does anyone know what the effects & how long they last from exposure to black mold.?

There is no definitive answer to this question. Most medical researchers are skeptical that black mold is really much of a problem, because researchers have been unable to find any definitive evidence of pathological conditions that can be attributed to black mold. People's complaints and reported symptoms don't show any correlation with the amount of mold in their environment. In on study, about half the cases where schools were closed due to mold complaints, investigators found that air in the closed schools had much less black mold than the air outside in the town, yet people exposed to the outside air were not complaining of any problems. On the other hand, people that live in damp, moldy buildings have very similar respiratory problems, and black mold is known to produce a toxin.

Toxicological studies on effects of black mold on humans show a wide range of responses while people are in contact with the mold, including many people who show no response. The mold does not appear to cause a disease, so effects of the mold don't appear to persist. Contact with the mold shows all sorts of possible symptoms, including allergic reactions, hemorrhages, and irritation. The complicating factor with mold studies is that black mold seldom is the only thing found in damp environments. When black mold is found in a building, the dust mite populations and bacteria populations are usually at extremely high levels, and many symptoms people attribute to mold could be caused by bacteria or dust mites, or occur from some combination of bacteria, mold, and mites. Some of the bacteria commonly found with black mold are known to cause respiratory infections. Only the bacterial problems persist once a person moves out of a moldy building, except when the exposure to the mold causes a person to develop allergies to the mold.

So, given all of this, unless you get a bacterial infection, the symptoms caused by exposure to black mold should disappear in a few days after moving out of the moldy environment.

The lasting effects depends on the type of mold. Many molds are black but that does not determine the type. If it is a non-toxic mold then the effect on the body may be an allergic reaction. That would stop once the mold was removed. If the mold is stachybatrous (sp) then it is quite a different matter. This black mold produced mycotoxins and can cause brain damage, or even death. The key here is to identify the mold and certainly have it removed if possible.

I'd say that would depend on the duration of exposure and the persons overall health to begin with. I know people get flu symptoms, but it can get much more serious than that. Below is a link to help.