Common mold question

Transworld News has a news article that answers the question:  Are all black molds toxic?
The short answer is no.  Some black molds produce mycotoxins and some don't.  Molds with other colors produce mycotoxins.  The mycotoxins are there to help the mold compete with other organisms for real estate in a competitive environment. 

In the general media, Stachybotrys spp. has been referred to as toxic black mold.  Various strains of Stachybotrys spp. can produce mycotoxins.  Depending on the strain they can produce a variety of effects.  There is considerable controversy about the ability of people to breath in enough spores for an effect.  Ingestions of aflatoxin produced by Aspergillus flavus does have well known health effects as noted in this article from Cornell University.

Aspergillus flavus in culture - photo - N. Carlson

Stachybotrys spp. growth on culture 40x - photo N. Carlson