What are the real effects of Mold Exposure?

[Guest guest]

September 23, 2003

What are the real effects of Mold Exposure?

For the last 3 months my workplace has struggled with the effects of

Stachybotrys and the remediation thereof. Over the 15 years of

employment

at my workplace there has always been complaints of " poor air

quality " by

employees. Testing has been done occasionally (I'm not sure what

methods

were used), and employees were always reassured that the air quality

was

within safe levels. However, I'm beginning to believe that probably

due to

the fact that " standards for judging what is an acceptable,

tolerable, or

normal quantity of mold have not been established " as noted in Q & A

15 in

the: CDC Website linked to the

www.gov.on.ca/LAB/english/hs/alerts/a20.html

has made it quite acceptable for administration to inform employees

that the

air quality was within safe levels.

Because so little seems to be documented about the effects of mold on

humans, I have found it quite difficult to convince Staff Health, my

doctor,

and an allergist whom I was referred to by my workplace, that my

symptoms

are directly related to the mold and/or air quality. Four days

before the

Stachybotrys was found, I complained to administration that I was

having

great difficulty breathing and I was short of breath, with chest

pressure,

sore eyes and feeling tired. Other symptoms that developed include:

occasional sharp pain behind the eyes; post nasal drip; constant

clearing

of the throat; dirt-like taste in mouth; several days I was

constantly

yawning and totally exhausted by the end of day; nauseated;

feeling sad;

burning sensation in nostrils; pain in upper back into the neck

area;

diarrhea; hair loss; unable to concentrate; memory loss;

tingling in the

mouth and burning around the mouth; bloody lesions/pimples over the

body,

inadvertent facial movements; when going to bed, continually get

phlegm,

and have difficulty falling asleep, and in the morning for the first

several

hours, coughing up phlegm. Other employees are also experiencing

frequent

nosebleeds, eye infections, sinusitis, headaches, dizziness,

pneumonia, and

diagnosis of asthma. Over the last months, it has been suggested

several

times that I must be having husband problems, or perhaps family

problems or

maybe family extended problems or job related problems. Not once

has it

been suggested that perhaps one or two of the symptoms may possibly

be

related to the mold/air quality. Perhaps the CDC Summary makes it

quite

easy for doctors and employers/administration/Staff Health to ignore

what

seems to be the obvious, (especially when mold has been found and

tested to

be Stachybotrys). The CDC summary notes: " In summary, Stachybotrys

chartarum (Stachybotrys atra) and other molds may cause health

symptoms that

are nonspecific. At present there is no test that proves an

association

between Stachybotrys chartarum (Stachybotrys atra) and particular

health

symptoms. "

I won't go into all the details, except to say that on July 10th my

doctor

put me on Flonase and suggested that I don't worry about the

symptoms. By

August 1st, I had a doctor's note stating that I was to be off work

until

September 2nd. On August 21st, I had allergy testing done for

environmental

allergens. The result was that I was not allergic to any

environmental

allergens, molds and pollen included. This became quite a problem,

in the

sense that although I had all signs of being allergic to the mold/air

quality, allergy testing showed that I was not.

Administration/Staff Health

now believed the effects of mold was not nearly as bad as I was

stating, and

since I was not even allergic to mold, what really was my problem.

On

September 2nd, I returned to work, and the symptoms returned, which I

reported to Staff Health at the end of day. A meeting was requested

by

Administration on September 8th, and it was made quite clear that I

needed

to prove that my symptoms were mold/air quality related before I

would be

moved to another location where the air quality would perhaps be

better, as

was requested in the doctor's note to Staff Health on September

5th. I had

already quit taking Flonase. I believed it was masking the

problem. It did

not make any sense to me to try to open up my airways even more so

that I

could freely breath/inhale more poisons/toxins. If my breathing

difficulties gets to the point of needing medication, I think there

is a

real problem with the air quality, and it's time to fight for better

air

quality. Feeling that I definitely needed to do everything I could

to

protect my health, I started to wear a medical mask. On Wednesday,

September 10, I was sent home by Staff Health, and told I would not

be

returning to the workplace until all test results for mold are

negative.

