Facts May Calm Mold Madness article

[Guest guest]

That was a reprint, but a good one! This is a follow up article of, I

believe that exact same study. This article was published one month later. It

is

quite interesting to view the difference between the two interpretations of

the same situation. What these two articles, coupled together clearly

demonstrate is the major politics are are being played out over this issue.

Read for yourself!

Sharon

Allergy Major Cause of 'Toxic Mold Syndrome'

But Many Cases of Mold-Linked Illness Not Allergy

By _ DeNoon_

(http://aolsvc.health.webmd.aol.com/content/Biography/7/1756_53105.htm)

WebMD Medical News Reviewed By _Brunilda Nazario, MD_

(http://aolsvc.health.webmd.aol.com/content/Biography/7/40428.htm)

on Thursday, February 24, 2005

Feb. 24, 2005 -- Mold allergies -- not mold poisoning -- cause most cases of

" toxic mold syndrome_toxic mold syndrome_

(http://aolsvc.health.webmd.aol.com/content/article/99/105412.htm) , " new study

explains.

But the study also shows that many cases of mold-linked illness can't be

explained by allergic reactions. The report, by allergists A. Edmondson,

DO, Jordan N. Fink, MD, and colleagues at Medical College of Wisconsin, appears

in the February issue of ls of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

The researchers examined 36 children and 29 adults thought to have toxic mold

syndrome. About half turned out to be allergic to molds.

" Our patients assumed that they were experiencing toxic mold syndrome when,

in fact, most were experiencing [allergic] reactions to various antigens in

their environment, " Edmondson and colleagues write.

That still left a sizeable number of patients whose illness could not be

explained by allergy.

" Twenty-five percent of the patients had symptoms not compatible with

[allergy], " Edmondson and colleagues write. " [Mold]-mediated mechanisms may

account

for these symptoms. …The [cause] of these symptoms … remains unclear and

warrants further investigation. "

Toxic Mold Syndrome Remains Controversial

The patients, ranging in age from 1.5 to 52, had all kinds of symptoms. Most

had a runny nose and a cough. Others had headaches, breathing problems

(including shortness of breath, wheezing, and chest tightness), itchy eyes, and

nervous system problems (including dizziness, anxiety, weakness, restless legs,

memory loss, and shaking), intestinal problems (including nausea, vomiting,

and gut pain), nosebleed, and urinary problems.

Accompanying the study is an editorial by mold expert W. Elliott Horner, PhD,

of Air Quality Sciences, Inc., in Atlanta. Horner notes that toxic mold

syndrome is extremely controversial. However, he also points to a recent report

by the prestigious Institute of Medicine that strongly supports the idea that

damp, moldy buildings can harm people's health.

" Perhaps part of the controversy regarding the health effects of indoor mold

could be [done away with] if the ill-defined phrase toxic mold syndrome>

were replaced by damp building effect, which refers to a well-documented effect

but avoids any claim of [cause], " Horner writes.

Horner points out there is currently no accurate way to measure mold toxins

in damp buildings. Without such a tool, it is impossible to test whether toxic

mold is, in fact, causing illness. Until scientists develop such tests, he

says, people should stop arguing and start collecting more data. In the

meantime, he urges both doctors and patients to keep an open mind about the

possible toxic effects of molds.

" Although certainly not proven, the suspect with the most fingerprints at the

scene seems to be mold components shed from fungal colonized construction

and finishing materials and furnishings, " he writes. " It is time now for data

rather than diatribe. "

******************************************************************************

*****************************

FYI, Dr. Bernstein does IME's of those exposed to molds, for school

districts in Ohio. He also does expert testimony in teacher's worker's comp

cases.

Facts May Calm Mold Madness

Study: People Often Mistake Ordinary Allergy for Toxic Mold Syndrome

By DeNoon, WebMD Medical News

Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD Thursday, January 27, 2005

http://foxnews.webmd.com/content/article/99/105412.htm?src=rss_foxnews

Jan. 27, 2005 -- People suffering from toxic mold syndrome -- often

blamed on a kind of black mold that grows on damp indoor surfaces --

likely have more ordinary illnesses, a new study shows.

The finding comes from a hard look at 135 patients referred to a

clinic with expertise in mold exposure. Industrial hygienist and study

researcher S. Crandall, CIH, referred nearly all of the

patients. Eighty percent of the patients had already hired a lawyer to

pursue mold-related claims.

