Guest guest Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 I thought this deserved a thread of its own.. Sharon C. Thank you - The reference is reference 98 http://whqlibdoc.who.int/bulletin/1999/Vol77-No9/bulletin_1999_77(9)_754-766.pdf <http://whqlibdoc.who.int/bulletin/1999/Vol77-No9/bulletin_1999_77%289%29_754-76\ 6.pdf> " Trichothecenes Trichothecenes are mycotoxins produced mostly by members of the Fusarium genus, although other genera (e.g. Trichoderma, Trichothecium, Myrothecium and Stachybotrys) are also known to produce these compounds. To date, 148 trichothecenes have been isolated, but only a few have been found to contaminate food and feed. The most frequent contaminants are deoxynivalenol (DON), also known as vomitoxin, nivalenol (NIV), diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), while T-2 toxin is rarer (12). Common manifestations of trichothecene toxicity are depression of immune responses and nausea, sometimes vomiting (Table 5). The first recognized trichothecene mycotoxicosis was alimentary toxic aleukia in the USSR in 1932; the mortality rate was 60% (91). In regions where the disease occurred, 5± 40% of grain samples cultured showed the presence of Fusarium sporotrichoides, while in those regions where the disease was absent this fungus was found in only 2±8% of samples. The severity of mycotoxicosis was related to the duration of consumption of toxic grain. Such severe trichothecene mycotoxicoses, the consequence of continuous ingestion of toxins, have not been recorded since this outbreak. In several cases, trichothecene mycotoxicosis was caused by a single ingestion of bread containing toxic flour (95) or rice (92, 97). *In experimental animals, trichothecenes are 40 times more toxic when inhaled than when given orally* (98). Trichothecenes were found in air samples collected during the drying and milling process on farms (99), in the ventilation systems of private houses (100) and office buildings (98), and on the walls of houses with high humidity (100, 101) (Table 6). There are some reports showing trichothecene involvement in the development of ``sick building syndrome'' (98, 100). The symptoms of airborne toxicosis disappeared when the buildings and ventilation systems were *thoroughly cleaned* (100). There are some reports that indicate that trichothecenes may have been used as chemical warfare agents in South-East Asia (Lao People's Democratic Republic and Cambodia) (102, 103). " The WHO paper footnote 98 refers to this paper: Wanda Smoragiewicz, Bruno Cossette, Armel Boutard and Krzysztof Krzystyniak Trichothecene mycotoxins in the dust of ventilation systems in office buildings. International archives of occupational and environmental health, 1993, 65: 113-117 Analysis of trichothecene mycotoxins in dust samples from ventilation systems of office buildings was applied as a rapid and inexpensive method for the detection of mycotoxins. Dust samples from three different office spaces of the Montreal urban area, reportedly affected by the ldquosick buildings syndromerdquo, were analysed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Positive colour reaction on TLC plates with 4-(p-nitrobenzyl) pyridine, specific for the 12,13-epoxy group in the trichothecene nucleus, was obtained for the extracts of 0.5- to 50-g dust samples. The dust samples contained at least four trichothecenes: T-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, roridine A and T-2 tetraol. The results were confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. Screening of dust samples from air ventilation systems of reportedly affected buildings provided direct evidence of trichothecene mycotoxins, with the detection limit estimated as 0.4-4 ng/mg dust. Thus, the dust sample analysis is suggested as a rapid technique for detecting the presence of mycotoxins in the dust of ventilation systems. Key words Trichothecene mycotoxins - Sick building syndrome - Airborne toxicosis - Indoor air pollution - Microbial contaminants In my opinion, the fact that the ACOEM *COMPLETELY LEFT THIS FACT OUT* of their oh-so-short overview of mycotoxin toxicity (which seemed to be based on ingestional toxicity, NOT INHALED) Is a CARDINAL SIN OF OMISSION THAT INVALIDATES THE ENTIRE WORK. Another HUGE sin of omission, their leaving out the large body of work on lipopolysaccaride endotoxin 'priming' of the toxicity of trichothecenes - which ALSO POTENTIATES THEIR TOXICITY GREATLY. They also left out the MCS-causing effects of MVOCs. I think these omissions were intentional BECAUSE THESE ARE THE POINTS WHERE THEIR ARGUMENT NO LONGER CAN BE ARGUED.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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