RE : Experts disagree on effects of mold exposure

[Guest guest]

This is extremely powerful given the context of the school setting. The

implication of chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and chemically related lupus is a

bombshell that the educational community is likely to fight and not to meet

square on to tackle. The powers that be in education have too much to risk

since those little 'charges' operate under a per capita budget

broken down into bussing costs, books, teacher and staff salary and on ad

infinitum.

The testing for exposure has been systematically marginalized and largely

unavailable for the practicing pediatrician. This is the segment of the medical

community that needs to get on deck with this issue as it concerns the school

systems. There are more kids than teachers.

Their immune systems are developing. They are less likely to be able to

articulate to a parent why they feel so lousy and less so to a doctor. How

often will those deep muscle aches that I have experienced be brushed off as

'growing pains' or overdoing it in the school yard.

If these urine tests for tricothecenes were more widely available, the

connection to the older teachers and staff's illnesses and workers compensation

claims would be more credible, when a school building presented risks to the

entire school population. Because children move from school to school, it is

more difficult to track what is really going on. Teachers are likely to stay in

a particular building for their entire 30+ years of their careers, whereas. the

kids move every few years from preschool to elementary, on to middle and then

high school.

It is important to remember that OSHA does not usually cover municipal, state

or federal government employees which is a travesty. An exception may fall

where an employer is a self-insurer and the statute may in a particular state

may require they follow OSHA guidelines. It is high time OSHA got on board as

they are a federal administrative agency and the Military Medical Manuals

describe in great detail the areas of mycotic disease. It is almost as if one

hand does not know what the other is doing. They are all getting the federal

paycheck. Which, they gladly take with BOTH hands.

Bravo for that acknowledgment publically about the dangers in a non

wishy-washy fashion!

tigerpaw2c <tigerpaw2c@...> a écrit :

Experts disagree on effects of mold exposure

aharris@...

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20070422/NEWS01/704220371

The Lafayette Daily Advertiser Sun, 22 Apr 2007 0:57 AM PDT

Exposure to some molds can cause immune system disorders that are

progressive and last a lifetime, according to an expert in the area.

K. May B.S., R.N., B.S.N. , an OSHA Institute accredited

instructor and owner of a national consulting company, said exposure

to toxic mold should be taken seriously.

Research on mold, the toxins it creates and the impact on humans is

not conclusive, leaving room for controversy about methods of

testing both those exposed and their environment.

" It's a developing area of public health concern, " May said.

For parents at Plantation Elementary School, which is being tested

for toxic mold Monday and Tuesday, the scientific debate only adds

to the confusion.

On Friday, state Department of Health and Hospitals representatives

performed a visual inspection of the building. Their official

results have not been released. However, representatives on Friday

told Plantation parents the school appeared safe.

Seven Plantation children have tested positive to exposure to a

toxin the mold Stachybotrys can produce. However, that test is not

FDA approved. The children who tested positive have had symptoms

ranging from vomiting, blackouts and diarrhea to muscle cramps and

chronic sinus infections.

May said once exposed to toxic molds, symptoms do not go away. She

said symptoms, like headaches, stomachaches, vomiting and burning in

the throat, will flare up when someone is exposed again.

May said removing someone from the environment does not cure them

from the toxins. She also said once the immune system is impacted by

the toxins, people become much more sensitive to any type of mold.

" It's progressive, " she said. " It can cause chronic fatigue

syndrome, fibromyalgia and chemical-induced lupus. "

However, one Lafayette allergist, Brent Prather, who performed a

visual tour of Plantation Elementary, said the school where the mold

was found appeared safe and encouraged parents to visit him for a

second opinion.

Stachybotrys is often referred to as black mold and can create

toxins. The toxins that Stachybotrys can create can damage the

immune system, May said.

" It's not an allergy, " she said. " This is an immune system disorder. "

On Saturday, the Lafayette Parish School System began testing and

cleaning at Plantation Elementary. The school will be closed Monday

and Tuesday for the process that is slated to cost $85,000.

The plan is to test the school using several methods, clean the

school and then test again before students return Wednesday.

However, the results of the testing will not be available by the

time student are back in class.

Although May could not comment specifically on the Plantation case,

she did say mold remediation can require removing the pipes from

ventilation systems.

" Wiping it down will not solve it, " she said. " Remove the source.

You can't wipe it clean. This stuff grows and moves. "

During spring break, the school system performed remediation on the

school's band room, which showed high levels of Stachybotrys. The

school system performed a remediation of the room, closed it to

students and tested again. They released the results that showed

normal levels of mold Thursday.

On Monday, parents began asking for the entire school to be tested.

On Friday, the district announced the school would be closed to be

tested and cleaned.

According to May, there is not an appropriate test for the mold

exposure. She said eliminating other possible reasons for illness is

the best method. It's a method that has been followed by some of the

parents at Plantation who have taken their children to myriad

doctors with no results before turning to the explanation that

something at the school is making their children sick.

The tests used to measure the Plantation children's exposure is a

urine test that looks for a mycotoxin called trichothecene. However,

that test is not FDA approved. The links between Stachybotrys,

mycotoxins and illness still are being researched.

May said the toxins that impact the body can live in fat cells for a

lifetime. She said the progression of illness and severity of

symptoms depends on genetics and the amount of exposure.

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