The patients suffered from a variety of possible mold-related health

effects, including respiratory symptoms, such as wheezing cough, and

nasal discharge, or general complaints, such as skin rashes or joint

pain. Yet after rigorous examination -- including gathering detailed

histories of exposure, home and workplace analysis, blood and skin

tests for mold sensitivity, and two years of medical follow-up --

there was no link between mold exposure, symptoms, and mold

sensitivity.

Leading the study was allergist A. Bernstein, MD, an

associate professor at the University of Cincinnati, and director of

the allergy clinic at the Cincinnati Veteran's Administration Medical

Center. He's widely recognized as an expert in the health effects of

exposure to indoor pollutants.

" Most people hear 'black mold' and 'toxic mold syndrome' and they are

terrified, " Bernstein tells WebMD. " A lot of them have symptoms that

within a reasonable degree of medical certainty have something to do

with their environment. They have a lot of health problems. The mold

is black and scary -- and to them, it seems the most obvious cause.

But the majority of these people were not sensitized to mold. "

The Bernstein team's report, in the January issue of ls of

Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology, looked at 135 patients. The researchers

have now analyzed more than twice that number of people with possible

mold-related health effects. Bernstein says the study findings apply

to them, too.

So what caused these people to come down with health effects? All of

them had moldy houses or worked in moldy buildings or schools. Many of

them were, indeed, allergic to the kinds of mold growing in their

environments -- although none tested positive for exposure to

Stachybotrys -- the black mold commonly blamed for " toxic mold

syndrome. "

The good news is that once the patients got out of their moldy

environments -- or had them fixed -- they got better. Only one patient

had long-lasting health effects.

" They do better when they leave these environments, and get worse when

they go back in, " Bernstein says. " These places have damp conditions.

Dampness is clearly shown to correlate with lung problems.

Cockroaches, dust mites -- not just mold -- but a lot of things can

grow in damp environments. "

Bernstein notes that his team recently evaluated children in a

mold-contaminated school. They did find a lot of mold. But they found

even higher levels of dust mites and cockroaches. One sick child,

Bernstein says, turned out to be suffering not from mold sensitivity,

but to cockroach allergy.

" We have to step back and see this as an indoor issue -- not just a

mold issue, " he says. " Mold is an alarm that goes off because we can

see it. But there are a lot of invisible factors that can be there as

well. "

Bernstein says that building problems -- homes not properly built,

schools poorly maintained -- often lie at the heart of these health

problems.

" We need to focus on biological agents and toxic gases that accumulate

in homes and cause health effects. A lot of people pooh-pooh it, but

it happens and people are scared and don't know what is going on, " he

says. " No one ever measures other air allergens, or other indoor

gasses. So there is too little information. But until we better

understand home air quality, these mold scares are the kinds of

runaway trains that can occur. And this is what this is to some extent

-- a runaway train. "

Toxic Mold Madness

" Mold madness " is what an editorial accompanying the Bernstein study

calls it. Pediatrician C. Zacharisen, MD, associate professor

at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, co-wrote the editorial

with mold expert Jordan N. Fink, MD.

" We are at a pinnacle in the public perceiving a big mold problem. But

we are still in the dark ages when it comes to proving if it really is

a problem, or what the true mechanism is, " Zacharisen tells WebMD.

" Science is lagging behind the perception of ill health. Sometimes we

try to pin a problem on a particular organism or a particular exposure

without having all the science to back it up. "

So many lawsuits have been filed over toxic mold, he says, that legal

issues have obscured medical science. The Bernstein study, he says,

isn't going to change this. But it does open the door for clear-headed

scientific research.

" We should not jump to conclusions about toxins until we have had an

opportunity to evaluate the more common problems people may actually

have, " Zacharisen tells WebMD. " People hang their symptoms on what is

popular at the time. Some of the more sexy items may bring people to

the doctor, but what they actually suffer from may turn out to be

something rather routine. Most of the people [with mold exposure] have

good old allergies. Straightforward avoidance measures and medications

can get their life back on track. "

[Guest guest]

Here's another article I came across today (hope it's not a duplicate

posting)...

Facts May Calm Mold Madness

Study: People Often Mistake Ordinary Allergy for Toxic Mold Syndrome

By DeNoon, WebMD Medical News

Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD Thursday, January 27, 2005

http://foxnews.webmd.com/content/article/99/105412.htm?src=rss_foxnews

Jan. 27, 2005 -- People suffering from toxic mold syndrome -- often

blamed on a kind of black mold that grows on damp indoor surfaces --

likely have more ordinary illnesses, a new study shows.

