The people who died from asbestos were primarily those who inhaled it daily as a product of their careers. Inhale anything daily, such as baby powder, all day long over a period of 20 years, and you are likely to have issues with it. Asbestos isn't plutonium, but the fear-mongering has taken place and people think that merely being near it is a problem, which it isn't--inhaling it is the problem.
As for mold, some people are allergic to it, some people aren't. Some people have problems inhaling it, some people don't. Our culture has become a fear-based culture, where perception becomes reality. You know the anti-bacterial soap people use now due to the perception that bacteria is bad for you? Turns out that bacteria has beneficial qualities that are necessary for the environment, and removing the bacteria creates an overall negative effect in many environments. Our hands actually need some bacteria on them. Try convincing a mother of this once the idea is put in her head that bacteria is bad.
Do with the info what you will because I don't really care--there's conflicting information on all sides of these debates, but people all-too-often base the veracity of something on popular opinion which is frequently generated by the government. Health-wise, mold is a problem for some people but not many. Financially, mold is a problem for everyone except those in the business. And some of them will tell you that much of the mold remediation they do is bullshit. They go in with surgical suits on (think: Carl in Caddyshack cleaning out the pool), then take a bucket of watered-down bleach, scrub the walls and floors, and send a bill. We are a fear-based culture that has made it more difficult to ferret out the real dangers from the perceived--the perceived dangers are making huge strides in overtaking the real ones--so you might want to think more circumspectly before asserting something to be "silly."
Also, follow the money trail.
