Bardana's BS is out on the Newswire today.

[Guest guest]

Well, well, well! They have toned it down a bit. But...in one paragraph

they acknowledge that mycotoxins can cause serious cognitive problems. Then in

the next paragraph, they say it is all the result of the media.

Let me tell you who some of these " experts " are.

Hardin, retired assistiant surgeon general, NIOSH -expertise: communications

Co-author of the ACOEM mold statement, which took the mathematical

extrapolations

of one high dose exposure in rats to deduce it is not plausible

people become ill from

mycotoxin exposure within an indoor environment. Principle in a

company called

Veritox. Formerly GlobalTox. They make boucoup bucks as defense

expert witnesses

in mold litigation and envrionmental risk assessments - that cite the

paper they wrote for

the ACOEM saying it is not plausible we are this ill.

Emil Bardana, President of the ACAAI. Does worker's comp evaluations for

insurers. Subject of an investigation of the Oregon SAIF workers' comp

regarding five teachers who were made ill from mold exposure within their

school.

Prolific expert witness for the defense in mold cases.

Fox, neuropsychologist who co-authors extensively with Lees-Haley.

Lees-Haley does neuropsyc exams for the defense in mold litigation. His Fake

Bad scale has been established as not to be use in neuropsyc exams by his peers

as it has been determined to be unscientifically skewed toward the finding

of malaingerer.

So why is this going on on Mental Health sites? Because they want to give

you Prozac and a bunch of useless allergy medicine. Why? Because if you

cannot prove you are extremely ill after mold exposure, then those that are

frequently the clients of these fine gentlemen in mold litigation will have

their

financial liability greatly reduced.

They are defensors first and foremost. Medical advisors concerned of public

health, secondary (if at all). I am of the opinion this should be criminal

in light of all the people who are being exposed to molds and mycotoxins in

New Orleans. " Mysterious Katrian Cough " my patuttie!. It is all a big lie

designed to save money for stakeholder industries.

Mental Health

Mold: Serious health issue?

Wed 09 Nov 2005 10:39 AM CST

ILLINOIS (myDNA News)

_To learn more visit myDNA's Allergy Center Read More _

(http://www.mydna.com/health/allergies)

Distinguishing fact from fiction, leading experts gathered to discuss the

most recent scientific evidence on health effects of mold at the Annual Meeting

of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in

Anaheim.

" Fungi, including molds, are spore-producing organisms that comprise some 25

percent of the earth's biomass and function as decomposers of organic

material, " said W. Weber, National Jewish Medicine and Research Center

in

Denver. " Only about 80 of the 1.5 million species of fungi are known to be

allergenic. "

" The most common fungi found in homes include Cladosporium, Aspergillus,

Penicillium, Alternaria, basidiospores, Chaetomium, Periconia and Stachybotrys.

Indoor levels of airborne fungi are generally below outdoor levels of similar

species in a well-constructed home without water damage. We have found 30

percent to 70 percent of recovered indoor spores come from outside sources, "

Dr. Weber said.

An estimated 10 percent of the U.S. population has fungal sensitivity. In a

1991 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, asthmatics

sensitive to Alternaria fungi faced a 200-fold risk for respiratory arrest.

" Well-known health effects caused by exposure to fungi include infections,

toxins and hypersensitivity diseases including asthma, rhinitis,

hypersensitivity pneumonitis and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis

(fungal infection

of the lungs), " said K. Bush, M.D., University of Wisconsin in

Madison.

" Sensitivity to fungi is prevalent in asthmatics, and those who are

sensitive are at risk for severe, potentially life-threatening asthma.

Increased

outdoor fungal spore counts have been associated with increased asthma

emergency

department visits and hospitalization, " Dr. Bush said.

Immunotherapy, or allergy shots, have been effective in several

double-blind, placebo-controlled trials in mold sensitive patients.

" Although there are hundreds of thousands of species of fungi, allergen

extract availability is limited to a relatively small number of fungi including

the two most prevalent outdoor fungi, Alternaria and Cladosporium, " said

Harold S. , M.D., National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver.

" Immunotherapy should be limited to those patients with documented sensitivity

to fungus, whose symptoms occur during periods of high atmospheric exposure to

that fungus, and environmental control is not possible. "

Toxic mold syndrome or inhalational toxicity continues to cause public

concern despite a lack of scientific evidence that supports its existence said

Emil J. Bardana, Jr., M.D., Oregon Health and Science University in Portland,

Ore.

