Toxic Mold Exposure Testing

The Vibrant Mycotoxins Test is a urine-based test.

No, the product purchase does not include a test review from a practitioner. Click here to schedule a test review.

No. The Vibrant Mycotoxins test is designed to very accurately test for the presence of mycotoxins, produced by a variety of toxic molds, but it does not specify the location or source of the mold as far as whether it is in your home, workplace, or elsewhere. Mycotoxin exposure can come from both dietary and environmental sources. Dietary sources include spoiled food and environmental sources include living or working in water-damaged buildings, airborne or physical contact with outdoor molds, and airborne dust in buildings containing mold spores.

No. Mold is resistant to heat, and, therefore, is usually not destroyed during the cooking process. Inspect all foods thoroughly for mold to avoid consuming contaminated sources.

Mycotoxins do not demonstrate absolute positive and negative predictive values for mold-related illnesses. Clinical history must be incorporated into the diagnostic determination. Mycotoxins measured reflect both past and recent mold exposure in the diet and environment. Mycotoxins can colonize in various body systems (respiratory, gut, genitourinary, skin) and can also form biofilms. Results cannot be interpreted to determine timing or duration of exposure, however, the report does indicate whether the mycotoxin measured is a metabolite of food or environmental mold.

There are not established guidelines for retesting mycotoxins after an intervention. That said, similar to other retesting guidelines (e.g. thyroid, lipids, glycemic control, etc.) many providers retest in 3-6 months and at 12 months, and annually thereafter as part of a wellness screen. An argument could be made for retesting earlier, or more frequently, in individuals with severe mold and mycotoxin-related illnesses.

The Mycotoxin reference ranges are based on healthy adults with no known history of mold exposure. The Mycotoxin test and reference ranges have not been validated in children, however, many providers do run this in pediatric and adolescent populations and accurately detect the presence of mycotoxins.

If the urine is at extremes (either too concentrated or too diluted) it may affect the detection of mycotoxins, leading to false negatives (false ‘lows’) or false positives (false ‘highs’). Normal urine color ranges from pale yellow to deep amber, due to levels of a pigment called urochrome and how diluted or concentrated the urine is. If the urine specimen is completely clear of yellow pigment (if it looks like water),it would be too diluted. If the urine color is deep amber,it would be too concentrated. If the urine color is pale yellow, that is most desirable.