Medical Edge -- Mold has unknown health effects

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Medical Edge -- Mold has unknown health effects

Tribune Media Services

Post-Bulletin - Rochester,MN

FROM MAYO CLINIC

http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp

?a=294661 & z=10

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: How can it be determined if you are being affected

by black mold?

Mold is everywhere, in the air and on surfaces -- and has been for

millions of years. The term mold is often used generically, but

people are routinely exposed to about 200 types of mold. Black mold

(stachybotrys chartarum) is one type that grows on fiber board,

gypsum board and other surfaces when there's water damage or excess

humidity in a building.

In recent years, mold has been blamed for various ill health

effects, from asthma to cancer. While living in a damp home with

large areas of obvious, visible mold isn't good for you, there's

little research so far that indicates what particular molds might

cause ill health effects or at what threshold molds cause illness.

In 2004, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of

Sciences released a book-sized review of current research called

Damp Indoor Spaces and Health. (An executive summary is available

free at http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id11011.)

This report found:

There's evidence of an association between mold and upper

respiratory symptoms such as a stuffy nose. Mold can worsen asthma

symptoms. It appears that people with a compromised immune system

are more susceptible to these ill health effects from mold. Some

people are allergic to mold, causing allergy symptoms.

There's limited evidence of an association between mold and lower

respiratory illness such as cough or bloody sputum in otherwise

healthy children.

There's not enough evidence to determine whether there's an

association between mold and other illnesses including shortness of

breath, lower respiratory illnesses in otherwise healthy adults,

skin symptoms, development of asthma, fatigue, cancer, reproductive

effects, rheumatologic and other immune diseases, airflow

obstruction in otherwise healthy adults, gastrointestinal problems

or several other health conditions.

If you do have excess moisture or visible mold in your home, it's

prudent to clean it up and make changes to avoid mold growth. It

doesn't matter if it's black mold or other types. There's no clear

evidence so far that stachybotrys chartarum poses any more or less

health risks than other molds. -- Dr. Li, Allergic Diseases,

Mayo Clinic, Rochester.