In a recent study published in ls of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the

scientific journal of the ACAAI, investigators at the Oregon Health and

Science University conducted a retrospective review of 50 individuals who

claimed

compensation for toxic mold disease, and in every case found alternative

medical and/or psychiatric explanations for the claimed illness.

Investigators found only two of the 50 subjects had evidence of mold-related

allergic disease attributable to their home or workplace. Seventeen

individuals complained of a nonspecific irritant symptoms complex that could

not be

linked to mold exposure. These symptoms included headache, irritability,

cognitive impairment and fatigue.

" Based on our findings, no case definition is possible for so-called 'toxic

mold syndrome,' " said Dr. Bardana, co-author of the report. " Fungal

contamination of a residence does not necessarily constitute an abnormal

exposure. The

presence of fungal allergen sensitivity proves prior exposure, but not

necessarily a symptomatic state. "

" Because molds are encountered both indoors and outdoors, it is almost

impossible to determine where the sensitivity arose. Specific toxicity due to

inhaled molds, including the role of Stachybotrys in building-related illness,

has not been scientifically established by any published study, " he said.

Mycotoxins are low molecular-weight secondary metabolites produced by more

than 350 specifies of fungi. Those of significant detriment to human and

animal health include aflatoxins, trichothecenes, fumonisins and ergot

alkaloids.

" Centuries of documented examples of human mycotoxicosis have occurred after

ingestion of mycotoxin, " said D. Hardin, Ph.D., of Veritox Inc., in

Redmond, Wash. " An estimated 25 percent of the world's crop production is

contaminated to some extent with mycotoxins, and its prevalence has led to

regulations regarding acceptable levels of contamination. "

Other current concerns include:

* In developing nations, where contamination of dietary staples is

high, the risk of liver cancer from chronic dietary aflatoxin exposure is

elevated by hepatitis infection. Except for mass poisonings, aflatoxicosis in

humans has rarely been reported, and is sometimes difficult to recognize.

* Mycotoxins such as T-2 toxin and aflatoxin B1, have been purified

and developed for use as biological warfare agents by a number of nations

including the USSR/Russia, the United States and Iraq.

* Ergot poisoning in Europe and the United States today is almost

exclusively due to excessive ingestion of ergotamine tartrate prescribed for

the

treatment of migraine.

According to Dr. Hardin, direct skin contact with purified mycotoxin (e.g.

T-2 toxin) or heavily contaminated products produce local skin reactions.

Other routes of exposure to mycotoxins have not been linked to effects on human

health.

" Some people believe that anything with the word 'toxin' in it must be very

dangerous, " said D. Fox, Ph.D., Glendale, Calif. " Some individuals tend

to focus on their symptoms and attribute all of their problems to mold

exposure, downplaying other causes. "

Molds typically cited as causing psychological or cognitive problems are

Stachybotrys chartarum, Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium. Symptoms of a

physical nature may include sleep deprivation, loss of appetite, fatigue,

headaches, dizziness, vague aches and pains and respiratory problems.

Psychological

and cognitive symptoms are also attributed to toxic mold, including

irritability, panic, anxiety, poor concentration and confusion.

" It is a normal psychological need to have an explanation for symptoms. Many

people show psychological or cognitive symptoms that are exacerbated when

their health is potentially threatened. Pre-existing psychological disorders

and misinformation from media, friends and even doctors can play a role in

causing symptoms, " said Dr. Fox

Although indoor mold is prevalent in all homes, there are steps that

mold-sensitive individuals can take to control indoor mold contamination.

" The first step toward preventing indoor mold is to stop leaks, minimize

condensation, and keep relative humidity low, " said Jay M. Portnoy, M.D.,

Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. " Dehumidifiers, proper

ventilation,

and control of air flow and air pressure can help reduce indoor mold growth.

Bleach solutions are recommended for removing mold on nonporous surfaces.

Porous surfaces may require removal and replacement of materials if mold

contamination is extensive. "

In a study conducted by Dr. Portnoy and his colleagues published 2001 in

Aerobiologia, mold spore counts were found to be highest in the laundry room

(11,424), bathroom (8,540) and unfinished basement (6,694) in a sampling of 241

rooms.

" If a patient who is sensitive to mold is exposed to substantial mold in

their environment, it may be determined that there is evidence of a

relationship

between mold exposure and symptoms. An environmental assessment may be

important if health effects are associated with the home or building and there

is

structural damage and aesthetic problems, including odor, " said Dr. Portnoy.