The finding comes from a hard look at 135 patients referred to a

clinic with expertise in mold exposure. Industrial hygienist and study

researcher S. Crandall, CIH, referred nearly all of the

patients. Eighty percent of the patients had already hired a lawyer to

pursue mold-related claims.

The patients suffered from a variety of possible mold-related health

effects, including respiratory symptoms, such as wheezing cough, and

nasal discharge, or general complaints, such as skin rashes or joint

pain. Yet after rigorous examination -- including gathering detailed

histories of exposure, home and workplace analysis, blood and skin

tests for mold sensitivity, and two years of medical follow-up --

there was no link between mold exposure, symptoms, and mold

sensitivity.

Leading the study was allergist A. Bernstein, MD, an

associate professor at the University of Cincinnati, and director of

the allergy clinic at the Cincinnati Veteran's Administration Medical

Center. He's widely recognized as an expert in the health effects of

exposure to indoor pollutants.

" Most people hear 'black mold' and 'toxic mold syndrome' and they are

terrified, " Bernstein tells WebMD. " A lot of them have symptoms that

within a reasonable degree of medical certainty have something to do

with their environment. They have a lot of health problems. The mold

is black and scary -- and to them, it seems the most obvious cause.

But the majority of these people were not sensitized to mold. "

The Bernstein team's report, in the January issue of ls of

Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology, looked at 135 patients. The researchers

have now analyzed more than twice that number of people with possible

mold-related health effects. Bernstein says the study findings apply

to them, too.

So what caused these people to come down with health effects? All of

them had moldy houses or worked in moldy buildings or schools. Many of

them were, indeed, allergic to the kinds of mold growing in their

environments -- although none tested positive for exposure to

Stachybotrys -- the black mold commonly blamed for " toxic mold

syndrome. "

The good news is that once the patients got out of their moldy

environments -- or had them fixed -- they got better. Only one patient

had long-lasting health effects.

" They do better when they leave these environments, and get worse when

they go back in, " Bernstein says. " These places have damp conditions.

Dampness is clearly shown to correlate with lung problems.

Cockroaches, dust mites -- not just mold -- but a lot of things can

grow in damp environments. "

Bernstein notes that his team recently evaluated children in a

mold-contaminated school. They did find a lot of mold. But they found

even higher levels of dust mites and cockroaches. One sick child,

Bernstein says, turned out to be suffering not from mold sensitivity,

but to cockroach allergy.

" We have to step back and see this as an indoor issue -- not just a

mold issue, " he says. " Mold is an alarm that goes off because we can

see it. But there are a lot of invisible factors that can be there as

well. "

Bernstein says that building problems -- homes not properly built,

schools poorly maintained -- often lie at the heart of these health

problems.

" We need to focus on biological agents and toxic gases that accumulate

in homes and cause health effects. A lot of people pooh-pooh it, but

it happens and people are scared and don't know what is going on, " he

says. " No one ever measures other air allergens, or other indoor

gasses. So there is too little information. But until we better

understand home air quality, these mold scares are the kinds of

runaway trains that can occur. And this is what this is to some extent

-- a runaway train. "

Toxic Mold Madness

" Mold madness " is what an editorial accompanying the Bernstein study

calls it. Pediatrician C. Zacharisen, MD, associate professor

at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, co-wrote the editorial

with mold expert Jordan N. Fink, MD.

" We are at a pinnacle in the public perceiving a big mold problem. But

we are still in the dark ages when it comes to proving if it really is

a problem, or what the true mechanism is, " Zacharisen tells WebMD.

" Science is lagging behind the perception of ill health. Sometimes we

try to pin a problem on a particular organism or a particular exposure

without having all the science to back it up. "

So many lawsuits have been filed over toxic mold, he says, that legal

issues have obscured medical science. The Bernstein study, he says,

isn't going to change this. But it does open the door for clear-headed

scientific research.

" We should not jump to conclusions about toxins until we have had an

opportunity to evaluate the more common problems people may actually

have, " Zacharisen tells WebMD. " People hang their symptoms on what is

popular at the time. Some of the more sexy items may bring people to

the doctor, but what they actually suffer from may turn out to be

something rather routine. Most of the people [with mold exposure] have

good old allergies. Straightforward avoidance measures and medications

can get their life back on track. "