for example shower curtains)
This is enough ergot to disturb sleep. Its a good reason why composting operations should always be done far from human habitations. People need sleep. This disturbance also explains the pre-modern science myth that "night soil" fumes were unhealthy.
1) That's A
spergillus.
2) '"the most successful fungal pathogen" to humans'? No, that'll be athlete's foot. Aspergillosis is a pretty rare disease (1 or 2 cases per 100,000 people per annum, mostly in immunocompromised patients), almost everyone has had, knowingly or unknowingly, a case of athlete's foot; that's why you can buy over the counter athlete's foot remedies in any pharmacist, but not ones for aspergillosis.
3) "produces
abundant respirable ergot alkaloids"? Erm, no or we'd all start getting ergotism (symptoms: hallucinations, vasoconstriction, nausea, vomiting and many others) as we walked around all the time as
A. fumifgatus is ubiquitous, found everywhere. Produces
negligible quantities of ergot alkaloids would be closer to the mark.
Most people who suffer any disease due to
Aspergillus fumigatus do so because of an allergy to its spores, not due to actual infection or mycotoxicity.
The 'black mould' that grows in bathrooms and the like is usually
Stachybotrys chartarum, and very rarely any of the
Aspergillus sp..
Aspergillus is one of those things that the Gwyneth Paltrows of this world have latched onto for some unknown reason and, as that type always do, attribute half of humanities troubles to, along with the obligatory conspiracy theory that conventional medicine and the government are wilfully ignoring the 'deadly' risks to all of us. If you don't have AIDs, other acquired or innate immunodeficiency, or are taking immunosuppressive drugs because of a transplant, then Aspergillosis is not something you have to be worried about.