I earnestly began to do research. Without a doubt, I knew the

symptoms were

not stress related, but now I had to prove that they were mold

related.

During the summer, I had already found the following information:

1. People can actually have fungi growing on their lungs. See

http://www.mold-survivor.com/lungsl.htm

Mold Found In Girl's Lungs

" The little girl, he said, showed classic symptoms of stachybotrys

infection. Her grades were falling and she felt lethargic, signs of

the mold

attacking the nervous system. " Please note that this is not the only

isolate

of stachybotrys, " Ordog wrote. " There are now at least six other

patients

from portables in the Saugus district who are complaining of feeling

ill

while in the classrooms and who (have tested positive) for high

levels of

stachybotrys. "

I had never heard of anyone having mold on their lungs until I

noticed this

article on the web in late July. However on July 31st , I spoke

with my

neighbor and mentioned why I was off work. She told me that her

grandson,

had an operation on his right lung last Christmas (2002) due to

mold. I

called the mom and heard about how her son had many symptoms over a

period

of time, and it took several doctors almost a year to find out what

the

problem was. He had undergone many tests, and finally one of the

doctors

requested an MRI, and found what they thought was a growth on the

lung. He

was then referred to a doctor at the Cancer Clinic. When they

operated they

found fungus the size of a mushroom in one area and they had to

sweep the

rest of his lungs due to a layer of fungus growing. He was in

hospital for

4 or 5 days, and then on strong anti-fungal medication for a period

of time

to help his body fight against invasion of mold/fungus. The doctor

asked

him if he knew where he could have been in contact with mold. He

had lived

in two different basement apartments during the past 2 years while a

college

student. The college was found to be mold free and the latest

apartment he

lived in, no evidence of mold could be found. The family was unable

to

check the first basement apartment he had lived in, since the owners

had

changed.

2. Labour Day weekend I spoke to someone who also had Stachybotrys

in their

workplace 2 years ago, and I found out that she also was seen by the

same

allergist as I was along with 4 other employees that she was aware

of, and

all 5 of them had negative results to being allergic to mold.

However,

sadly to say, she along with some others, now have Asthma and need

to use a

Puffer every day. We noted that it was quite odd that all of us had

negative results, even though our symptoms appeared to be allergic in

nature. Some co-workers suggested that I request a referral to

another

allergist for a second opinion.

After doing more research, I sent the following information to the

Administration at my workplace on Monday, September 15.

The following website I received from Dr. Kristian F. Nielson, a

researcher

in Denmark.

?There is a new US company which sells some very, very sensitive

test kits

for Stachybotrys http://www.envirologix.com/, you should have a local

specialist to do that.?

The indoor air quality industry now has a new analytical technology

available in different formats. QuickTox & trade; strips can rapidly

and

inexpensively identify Stachybotrys and

Aspergillus niger on?site in 5 minutes. The QuantiTox & trade; plate

kit can

confirm mycotoxin?containing spore presence and quantitate the level

of

spore?borne trichothecene mycotoxins. Our new Home Test kit for

these toxic

molds gives immediate results, at home, for the presence or absence

of the

mold spores.

This new test (July 2003) will help indoor air quality experts

determine if

people inside a certain building are at risk of exposure to

trichothecenes.

After a building is remediated, the test can help determine if the

air is

now trichothecene mycotoxin?free. This test is used by commercial

laboratories serving industrial hygienists, environmental engineers

and

consultants, environmental attorneys, insurance professionals, home

inspectors and remediation professionals

The information I have researched on the web concerning

Stachybotrys, mostly

from medical sites appear to be somewhat more serious than I am led

to

believe by administration. I believe medical sites are more

informative and

accurate than the government websites, since government information

is only

as good as the information they request and/or receive from the

medical

field.

