Re: Dr. Bardana's Bull$#!+ on WebMD: Study Questions Reality...

[Guest guest]

I find what these " experts " are putting out to the public is terribly

irresponsible in light of all the families after Katrina that will be forced to

clean up mold. I can just envision some poor family in New Orleans having

their

children help them haul away mold and not even be wearing a mask while doing

it. WHY? Because the average person would not know the difference between

inhaling a mold toxin and inhaling a mold spore. Besides Bardana, who

apparently did not memorize his lines very well, they are saying mold TOXINS

are

not proven to be hazardous when inhaled. This is flat out creepy how far they

will go to stifle the medical understanding for the sake of the financial

interests of those who are stakeholders in structures. It is public

irresponsible from those who are educated enough over the matter to know

better.

It is known inhaling mold SPORES can cause ill health. Mayo Clinic fungal

sinusitis is just one example. IOM report of asthma, and HP is another. It is

also known that there is strong evidence of mycotoxicoses from inhaled

toxins. (The report mentioned in the prior post, Hudnell, Chief

Neurotoxicologist,

EPA.) So given these facts of what is known, strong indications of

mycotoxicoses and all the money that is being wasted in our courtrooms, what

would be

the logic and motivation of the CDC to NOT put a full court press on better

understanding mycoses and mycotoxicoses?

Did you know that the ACAAI is holding a huge annual meeting in Nov? NOT

ONE aspect of this five day seminar of allergists addresses hypersensitivity

pneumonitis. Don't you all find that kinda bizarre? Instead do you know what

they are going to discuss? The psychological aspect of those who have been

exposed to mold. Ya know...media, internet, hype, hysteria. Wouldn't it be

more appropriate for allergists to discuss HP than allergists to discuss

phsycological? I don't believe my dentist goes to conventions that discuss

gallbladders. So why are those who are trained in allergy even qualified to

discuss psychological. (Let me give you a hint:$$$$$$) Here is what Dr. Redd

of

the CDC has to say about inhaled mold toxins, which for anyone who does not

know difference, is not the same as inhaled mold spores.

Do you see a similar theme running through all these statements?

_http://communitydispatch.com/artman/publish/article_2249.shtml_

(http://communitydispatch.com/artman/publish/article_2249.shtml)

Update on Health Issues Related to Mold, Mildew and Mud in Hurricane and

Flood Affected Areas

By Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

MR. SKINNER: Thank you, , and thank you all for joining us today for

this important call.There continues to be a lot of interest, and rightly so,

about the potential health concerns for people in areas that have been impacted

by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. One particular concern that continues to be

gathering a lot of attention are the potential health effects to mold and

mildew, and so we decided to pull this media briefing together.

> >

With us today is Dr. Redd from the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, Mr. from the Environmental Protection Agency, and

Mr. Fred Cerise, the

secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

> >

What we'll do is have each one of them provide two or three minutes of

opening remarks and then we'll open it up for question and answer. And let me

remind everyone on the call that we do have someone from the state of

Louisiana,

you know, Mr. Fred, Dr.Fred Cerise on the

line, but much of what we're going to be talking about is also applicable to

the other areas that have been impacted by these hurricanes in Mississippi

and Alabama and parts of

Texas as well.

> >

So we hope you are able to get some useful information from this call and

with that, I'd like to begin by having Dr. Steve Redd provide some opening

remarks.

> >

DR. REDD: Thanks, Tom. I want to just reiterate a couple of the things

that you mentioned, that mold exposure is just one of the hazards or

potential hazards

that people are going to be exposed to as they return to their homes and

start their lives in the aftermath of these hurricanes.The mold issue is

something that will affect the

entire Gulf Coast region but is going to be a particular problem in New

Orleans because of the flooding that's occurred there and the duration of the

flooding.

> >

What I would like to do in my remarks here is go over briefly just a little

bit about what mold is, what the health effects are, and then our

recommendations for cleanup and protection

from mold exposure.