" We would want to look at the family history of allergic disease and find

out if the symptoms are associated with specific activities or events. The

history of the home or building, its occupancy and its environmental

characteristics would be evaluated. Fungal exposure can be measured by

collection and

analysis of house dust if validated methods are used, " he said.

[Guest guest]

If you do some time browing the medical literature following up what

happens when you introduce toxins that cause cell death (apoptosis)

into the body, you will find that the kinds of effects that mycotoxins

cause are typical of those caused by these various kinds of toxins.

One of the major problems they can cause is the killing of new, fast

growing cells. The way we learn, by laying down new permanent memories

is via our brain growing new cells and connections for those cells.

(this is called brain 'plasticity', and we do it until the day we die,

but at slower rates as we age, this is why youger people often learn

new skills more rapidly. (To some extent this tendancy can be

counteracted by some nutrients like acetyl-l-carnitine,

phosphatidylserine, huperzine, etc. - do a search for 'age related

cognitive decline.)

Environmetal toxins, and mycotoxins are perhaps the very worst of

these, cause injuries to all of the cells in the body, in direct

proportion to the concentrations they make contact with them in. So,

the cells that are on the outside get hurt the worst.. But when

mycotoxins make it into the bloodstream, they do a lot of damage,

systemically. And when they make it through the blood brain barrier,

then, they destroy brain cells. ESPECIALLY the ones involved with

imprinting - permanently, what you did yesterday, as you sleep.

For anyone who needs to work, especially someone who needs to learn

new skills on a daily basis.. (in other words, everyone whose job is

NOT in danger of being replaced by computers or offshored, who isn't

working for the government or independently wealthy) suddenly being

unable to learn new skills at the rate they have been accustomed to

inevitably means losing ones job. Because you don't offer the value

that you need to offer.

And this world is a very harsh one for those without marketable

skills. I have a very strong feeling that a very great number of the

homelsss people I see, the poor people I see who clearly have very

little or no chance of ever gaining a foothold in society because they

can barely read, etc. are that way because of hidden disabilities

caused by things like toxic exposure. So the social cost of mold

poisoning and things like it is very high. Its not a NEW thing, mold

has been with us for all of human existence. But as I said, now that

we KNOW about it, we NEED, as a society, to make those hard decisions

we need to make to ELIMINATE it from our environment.

What I would suggest is a national push for the development of blood

or saliva tests to evaluate ALL people, not just children, for toxic

exposures, and the insertion of that data into a vast geographical

database so that the causes can be identified and remediated.

Unfortunately, this kind of approach is incompatible with the idea of

private medical insurance, because if it is undertaken while people

need to purchase insurance privately, it will inevitably lead to

insurance companies collecting this data and using it to selectively

deny coverage to people who they feel are at higher risk for needing

medical care.

This will mean that as the 20th century style 'permanent' jobs dry up,

compared to others, all other things being equal, those people also

wont be able to find jobs with health insurance, or purchase it if

they are self employed. In a sense, they will be blacklisted. In fact,

this is already pretty much the situation.

(This is a real disaster because people who have been exposed to

toxins need to be closely monitored for cancer, especially.)

And what if cancer does hit, a few years down the line, as it

statistically MUST?

Without insurance, the first medical crisis that hits these folk will

strip them of all their equity..if they have any.

Perhaps this is the goal of some? But it would be VERY bad for this

nation. Because the numbers of people effected is staggering, far, far

more than any terrorism or even, war.

Not many people know this, but the average lifespan of all Americans

INCREASED more during World War II years than at any other time,

completely offsetting the deaths in the war.

The reason? Competition for workers, especially minority and women

workers was high, leading employers to offer a new perk, health

'insurance'. For many people, this was the first time in their lives

that they could afford to see a doctor. This had a huge impact on this

nation, and I suspect that much of the prosperity of the 50s, 60s and

70s (the period in which Americans salaries made real gains against

inflation - they have been essentially flat or falling since then) was

due to the improved health status of ALL Americans and the GI Bill

which gave returning soldiers access to educational opportunities that

previously, and now, unfortunately, subsequently, were/are only

available to the well off..

Now, if you look at the measures of our health, we are in terrible

shape, with almost all of the developed world far ahead of us.. (we

are better than mexico, though)

For every upper middle class and well off person with good health

insurance, and access to traditionally high levels of care, there are

three or four people with inadequate HMO-style insurance, and at least

two without any healthcare access at all..

More tax cuts, anyone?