1. In early July I suggested that the air ventilation system was

causing my

problems. I was told ?no, it?s not in the air system...we have the

mold

contained. It doesn?t go through the air system?

Research notes:

Distribution through the air is possible if the mold dries out or is

disturbed. Because of this danger of the airborne dispersion of

spores, all

cleaning and removal of Stachybotrys mold should be done using

appropriate

controls.

The spores die readily after release. Dead spores can be quite

dangerous,

as they often set off mycotoxins. As Stachybotrys produces these

toxigenic

spores that are potentially dangerous to humans, they can enter an

air-conveyance system and damage the lungs and create trauma to the

small

passage airways.

2. The information we received from " Facility Management Services'

Plant

Operations and Maintenance Manager? from the CDC Website linked to

the

ALERT; www.cdc.gov/nceh/airpollution/mold/stachy.htm appears to be

somewhat

outdated.

It notes that people who have asthma, bronchitis, hay fever, other

allergies, or have weakened immune systems are more likely to react

to

mould.

However, it appears to me that recent research is showing that

people who

are exposed to mold are more likely to develop asthma, etc. and that

toxins

can suppress or even destroy the immune system.

Research is showing that mold and the toxin produced by Stachybotrys

will

suppress and could destroy the immune system affecting the lymphoid

tissue

and the bone marrow.

Research shows: Mold, with it's spores and sometimes deadly

mycotoxins, can

compromise the immune system and cause apoptosis (death of cells)

that

initiate the immune system's reaction to the body's own

constituents, which

can lead to serious illness.

Research notes: Present results provide new evidence of the relation

between workplace exposure to indoor molds and adult?onset asthma.

Research notes: Most patients are positive for ANA, the classic test

for

autoimmune, but, after treatment and removing the source of

exposure, these

tests become negative. Medicine considers autoimmune problems

currently as

" idiopathic " , that is, there is no known cause. An unexplained

oddity is

that doctors have noticed their mold exposed patients have still have

elevated B cell activity ten years after exposure, which suggests an

over

activated immune system. Mycotoxins (which have been confirmed to be

neurotoxins) are also a known carcinogen so this can actually play

double

jeopardy on a patient's health. Additionally, these organic

elements,

according to New York physician Eckardt Johanning could perpetuate

the

allergy asthma 'epidemic.'

Research notes: many tests are available to determine exposure to

mold and

mycotoxins. There are many tests that can be taken to determine

antibodies

levels as well as environmental toxic levels

Serology tests for mold

ELISA tests on blood for mycotoxins

MAST chemiluminescent system

DNA testing

Urine tricothecene test

IgG Panel Blood test

serum antibodies test

3. I was sent to an allergist and the result is that I do not have

any

environmental allergies.

According to research, this is usually the case.

Research states:

the impact on the body with the inhalation of these mycotoxins,

including

the mucous membranes, are often mistaken for an " allergic "

reaction. Many

allergists disagree that inhalation of these mycotoxins can have

such a

profound shock on the body, yet there is more and more evidence to

back up

the fact that there is a direct correlation to other distinct

illnesses (see

note below from World Health Organization)

FINNISH RESEARCH PROGRAMME ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

?Mold allergy diagnosed by skin prick tests to moulds was relatively

rare,

in 4% of the school children. No tendency from mild to positive

reactions

was seen during the three?year follow?up period. Most reactions to

molds

were in children with multiple skin test reactions to common

allergens.?

Sensitization to Molds and Respiratory Symptoms in School Children

E?mail: Taina.Taskinen@..., taina.taskinen@...

Skin prick tests to 13 molds (9 occurring in environment and 4

indicating

moisture problems in buildings) were performed in the 208 symptomatic

children. A positive reaction (>3mm) was observed in only 5 (2%)

children.

