Researchers Divided on Toxic Mold - Drs.Portnoy, Bardana -2003

[Guest guest]

Researchers Divided on Toxic Mold

Researchers are at odds as to how harmful some household molds truly

are.

By Lawrence

WebMD Feature

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=52250

Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario

Several years ago, Cheryl, a special education assistant in

Vancouver, British Columbia, said her son, then about 18 years old,

started throwing up each morning. Yet when he was on the road with

his band, he didn't throw up. Eventually, she and her husband peeked

under their son's waterbed and gasped! Underneath, she says, was a

solid coating of black slime with a fluorescent green cast, which

turned out to be stachybotrys chartarum -- a controversial fungus

suspected by some researchers of causing a gamut of illnesses in

susceptible people.

But is the creeping, black slime a silent household health hazard or

not?

" Let's just say two factions have developed, " says Jay Portnoy, MD,

a physician at Children of Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., and a

fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology

(AAAI). " Some doctors now say there is no evidence at all that it

causes harm. Others say it may be causing a lot of symptoms. I come

out in the middle. There seems to be a relationship between mold and

illness, but it's hard to prove. We can't blow mold in people's

faces to see what happens. That wouldn't be ethical. "

" Mold is more of a transient annoyance, " counters Emil J. Bardana,

Jr., MD, professor of allergy and immunology at Oregon Health &

Science University in Portland and also a member of the AAAI,

counters: " House dust mites, animal dander, and cockroach allergens

cause many more problems. "

Nevertheless, Portnoy maintains that there is a growing body of

evidence that penicillium and aspergillus, which are usually found

indoors and smell bad, and cladosporium, present in outdoor air and

less odoriferous, are not good to have around.

However, it is the green-black scourge stachybotrys that has gotten

the most press, attacking the houses of high-profile victims such as

crusader Brockovich and resulting in crushing lawsuits that

have driven up insurance rates and sent homeowner insurance

companies into a tizzy. Stachybotrys, however, is associated with

only 20% of reported cases of suspected mold exposure.

What Might Make You Suspect Toxic Mold

Portnoy says his interest was prompted by escalating numbers of

asthma patients coming into his hospital. They sent inspectors to

the homes of some kids with stubborn cases and found mold in high

percentages. Sometimes the symptoms mimic asthma -- difficulty

breathing and sneezing. Or existing asthma can be exacerbated,

sometimes to a fatal level.

Other symptoms include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and strange

rashes. In one famous instance, in the mid-1990s, a cluster of 45

cases of lung bleeding in infants, 16 of whom died, was attributed

to stachybotrys.

With respect to the latter, Bardana says, " This has been retracted. "

" Changed, " Portnoy shoots back, " not retracted. "

The study's author, Dorr G. Dearborn, MD, PhD, professor of

environmental sciences at Case Western Reserve University in

Cleveland, says the Centers for Disease Control altered his

epidemiological study design, which resulted in 1.5% chance of

infant lung bleeding if exposed to stachybotrys, instead of the 9.8%

reported earlier. Although a smaller number, this is still

statistically significant, Dearborn insists.

How Toxic Mold Acts on the Body

According to Portnoy, mold attacks in one of four ways.

First, you could be allergic to it. This occurs in 10% to 20% of

cases. A skin or blood test would pinpoint it as an allergic

substance.

Second, substances called ergosterol and glucan in the walls of the

mold cell can cause hay fever-like symptoms. You don't have to be

allergic -- anyone could react to these.

Third, molds release organic compounds such as benzene and acetone,

which would raise alarms in any workplace and are linked to nausea,

dizziness, and headaches. Again, you don't have to be allergic.

And last, molds, like other organisms, don't want to compete for

food and nurturing, so they expel mycotoxins to kill competitors

such as bacteria. In the case of helpful mycotoxins, we call these

antibiotics and use them to help us. But in the case of some molds,

the mycotoxins target cells within our bodies and may cause problems

such as cancer, stillbirths, and bleeding in infants. Stachybotrys

makes a lot of these harmful mycotoxins.

" There is no literature that convinces me people get sick from

inhaled mycotoxins. From eating them, yes, " Bardana says. Other

researchers have also found a dearth of " well substantiated,

supportive evidence of serious illness due to stachybotrys exposure

in a contemporary environment. "

" You can always say there isn't enough evidence, " Portnoy

says. " What's enough evidence? Whatever these people say it is. "

Where Toxic Mold Hides

If you consider mold a potential problem, you should know it we are

not talking about green bread mold or the kind that grows on shower

tiles. Potentially toxic mold grows on wood, fiber, or paper that

has gotten wet for more than a few days. Growth occurs when there is

moisture from water damage, excessive humidity, water leaks, water

infiltration, or even from flooding.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that the tiny mold

spores waft through the air and land on inviting damp spots. The

spores may enter your home through the ventilation systems, doorways

and windows and are distributed around the house. The only way to

get rid of the mold permanently is to get rid of the moisture. You

can do this by:

Fix leaks and seepage, even if it involves landscaping around

basements.