> >

So molds are a class of organisms that is separate from plants and animals.

They have some characteristics of both of those but they live on organic

material and the thing

that--they're present everywhere. The thing that kind a keeps them in check

in indoor

environments normally is the limitation of moisture.

> >

They require a nutrient source, the right temperature and water, and

normally, there's not enough water present to promote their growth. As we know,

both

from wind and rain damage, and then from flooding as well, the conditions

for mold growth in the Gulf Coast region in

many buildings is really optimal now.

> >

The health effects of mold--the second thing I'm going to talk about-there

are really three major categories.

> >

The first is infection and that is particularly a problem in people that

have suppressed immune systems. Either they're taking medicines that prevent

their immune systems from fighting infection normally, or they have illnesses

that suppress their immune system.

> >

The second general category is allergy and this is for people who have

allergies to particular molds. If they're re-exposed to those molds, they'll

have

symptoms like hay fever or

skin rash or worsening of asthma.

> >

The third category is that of toxin-mediated disease. Some molds are capable

of producing toxins. They won't produce these toxins at all times but under

certain circumstances, like the

nutrient supply is getting short or some environmental issue, they may start

producing

toxins and those can be dangerous if they're eaten or if they're touched.

> >

There's up to now not been evidence that airborne mold toxins have produced

disease.

> >

Now the next category is talking about what to do to get rid of mold. The

thing that we say under normal circumstances is you have to identify the water

source. In this case that is

no mystery but..... (truncated)

WebMD Week of Sept 26, 2005

" 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 illnesses that have been attributed to it. "

LA Times Article

Week of Sept 19, 2005

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. (There is that AAAAI again!)

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. "

Stachybotrys and some other molds do produce toxins, called

mycotoxins, that are dangerous to animals and people if eaten.

But " you can't get enough mycotoxin inside if you're breathing the

spores, " said Bruce Kelman, a board certified toxicologist with

Veritox Inc., a toxicology consulting company.

FYI, did Redd say infection?

Project Title: Damp Indoor Spaces and Health (This is from 2002)

Project Scope:

The Institute of Medicine will conduct a comprehensive review of the

scientific literature regarding the relationship between damp or moldy indoor

environments and the manifestation of adverse health effects, particularly

respiratory and allergic symptoms. The review will focus on the non-infectious

health effects of fungi, including allergens, mycotoxins and other biologically

active products. In addition, it will make recommendations or suggest

guidelines for public health interventions and for future basic science,

clinical, and

public health research in these areas. A final report will be issued at the

end of the project.

American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Meeting (AAAAI)

Nov 4-9, 2005

Anaheim, CA

Wed, November 9, 2005

When Fungi Aren't Fun, Part II

Mycotoxins and Human Disease: D. Hardin, PhD

(principal VeriTox, past specialty, communications for NIOSH)

The Toxic Mold Issue: Psychological Implications Fox, PhD

(not a psychiatrist, frequently publishes with Lees-Haley, whose Fake Bad

Scale for

determining malingers has beed discredited by his peers as

unscientifically skewed toward

a finding of malingering)

Mold-Related Disease: How Much is Real? Emil Bardana, Jr., MD

(allergist, President of AAAAI and subject of a KATU Portland report

" Dealing with SAIF and

Feeling Like a Criminal)

A Rational Approach to Conducting Air Quality Studies, Jay Portnoy MD

(allergist. relatively balanced in his assessments of mold allergies, but

what does he know

of conducting air quality studies?)

If this were not so sad for all those who are not able to get treatment, it

would almost be comical.

Sharon

[Guest guest]

>

>

I wonder what these expert are going to do when an entire population

losses their health because they did not give the true facts to these

people. I did not have any illness until I had mold in my home. I

will do everything I can to get the truth out there. It shouldn't take

long for illness to start showing up and then how will they pay for

that. And who will take care of all these sick poor people?