4. Allergists and respirologists will only deal with my symptoms.

Serology

tests for mold or ELISA tests on blood for mycotoxins will perhaps

prove

what the root of the problem is.

Medical field notes: Environmental illness is on the rise and few

physicians appear to be extremely concerned; mostly due to

ignorance of the

possible severe complications. This is not just some abstract

ailment that

manifests itself in someone's mind.

Research states:

Toxicologically, stachybotrys can produce extremely potent

trichothecene

poisons.

Stachybotrys is one of many molds that are capable of producing one

or more

mycotoxins (chemicals produced molds that may be able to cause

symptoms or

illness and death in people)

Mycotoxins and other biologically active compounds produced by

stachybotrys

are the reason why this fungus is of such great concern to human

health.

Affects by absorption of the toxins in the human lung are known as

pneumomycosis

The toxin produced by this fungus will suppress and could destroy

the immune

system affecting the lymphoid tissue and the bone marrow. The

toxins may

also suppress the immune system.

Diseases associated with inhalation of fungal spores can include

toxic

pneumonitis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, tremors, chronic fatigue

syndrome, kidney failure, and cancer.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,

town, West

Virginia USA

When the World Health Organization recently convened, Dr. A.V.

Costantini,

head of the organization; an internist who just claims to be a

country

doctor, listed fourteen diseases wherein fungal (mold & Candida

Albicans)

forms of microorganisms have been found include the following:

atherosclerosis, cancer, AIDS, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid

arthritis,

Sjogren's syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, gout, Crohn's

disease,

Multiple sclerosis, hyperactivity syndrome, Infertility, psoriasis,

cirrhosis of the liver, Alzheimer's disease, Scleroderma, Raynaud's

Disease,

sarcoidosis, kidney stones, amyloidosis, vasculitis, and Cushing's

disease.

Dr. Costantini, believes that the concept of " auto?immune " diseases

contains a fatal flaw, because no successful species can develop a

system of

defense which attacks itself. Antibodies that are measured in the

blood

stream and which imply an autoimmune condition are actually

antibodies

against ubiquitin, a substance that is present in many species

including

that of fungi.

Research Abstracts:

Indoor dampness and molds and development of adult-onset asthma: a

population-based incident case-control study.

Jaakkola MS, Nordman H, Piipari R, Uitti J, Laitinen J, Karjalainen

A,

Hahtola P, Jaakkola JJ.

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland.

Previous cross-sectional and prevalent case-control studies have

suggested

increased risk of asthma in adults related to dampness problems and

molds in

homes. We conducted a population-based incident case-control study

to assess

the effects of indoor dampness problems and molds at work and at

home on

development of asthma in adults. We recruited systematically all

new cases

of asthma during a 2.5-year study period (1997-2000) and randomly

selected

controls from a source population consisting of adults 21-63 years

old

living in the Pirkanmaa Hospital district, South Finland. The

clinically

diagnosed case series consisted of 521 adults with newly diagnosed

asthma

and the control series of 932 controls, after we excluded 76 (7.5%)

controls

with a history of asthma. In logistic regression analysis adjusting

for

confounders, the risk of asthma was related to the presence of

visible mold

and/or mold odor in the workplace (odds ratio, 1.54; 95% confidence

interval, 1.01-2.32) but not to water damage or damp stains alone. We

estimated the fraction of asthma attributable to workplace mold

exposure to

be 35.1% (95% confidence interval, 1.0-56.9%) among the exposed.

Present

results provide new evidence of the relation between workplace

exposure to

indoor molds and adult-onset asthma.

