Sewage-flooded Winnipeg residents raise cleanup concerns

[Guest guest]

Sewage-flooded Winnipeg residents raise cleanup concerns

CBC Manitoba - Winnipeg,Manitoba,Canada*

Friday, August 17, 2007

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2007/08/17/sewage-flood.html

Winnipeggers whose home basements were flooded with sewage due to a

city error in July are concerned about the effectiveness of the

cleanup and the possibility of lingering mould and bacteria.

As much as a metre of sewage water backed up into more than 50 homes

in the area around Assiniboine Avenue and Ferry Road on July 25.

City officials accepted responsibility for the flooding, admitting a

municipal crew working in the area had failed to reopen a gate that

would have drained the sewage into the river during the storm.

Three weeks later, some of the residents have refused to return to

their homes, saying they are not convinced that mould and other

contaminants have been properly removed.

Several homeowners complain the city has not discussed what level of

cleanliness is acceptable, nor has the city done any air-quality

testing or followed up with them about health issues.

Mould, odours in homes

and said the city's response was great in the week

after the flood. A city-approved company quickly cleaned and

decontaminated the basement of his home on Ferry Road.

But when the couple returned to the home, said his wife, who

has lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease, had a reaction immediately.

" When she comes back in, in about 10 minutes minimum, she is

coughing. She can't handle the environment, " he told CBC News.

" For sure I'm going to have to pull out the studs here, for the sake

of my wife's health, and probably my own. "

Several of the 's neighbours have similar stories of health

issues or persistent odours.

" It was only after everybody else was coming in my house and

saying, 'Yes, your house stinks,' that I think, 'OK, we've got a

problem,' " said Joan Cummings of her home on Roseberry.

Cummings had her home tested; the tests showed unacceptably high

levels of a type of mould that can be dangerous.

" I feel like, am I the one responsible for investigating all this to

understand? " she said. " Sometimes when I ask people [things], they

don't know, so I just feel like, 'OK, this is my home. It's maybe my

responsibility to make sure it's safe and find out what the right

procedures are.' "

Air quality testing offered

City officials said they will test the air quality in the homes of

anyone affected by the sewage backup.

" We are on the case, " city spokesman Ken said after he was

contacted by CBC about the homeowners' concerns.

" We take these concerns very seriously, and we will be testing air

quality in the homes where there are concerns. "

Homeowners who want the testing done should contact their adjustor

to arrange for testing, said.

Dr. Tim Hilderman, a provincial medical officer of health, said air-

quality testing is just one piece of the puzzle.

" I think the only way you know for sure is — regardless of what air

quality is telling you — is that you have to have the complete

visual inspection to ensure there is no sources of on0going mould. "

Air conditioning and heating systems will also have to be examined,

he said, and if homeowners are still unsure, they should consult an

expert.

" Certainly I would encourage them to contact their local public

health unit and talk to a public health inspector. "

So far, three homeowners have taken up the offer for air-quality

testing, city officials said.

[Guest guest]

* *Mold and bacteria together.. a match made in

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J Toxicol Environ Health A. <javascript:AL_get(this, 'jour', 'J Toxicol

Environ Health A.');> 2003 Feb

28;66(4):379-91.Links<javascript:PopUpMenu2_Set(Menu12554543);>

Modulation of lipopolysaccharide-induced proinflammatory cytokine production

by satratoxins and other macrocyclic trichothecenes in the murine

macrophage.*Chung

YJ*<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed & Cmd=Search & Term=%22Chung%\

20YJ%22%5BAuthor%5D & itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubme\

d_RVAbstractPlus>,

*Jarvis

B*<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed & Cmd=Search & Term=%22Jarvis%\

20B%22%5BAuthor%5D & itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed\

_RVAbstractPlus>,

*Pestka

J*<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed & Cmd=Search & Term=%22Pestka%\

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..

Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Institute for Environmental

Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-224,

USA.

The satratoxins and other macrocyclic trichothecene mycotoxins are produced

by Stachybotrys, a mold that is often found in water-damaged dwellings and

office buildings. To test the potential immunomodulatory effects of these

mycotoxins, RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells were treated with various

concentrations of satratoxin G (SG), isosatratoxin F (iSF), satratoxin H

(SH), roridin A (RA), and verrucarin A (VA) for 48 h in the presence or

absence of suboptimal concentra-tion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 50 ng/ml),

and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha ) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)

production were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In

LPS-stimulated cultures, TNF-alpha supernatant concentrations were

significantly increased in the presence of 2.5, 2.5, and 1 ng/ml of SG, SH,

and RA, respectively, whereas IL-6 concentrations were not affected by the

same concentrations these macrocyclic trichothecenes. When cells that were

treated with LPS and SG (2.5 ng/ml) were evaluated by real-time polymerase

chain reaction (PCR),TNF-alpha mRNA was found to increase at 24, 36, and 48

h compared to control cells. At higher concentrations, cytokine production

and cell viability were markedly impaired in LPS-stimulated cells. Without

LPS stimulation, neither TNF-alpha, nor IL-6 was induced. These results

indicate that low concentrations of macrocyclic trichothecenes superinduce

expression of TNF-alpha, whereas higher concentrations of these toxins are

cytotoxic and concurrently reduce cytokine production. The capacity of

satratoxins and other macrocyclic trichothecenes to alter cytokine

production may play an etiologic role in outbreaks of

Stachybotrys-associated human illnesses.

PMID: 12554543 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]