Mold is the source for many flu-like afflictions (good comments by doctor)

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Mold is the source for many flu-like afflictions

Newsday - Long Island,NY*

BY DELTHIA RICKS

delthia.ricks@...; Staff writer Carl

November 28, 2007

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nytxtmold285478989nov28,0,766868.st

ory

Exposure to mold concentrated in a building can result in a diverse

range of health effects that can include chronic cough, headaches

and memory loss.

One of the most notorious offenders is a spore-producing black mold

that can severely sicken people and pets and is one of the leading

causes of the phenomenon known as sick building syndrome, in which

occupants experience acute illness from contaminants.

" There are hundreds of different kinds of mold, " said Bill Haile,

director and chief executive of American Ecotech Corp., a Deer Park

environmental testing and air purification company. On Long Island,

many of the most common molds include Penicillium, Aspergillus,

Cladosporium - and Stachybotrys chartarum, a pathogenic black mold

that can force the closure of buildings and drive people from their

homes. The latter, also known as toxic mold, produces spores called

mycotoxins.

It has not yet been determined that toxic mold is the cause of

respiratory problems in residents of a Westbury luxury apartment

building.

Dr. Ken Steier, director of patient safety at Nassau University

Medical Center, and a pulmonary disease specialist, said he has

treated hundreds of patients throughout his career who have suffered

respiratory problems as a direct result of exposure to molds of all

kinds, including toxic mold.

In addition to respiratory problems, Steier cites hearing loss,

dizziness, rashes, and excessive bruising and memory problems as

some of the medical problems that have been attributed to exposure.

Toxic mold, he added, is the most sinister because it is capable of

inhibiting DNA and protein synthesis in mammalian cells, obstructing

the function of normal body processes.

" The first step is to get rid of moisture, " Steier said

yesterday. " The best remedies are sunlight, ventilation and

household cleansers, especially bleach. "

But Haile begs to differ on the usefulness of bleach, which he said

can be ineffective against toxic mold. " Bleach doesn't kill mold; it

covers it up and it makes the mycoflora [spores] go airborne. "

Haile blames Long Island's increasing problems with mold on

dampness, especially in basements of older structures. But, he said,

newer buildings are affected too because codes require them to be

airtight. As a result, moisture is trapped and mold grows.

Mold and dampness are factors in 21 percent of current asthma cases

and cost the nation $3.5 billion a year in health-care expenses,

according to a study done by scientists at the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

A paper published earlier this year by a scientist at the Berkeley

lab found that mold and building dampness increased the risk of

respiratory and asthma-related illnesses by 30 to 50 percent.

Staff writer Carl Macgowan contributed to this story.