Sporulation of the Hyphomycete Stachybotrys chartarum Under Three

Light

Conditions

Heinsohn1, Ph.D., C.I.H., Sharon Harney, Ph.D., K.

andros

Exuzides, Ph.D. Menlo Park, CA

Stachybotrys chartarum is a widespread hyphomycete commonly isolated

from a

variety of substrates including soil and wood. It can be found

growing in

building materials, which have become wet before or after

construction. The

inhalation of S. chartarum conidia can cause pneumomycotoxicoses,

and a

recent study linked S. chartarum to the deaths of infants diagnosed

with

pulmonary hemosiderosis in Cleveland. While S. chartarum is

frequently

isolated, the conditions under which it sporulates are unknown and

are

important issues in assessing indoor air quality. This study reports

on the

sporulation of S. chartarum under three different artificial light

conditions. Two isolates of S. chartarum were inoculated onto two

different

media, MEA and CMA, and exposed to either 24 hour dark, a

light/dark cycle,

or 24 hour light. After growth initiation, growth rate and degree of

sporulation were measured. Results indicate that growth rate and

degree of

sporulation differ with light conditions and media. On CMA the

initial

growth rate under 24 hour light was higher than under light/dark and

24 hour

dark. Light/dark conditions were more conducive to early sporulation

whereas

24 hour dark delayed sporulation. Sporulation did not occur under

any light

condition on MEA for six days. The data indicate that under

favorable

growth conditions, S. chartarum can sporulate under any light

condition.

Therefore, S. chartarum growing in buildings in dark areas can

sporulate for

dissemination into the air.

Correspondence: Wayne A Gordon Ph.D., Department of Rehabilitation

Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

The objective of the study was to examine whether cognitive

impairment was

associated with exposure to Stachybotrys atra. 20 individuals were

examined

using a standard neuropsychological battery and a symptom checklist.

Results indicate that all individuals seen meet at least 1 of the

criteria

for a cognitive impairment, with 13 of the 20 (65%) meeting at least

3 of

the criteria for cognitive impairment. Preliminary findings suggest

that

exposure to toxigenic molds are associated with cognitive

impairment,

specifically deficits in verbal memory, verbal learning,

attention/concentration and set shifting. In addition to these

cognitive

deficits, the sample reported a high number of cognitive, physical

and

behavioral symptoms. Validation on a larger sample of individuals is

indicated.

Diagnosing the Cause of a " Sick Building: "

Case Study of an Epidemiological and Microbiological Investigation

Craner, M.D., M.P.H., d. Stetzenbach, Ph.D. Consultant in

Occupational &

Environmental Medicine, Verdi, Nevada Director, Department of

Microbiology,

Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies, University of Nevada?

Las Vegas,

Las Vegas, Nevada

This report describes the methods and outcome of a physician?led

investigation of occupants' prolonged, unexplained illnesses

associated with

working inside a large, modern office building. Occupants (cases)

complained

of building?related symptoms including eye, nose, and throat mucous

membrane

irritation; rashes; respiratory symptoms; profound, unexplained

fatigue; and

neurocognitive symptoms, including difficulty concentrating and

short?term

memory impairment. No functional ventilation problems or chemical

contamination were detected in a walk?through evaluation and basic

air

quality testing. An epidemiological survey of the building's 700

occupants

was then conducted. With 86% of the occupants responding to the

survey,

there was an average case prevalence of health?related complaints of

nearly

25%, evenly distributed among floors. Cases were geographically

distributed

in a pattern which coincided with the location of the ceiling?mounted

variable air volume (VAV) boxes which distributed ventilated air to

the

occupied spaces. Re?inspection revealed previously undetected, focal

water?staining of 40% of ceiling tiles located underneath the VAV

boxes

throughout the building. Active growth of Stachybotrys chartarum

(atra) and

other fungi was detected on many of the damaged tiles. All water?

damaged

tiles were replaced and VAV hot water valves were tightened.

Occupants

reported significant improvement of symptoms within weeks after these

changes

Symptoms Associated to Work in a Water Damaged School Building

T.Sigsgaard MD.,PhD., H.L.C.Jensen B.Sc., E.Nichum B.Sc, S.Gravesen

M.Sc.,

L.Larsen M.Sc., M..Hansen B.Sc. Copenhagen, Environmental E?mail:

TS@...

