Toxic Mold Task Force Starts Work in New York

[Guest guest]

Toxic Mold Task Force Starts Work in New York

Date Published: Wednesday, December 12th, 2007

Newsinferno.com - New York,NY*

http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/2191

The New York State Toxic Mold Task Force, newly formed by Governor

Eliot Spitzer, has now been established and is getting to work.

Various molds, especially toxic molds, have long been a public

concern, especially on Long Island whose increasing problems with

mold can be blamed on dampness, especially in basements of older

structures. New building codes require buildings to be airtight,

allowing moisture to be trapped and encouraging mold growth. Mold

is fuzzy growth found on moist organic matter by several types of

fungi. The quantity of mold fragments and spores needed to cause

health problems varies from person to person; however, this toxic

substance factors in 21 percent of asthma cases, cost the nation

$3.5 billion yearly in health care expenses, and increase the risk

of respiratory- and asthma-related illnesses by up to 50 percent.

Flourishing in dampness, mold sometimes become so embedded that

entire walls must be removed to rid structures of the invasion. On

Long Island, the most common forms include Penicillium, Aspergillus,

Cladosporium, and Stachybotrys chartarum, the toxic black mold and

asthma trigger. Besides inhalation, people can become exposed to

mold through skin contact and by eating moldy food.

Toxic mold has been the source of lawsuits and disability payments

after people inhaled contaminated indoor air and, in 2004, an

Institute of Medicine panel—an arm of the National Academies that

advises Congress on health issues—concluded that indoor mold and

dampness are linked to respiratory symptoms and asthma in vulnerable

people. Black or toxic mold—Stachybotrys chartarum—is pathogenic,

produces spores called mycotoxins, and can inhibit DNA and protein

synthesis in mammalian cells, obstructing body functions. Toxic

mold severely sickens people and pets and is a leading cause

of " sick building syndrome. " Toxic molds can produce several toxic

chemicals called mycotoxins that can damage health. Mycotoxins are

present on the spores and small mold fragments that are released

into the air. In high concentrations, these fragments and toxix can

trigger symptoms even in individuals who have no allergies and can

cause chronic cough, headaches, rashes, dizziness, excessive

bruising, and hearing and memory loss.

Mold has been found throughout residential communities on Long

Island and in tri-state area schools. Last month, an entire housing

complex in the Long Island community of Westbury was shut down from

a deadly and toxic mold infestation displacing hundreds of residents

in the midst of this year's holiday season. The Department of

Health and the Department of State have announced that the New York

State Toxic Mold Task Forces has now been established. The task

force is a newly formed, 14-member panel that will investigate

related health issues; the task force's first meeting was held on

Tuesday, December 4, 2007 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. in the

Boardroom of the New York State Nurse's Association Headquarters

office in Latham.

The Task Force will be preparing a report to the governor and the

legislature that assesses the current body of knowledge on toxic

mold, provides the status of toxic mold in the state, and assesses

the feasibility of any further actions to be taken by the

legislature or state agencies, as required by the law.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 12th, 2007 at 10:21 am

and is filed under Legal News, Health Concerns, Toxic Substances.

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.