Put plastic over dirt in crawlspaces and keep them well ventilated.

Use exhaust fans in kitchen and bathroom.

Turn off humidifiers if you see condensation on windows.

Use dehumidifiers and air conditioners, especially in hot humid

climates.

Also, pay special attention to carpet on concrete floors. Use area

rugs that can be lifted and washed, or install a vapor barrier over

the concrete.

Even Bardana recommends cleaning up mold if you find it. " Don't go

crazy, don't burn your house down, " he adds. " This debate is so

overheated. " In most cases cleaning with bleach and water can remove

mold, but for more extensive problems contact a professional with

experience cleaning mold can be contracted.

Star Lawrence is a medical writer based in the Phoenix area.

Published Sept. 15, 2003.

[Guest guest]

On Tue, 13 Mar 2007 21:16:13 -0000, you wrote:

>

> " Let's just say two factions have developed, " says Jay Portnoy, MD,

>a physician at Children of Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., and a

>fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology

>(AAAI). " Some doctors now say there is no evidence at all that it

>causes harm. Others say it may be causing a lot of symptoms. I come

>out in the middle. There seems to be a relationship between mold and

>illness, but it's hard to prove. We can't blow mold in people's

>faces to see what happens. That wouldn't be ethical. "

PLEASE! IT WOULD BE UNETHICAL NOT TOO! How can we objectively

substantiate the relation between mold and SEVERE mold reactivity

otherwise?

I personally would volunteer to have such test's done on me under

carefully controlled conditions where vital scientific data could be

collected. I'm being exposed to mold in ordinary everyday conditions

anyway's! If I were put in a bubble where I was allowed to reach a

baseline and experimented on probability is a concise conclusion

could be reached by exposing me to less mold than I incur now in the

real world. As well as a treasure trove of data on many different

facet's of this disease.

The reactors sensitivity levels.

consistency's of symptoms between reactors.

the precise component in molds that make us react so violently.

weather it's an allergic reaction or a toxicological one, weather mold

alone is capable of causing this illness or weather one needs a push

from big pesticide and big chemical to react the way we do.

A better understanding of what is going on physiologically inside our

bodies.

I believe understanding mold reactivity could give scientist's

valuable insight into immune disorders and could open up unimaginable

possibilities in treating a vast range of them.

THESE TEST'S NEED TO BE DONE! That is unless the goal is to not

recognize mold born illness for another 20 years and discredit us.

I'm sure big pest and big chem would love this!

[Guest guest]

If one hasn't already, a necessary read is " Mold Warriors " by Dr.

Ritchie Shoemaker, and also read up on genotype research in relation

to mold neurotoxin reactivity in humans.

http://www.chronicneurotoxins.com/

http://www.moldwarriors.com/index.cfm

V

>

> >

> > " Let's just say two factions have developed, " says Jay Portnoy,

MD,

> >a physician at Children of Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., and

a

> >fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology

> >(AAAI). " Some doctors now say there is no evidence at all that it

> >causes harm. Others say it may be causing a lot of symptoms. I

come

> >out in the middle. There seems to be a relationship between mold

and

> >illness, but it's hard to prove. We can't blow mold in people's

> >faces to see what happens. That wouldn't be ethical. "

>

> PLEASE! IT WOULD BE UNETHICAL NOT TOO! How can we objectively

> substantiate the relation between mold and SEVERE mold reactivity

> otherwise?

>

> I personally would volunteer to have such test's done on me under

> carefully controlled conditions where vital scientific data could be

> collected. I'm being exposed to mold in ordinary everyday

conditions

> anyway's! If I were put in a bubble where I was allowed to reach a

> baseline and experimented on probability is a concise conclusion

> could be reached by exposing me to less mold than I incur now in the

> real world. As well as a treasure trove of data on many different

> facet's of this disease.

>

> The reactors sensitivity levels.

>

> consistency's of symptoms between reactors.

>

> the precise component in molds that make us react so violently.

>

> weather it's an allergic reaction or a toxicological one, weather

mold

> alone is capable of causing this illness or weather one needs a

push

> from big pesticide and big chemical to react the way we do.

>

> A better understanding of what is going on physiologically inside

our

> bodies.

>

> I believe understanding mold reactivity could give scientist's

> valuable insight into immune disorders and could open up

unimaginable

> possibilities in treating a vast range of them.

>

> THESE TEST'S NEED TO BE DONE! That is unless the goal is to not

> recognize mold born illness for another 20 years and discredit us.

>

> I'm sure big pest and big chem would love this!

>

>