This paper describes a cross sectional study of employees from a

school,

where an annex had a long history of water damage. The annex had

infestations by a range of moulds with Penicillium, Aspergillus,

Cladosporium most often encountered. The employees filled in a

questionnaire

with questions on sick building syndrome extended with symptoms of

toxic

alveolitis. After allocating the employees into three groups

according to

the weekly hours spent in the annex of 0?7 h/week, 8?15h/week and

more than

15 hours/week. We found a positive trend for headache, tiredness,

nausea

and sleeping difficulties with increasing time spent in the annex.

This was

also true for episodes of fever, shivering or a flue?like feeling.

This

study emphasizes the need for a standardised way to perform

investigations

of water damaged buildings and indicates a dose response

relationship

between exposure to water damaged buildings and symptoms of

inflammation

and CNS?irritation even in low exposure situations.

Fungal Exposure and IGg?levels of Occupants in Houses with and

without Mold

Problems

Hyvärinen A., M.Sc., Reiman M., Ph.D., Meklin1 T, M.Sc., Husman T.,

M.D,

Vahteristo M, M.Sc., MD., Nevalainen A, Ph.D. National Public

Health

Institute, Email: Anne.Hyvarinen@...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the relevance of serum

antifungal?IgG

antibodies to reflect the individual´s exposure to building related

fungi.

The concentrations of viable fungi were higher and composition of

fungal

flora was different in the index houses with moisture problem

compared to

those in the reference houses. Positive IgG?findings were common in

both

groups, although higher antibody levels against most of the fungi

were found

in the study group than in the control group. However, compatibility

between

fungal flora found in each house and elevated IgG?levels of its

occupants

were seldom found in either of the groups. This study suggests that

microbial sampling gives information of the building at the time of

the

measurements, whereas IgG?antibodies reflect long?term integrated

exposure

of an individual from total environment including the work place.

Sensitization to Molds and Respiratory Symptoms in School Children

Taskinen1 T., M.D., Hyvärinen A., M.Sc., Meklin T., M.Sc., Husman

T., M.D.,

Nevalainen A., Ph.D., Korppi1 M. M.D. Kuopio University Hospital,

E?mail: Taina.Taskinen@..., taina.taskinen@...

We performed a questionnaire study in 622 school children; asthma or

asthmatic symptoms were present in 208 (33%) children. Moisture and

mold

problems were documented in the index school (N=414; 168 (41%) were

symptomatic); the control school (N=208; 40 (19%) were symptomatic,

p<0.001)

had no such problems. Skin prick tests to 13 molds (9 occurring in

environment and 4 indicating moisture problems in buildings) were

performed

in the 208 symptomatic children. A positive reaction (>3mm) was

observed in

only 5 (2%) children. Children who were exposed to molds in the

school had

more often emergency visits (OR=2.0, p<0.01) and also they had used

more

antibiotic courses (OR=2.1, p<0.01) than nonexposed pupils, but

only during

spring. Our results show that skin test positivity to molds is rare

in

school children. This is true in pupils with asthmatic symptoms, and

also in

the pupils from the school with moisture or mold problems. In

addition,

respiratory infections seem to be associated with mold exposure.

The Effect?Inhaled Spores of Mycotoxin Producing Fungi on Animals

Eeva?Liisa Hintikka, D.V.M., Ph.D. Head of the Department of

Bacteriology,

National Veterinary and Food Research Institute, Helsinki, FINLAND

Animals in contact with a mouldy environment are exposed to

respiratory

fungal infection, lung mycosis. Toxic fungal spores in the air

create a risk

of respiratory effect. Animal experiments have shown that pure

mycotoxins

administered to the respiratory organs have only a transient or no

effect in

the lungs. Toxin?containing spores of Stachybotrys atra

administered to the

respiratory organs of mice cause severe haemorrhages and lung

inflammation.

