Re: Letter from Senator Carper/Delaware

February 24, 2007

,

That is a fantastic response. So you know, I am moving to DC for one month,

starting next week. I will definitely be calling on your Senator. There is

a movement a foot to call for a full Senate Investigation into the actions

of ACOEM.

Hopefully, by the end of March, we will have garnished enough support for

this endeavor. It is much needed to break the deceit that causes so much of the

confusion and contention over the mold issue.

Keep up the good work and everyone, keep in touch with your Senators!!!!!

Sharon

I was surprised he wrote. This is from when Sharon went to

Washington. Any news in that department.

Dear Mrs. Delp:

Thank you for contacting my office to express your concern about

toxic mold and calling attention to a series of articles in the Wall

Street Journal highlighting this issue. I appreciate hearing your

thoughts on this matter.

As you know, people are exposed to mold on a daily basis. Most

exposures in the home occur through the inhalation of mold spores,

which are components of household dust. Many people are unaffected by

exposure to moderate amounts of mold. However, it can cause allergic

reactions in some people. Approximately 6-10 percent of the general

population, and 15-50 percent of persons who are genetically prone to

develop allergies, are allergic to mold, according to the National

Academy of Sciences.

That said, some types of mold produce toxic substances known as

mycotoxins, which can cause health problems when they are inhaled,

absorbed through the skin, or ingested. Mycotoxin production varies

depending on environmental conditions such as moisture level and

temperature. As a general matter, toxin-producing molds have higher

water requirements than most household molds, so they thrive indoors

under wet conditions. Although the health impacts of exposure to

mycotoxins in the home are not well studied, adverse health effects

have been observed in occupational settings and in animal studies.

Mold exposure may also lead to infections such as fungal pneumonia in

persons with compromised immune systems.

In an effort to address this issue, Representative Conyers

introduced the Melina Bill during the last Congress. This legislation

would mandate comprehensive research on mold growth, create programs

to educate the public about the dangers of toxic mold, and provide

assistance to victims. In addition, the Melina Bill would generate

guidelines for preventing indoor mold growth, establish standards for

removing mold when it does grow, provide grants for mold removal in

public buildings, authorize tax credits for inspection and/or

remediation of mold hazards, and create a national insurance program

to protect homeowners from catastrophic losses. Ultimately, the

Melina Bill would work to prevent and fight indoor mold growth

through good science and public awareness.

With that said, I certainly understand your concern about the health

effects caused by indoor mold. The Senate did not have an opportunity

to consider the legislation before the adjournment of the 109th

Congress. However, should legislation concerning this matter be

introduced in the Senate during the 110th Congress, I will be sure to

keep you views in mind.

Thank you again for contacting me about this important matter. Please

do not hesitate to contact me about this or other matters of

importance to you in the future.

With best personal regards, I am

Sincerely,

Tom Carper

United States Senator

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email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at

http://www.aol.com.

February 24, 2007

I didn't get a reply from my senitors but it doesn't supprize me

much.

>

> ,

>

> That is a fantastic response. So you know, I am moving to DC for

one month,

> starting next week. I will definitely be calling on your

Senator. There is

> a movement a foot to call for a full Senate Investigation into the

actions

> of ACOEM.

>

> Hopefully, by the end of March, we will have garnished enough

support for

> this endeavor. It is much needed to break the deceit that causes so

much of the

> confusion and contention over the mold issue.

>

> Keep up the good work and everyone, keep in touch with your

Senators!!!!!

>

> Sharon

>

> I was surprised he wrote. This is from when Sharon went to

> Washington. Any news in that department.

>

> Dear Mrs. Delp:

>

> Thank you for contacting my office to express your concern about

> toxic mold and calling attention to a series of articles in the

Wall

> Street Journal highlighting this issue. I appreciate hearing your

> thoughts on this matter.

>

> As you know, people are exposed to mold on a daily basis. Most

> exposures in the home occur through the inhalation of mold spores,

> which are components of household dust. Many people are unaffected

by

> exposure to moderate amounts of mold. However, it can cause

allergic

> reactions in some people. Approximately 6-10 percent of the

general

> population, and 15-50 percent of persons who are genetically prone

to

> develop allergies, are allergic to mold, according to the National

> Academy of Sciences.

>

> That said, some types of mold produce toxic substances known as

> mycotoxins, which can cause health problems when they are inhaled,

> absorbed through the skin, or ingested. Mycotoxin production

varies

> depending on environmental conditions such as moisture level and

> temperature. As a general matter, toxin-producing molds have

higher

> water requirements than most household molds, so they thrive

indoors

> under wet conditions. Although the health impacts of exposure to

> mycotoxins in the home are not well studied, adverse health

effects

> have been observed in occupational settings and in animal studies.

> Mold exposure may also lead to infections such as fungal pneumonia

in

> persons with compromised immune systems.

>

> In an effort to address this issue, Representative Conyers

> introduced the Melina Bill during the last Congress. This

legislation

> would mandate comprehensive research on mold growth, create

programs

> to educate the public about the dangers of toxic mold, and provide

> assistance to victims. In addition, the Melina Bill would generate

> guidelines for preventing indoor mold growth, establish standards

for

> removing mold when it does grow, provide grants for mold removal

in

> public buildings, authorize tax credits for inspection and/or

> remediation of mold hazards, and create a national insurance

program

> to protect homeowners from catastrophic losses. Ultimately, the

> Melina Bill would work to prevent and fight indoor mold growth

> through good science and public awareness.

>

> With that said, I certainly understand your concern about the

health

> effects caused by indoor mold. The Senate did not have an

opportunity

> to consider the legislation before the adjournment of the 109th

> Congress. However, should legislation concerning this matter be

> introduced in the Senate during the 110th Congress, I will be sure

to

> keep you views in mind.

>

> Thank you again for contacting me about this important matter.

Please

> do not hesitate to contact me about this or other matters of

> importance to you in the future.

>

> With best personal regards, I am

> Sincerely,

>

> Tom Carper

> United States Senator

>

> ************************************** AOL now

offers free

> email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at

> http://www.aol.com.

>

February 24, 2007

Sharon,

Would you mind throwing out some bullet points for us to send to our

representatives, please? I have yet to write my new folks now that I'm in Texas

and I'd like to be on point with what you will be talking about.

Thank you,

Haley

snk1955@... wrote: