Before people start avoiding live Christmas trees because of their mold growth, more research needs to be done, said Dr. Dennis Ownby, a professor of pediatrics and medicine at the Medical College of Georgia, in Augusta. Since this study only looked at a single tree in one home, more homes with trees should be investigated, as well as the types of mold found and whether those molds trigger allergies.
He added that the researchers should also measure mold counts outside the home and correlate those to indoor mold counts.