Dr. Bardana's Bull$#!+ on WebMD: Study Questions Reality of 'Toxic Mold' Illness

[Guest guest]

http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/112/110566.htm

Study Questions Reality of 'Toxic Mold' Illness

Researchers Found Other Explanations for Sickness

By Salynn Boyles

WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD

on Friday, September 30, 2005

.lclist {text-indent: -6; margin: 0 20 6 18; font-size: 9pt;} More From

WebMD

Facts May Calm Mold Madness

Study: Bleach Cuts Allergy Triggers in Mold

Get Tips for Allergy-Proofing Your Home

Sept. 30, 2005 -- Thousands of lawsuits have been filed in recent years by

people who say exposure to mold in their homes or workplaces made them ill. Now

a medical review of 50 cases that ended up in court shows little evidence to

support the claims.

Researchers reported that in every case, other medical causes could be

identified to explain the illnesses believed to be caused by the condition that

has come to be known as " toxic mold syndrome. "

They concluded that no credible medical evidence has emerged to link mold

exposure to the wide range of serious medical conditions associated with toxic

mold syndrometoxic mold syndrome.

" We know that mold can make people sick if they end up in the foods they eat, "

Oregon Health & Science University professor of medicine Emil J. Bardana Jr.,

MD, tells WebMD. " But there is little evidence that inhaled environmental mold

exposure can cause the serious illnesseslittle evidence that inhaled

environmental mold exposure can cause the serious illnesses that have been

attributed to it. "

Hurricane Houses

As the Gulf Coast begins to recover from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, health

concerns regarding mold exposureHurricanes Katrina and Rita, health concerns

regarding mold exposure have taken on a new urgency.

Hundreds of thousands of homes and other structures submerged in floodwaters for

days and even weeks are now covered in mold that feeds on wood, wall board,

ceiling tiles, and other surfaces.

Because of the severity of water damage, many of these structures will pose

obvious dangers to health, Bardana says.

" There is no comparison between a home that has literally been underwater for

extended periods and the cases that we reviewed, " he says. " Mold is definitely

going to be a huge issue with these houses. "

Researchers Found Other Explanations for Sickness

(continued)

1 | 2

.lclist {text-indent: -6; margin: 0 20 6 18; font-size: 9pt;} More From

WebMD

Facts May Calm Mold Madness

Study: Bleach Cuts Allergy Triggers in Mold

Get Tips for Allergy-Proofing Your Home

10,000 Lawsuits

Bardana says the lawsuits began about a decade ago following news reports of a

cluster of illnesses among babies living in Cleveland. The illnesses were

initially blamed on inhalation exposure to a black fungus known as stachybotrys,

which grows on damp, indoor surfaces.

A few years later, a Texas jury awarded $32 million to a family who's newly

constructed mansion was contaminated with the mold. In 2003, the Insurance

Information Institute estimated that 10,000 mold-related lawsuits were pending

nationwide, and the number was growing.

In their newly published study, Bardana and colleague Barzin Khalili, MD,

described the symptoms of people who filed toxic mold syndrome-related lawsuits

or workers' compensation claims. The researchers also identified unrecognized

conditions that could explain the symptoms being attributed to toxic mold

syndrome.

The most common complaints were upper and lower airway problems such as nasal

congestion or shortness of breath and cough, nonspecific body complaints, and

neurological problems, including dizziness, headaches, memory loss, mood

disorders, and insomnia.

Through allergy type tests the researchers found that 14% of pet owners with

allergic symptoms were allergic to their own pets. And 61% of those with a

complaint of cough were either smokers or former smokers.

" These people were more concerned about the possibility of adverse health

effects from mold exposure than the known adverse health effects from the

thousands of chemicals inhaled every time a cigarette is smoked, " Bardana and

Khalili wrote.

They further noted that the environmental testing on the sites considered by the

patients to be the source of their problems was often incomplete and did not

include other potential irritants that could have caused allergies and other

illnesses.

More Toxic Mold Study Needed

There is little argument that exposure to indoor molds can worsen asthmaindoor

molds can worsen asthma and allergy symptoms in people who are susceptible. But

a government-sponsored committee that examined the issue concluded last year

that there is no clear proof that mold causes these complexes of symptoms.

The examination was conducted by The Institute of Medicine, a private, nonprofit

health policy advisory group, under the sponsorship of the CDC.

" The committee found very few studies that have examined whether mold or other

factors associated with indoor dampness are linked to fatigue, neuropsychiatric

disorders, or other health problems that some people have attributed to fungal

infestations of buildings, " the report stated.

" The little evidence that is available does not support an association, but

because of the dearth of well-constructed studies and reliable data, the

committee could not rule out the possibility. "

University of Tulsa biology professor Estelle Levetin, PhD, agrees that more

research is needed to clarify the issue. Levetin is vice chairwoman of the

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology's Aerobiology Committee.

She adds that the lawsuits have gotten ahead of the research.

" They are not based on solid science, " she says. " There is no hard evidence that

proves (mold-related) toxins can cause these health conditions through

inhalation. Living in a damp, moldy house can certainly have a negative effect

on health, but we can't attribute this to toxins. "

---------------------------------

SOURCES: Khalili, B. ls of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology, September 2005;

vol 95: pp 239-246. Emil J. Bardana, Jr., MD, Oregon Health & Science

University, Portland. Abba I. Terr, MD, University of California, San Francisco.

Estelle Levetin, PhD, professor of biology, University of Tulsa; vice

chairwoman, American College of Asthma, Allergy, & Immunology committee on

aerobiology. Institute of Medicine: " Damp Indoor Spaces and Health. "

---------------------------------

for Good

Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.