Black mold is one of the last things any homeowner wants to discover. It spreads quickly, it’s tough to remove, and exposure can cause serious health problems.
But could it also be breaking up marriages?
A TikTok video is going viral after one man claimed black mold is what pushed a decade-long marriage to collapse.
New owner suspects mold wrecked previous homeowners’ marriage
TikTok user @burchbearholisticcare3.0 posted a video claiming that mold might have been the reason the couple who previously owned his house split up. His video has over 1.2 million views.
“I help people go through their mold healing journeys and so often there’s an issue with the relationship, a strain on the relationship because of the toxicity itself,” he said. “One partner is sick, the other partner is not. The other partner is gaslighting one, thinking that’s all in their head.”
He explained that he and his wife had just moved into a home once shared by a married couple of 10 years. “Within three days of moving in, we found black mold,” he said.
According to neighbors, the pair seemed happy until the last few years.
“The male partner started getting very aggressive, very angry all the time,” the TikToker explained. “And the spouse, the wife, she turned into like a shut-in in the last couple of years too.”
Based on his work with “a couple thousand people” struggling with mold-related illness, he wondered if this is a large-scale issue.
“I really want to know how many divorces are truly sparked, if you would, by mold toxicity,” he concludes.
Can mold really impact behavior?
Research says it can. One study noted that “individuals living or working in moldy buildings complain of a variety of health problems including pain, fatigue, increased anxiety, depression, and cognitive deficits.”
Psychology Today has also reported that mold exposure can cause memory problems, focus issues, confusion, disorientation, mood swings, and more.
However, there is something important to note: There are questions about the TikToker’s credibility.
His real name isn’t publicly listed, even though he runs a business called Burch Bear Holistic Care.
On his website, he sells products like $147 “detox consults” and $897 “90-day programs.”
Records also suggest he’s been banned from TikTok three times, possibly for making unverified claims about holistic cancer treatments.
The Mary Sue reached out to him via email to learn more.
@burchbearholisticcare3.0 This is another pattern I keep seeing over and over again…. As I help people through their healing journeys, I often they are also dealing with relationship issues because of it and many times, I have ended up helping post divorce spouses finally start their healing process after they left the relationship. Even the previous tenants of the house that we are living in right now (that has mold in the downstairs laundry room and guest room) got divorced from this house. How often is this actually happening?? ##mold##relationships##chronicillness##cirs##mcas##pots##divorce##relationshipproblems##marriage##marriedlife##partners##breakup##fyp##foryoupage ♬ original sound – bbholistic
Commenters share similar experiences
Plenty of commenters believed his story and shared their own experiences with mold.
One person wrote, “I lost my house and marriage from mold, mold rage is no joke. She didn’t believe any of it.”
“That’s why my divorce happened,” another said. “He refused to acknowledge that the house was making me sick… Leaving him was the only way to save my life. Best decision ever.”
“Mold rage is a thing. It’s terrible,” a third user said.
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