Up to 10 percent of the general population, including children, are allergic to or sensitive to mold, according to a 2015 study in Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research. Inhaling spores—the invisible airborne seeds of mold—can cause sneezing, a runny nose, itchy eyes, wheezing, and coughing. “If a parent has allergy-triggered asthma, the child will be more prone to all allergic diseases, but especially to asthma,” Scott Sicherer, M.D., a pediatric allergist at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, in New York City, has told Parents. Unfortunately, doctors are finding that mold allergy is more than just hereditary. A study at the University of Cincinnati revealed that babies exposed to high levels of certain types of household molds have an increased chance of developing multiple allergies later in life. Other research has found that children who live in a home with visible mold and a history of water damage have as much as double the rate of asthma—even if their parents don’t suffer from the disease. Asthma and mold are a particularly risky combination. Most kids with asthma are allergic to mold, and they tend to react more severely to molds than they do to other triggers. “Outdoor mold begins growing in the spring and gets worse as the year progresses,” says Linda B. Ford, M.D., an allergist at The Asthma & Allergy Center in Omaha. “If your child has asthma…