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In Summary:

I am beginning to think that the effects of mold is much greater

than the

North American researchers, doctors and society are aware.

Over the past 40 to 50 years, our living standards have changed

significantly, and with those changes, I believe, came a much

greater risk

of being exposed to mold.

* Up until perhaps 50 years or so, few homes/schools had running

water or

even indoor bathrooms, so the risk of water damage was limited,

therefore

the chance of mold growth was also limited.

* With the convenience of showers/bathtubs in our society, many

people are

not only taking 1 shower a day, but people will take two or more

showers,

depending on their lifestyle. The moisture that is produced in those

homes/apartments becomes a risk for mold growth, if fans are not

used.

Certainly 50 years ago this was not a problem.

* Over the last 40 years, carpets are used extensively in homes.

If water

spills are not dried quickly, mold can begin to grow. Carpet

cleaning can

produce risks for mold growth, if furniture is moved for cleaning and

immediately placed back in its spot.

* Buildings over the last 30 years are often considered to be " air

tight "

homes and without an air exchanger or dehumidifiers, " air tight "

homes

usually have a high humidity level, with a much greater possibility

of mold

growth.

* The materials used to build/finish the interior of homes over

the last 30

years are at greater risk for mold growth under high humidity levels.

* Over the last 30 to 40 years, many homes have finished

basements, and any

flooding or high moisture levels can be a breeding ground for mold.

* Over the last 30 years or so, people living in basement

apartments is

common and unless humidity levels are controlled by dehumidifiers,

the risk

of mold growth is high.

* With present heating ventilation and air conditioning systems

(which

didn't even exist 40 - 50 years ago), the risk of mold growth is

high if the

systems are not maintained and cleaned regularly.

If the research studies are true, then could the following also be

true?

* If adult on-set asthma is caused by exposure to mold, (which is

also

evident in my workplace) then is it possible that children also

develop

asthma when exposed to mold?

* If mold toxins will suppress and could destroy the immune system

affecting

the lymphoid tissue and the bone marrow, and if the toxins may also

suppress

the immune system, is it possible that the following illnesses are

related

to mold exposure?

- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (which I have been diagnosed

with several years

ago)

- Fibromyalgia (which I have also been diagnosed with

several years ago)

- Lupus

- Leukemia

- Pneumonia

- Sinusitis

- Headaches

- Cancer

- Parkinson's disease

- Rheumatoid arthritis (which I also have)

- psoriasis

- cirrhosis of the liver

- Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS?physically affected

by odors, i.e.

perfumes, detergents, cigarette smoke)

* If exposure to mold can cause cognitive impairments,

specifically deficits

in verbal memory, verbal learning, attention/concentration and set

shifting,

in addition to cognitive, physical and behavioral symptoms, could the

following illnesses be related to mold exposure?

- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

- Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

- some forms of autism

- Alzheimer's disease

- Depression

- Anxiety Disorders

Written by Bruce S. Ferguson, President of EnviroLogix Inc., and

C.

Straus, Ph.D., Professor, Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology at

Texas Tech

University Health Sciences Center , a paper entitled " Evaluating

ELISA

Technology for the Detection of Mycotoxins in Buildings " was

published this

summer in the Indoor Environmental Connection, and it notes:

" On July 18, 2002, The United States Center for Disease Control

(CDC) issued

a policy statement entitled ?State of the Science on Molds and Human

Health.? In it they state, ?While there remain many unresolved

scientific

questions, we do know that exposure to high mold levels causes some

illnesses to susceptible people. "

I am beginning to wonder who the " susceptible people " really are.

I'm

starting to think that every single person exposed to mold is

susceptible to

illness, and the degree of illness may depend on the length of time

exposed

and how high the mold toxin levels are.

Today, we have illnesses we hadn't even heard about 30 years ago. It

appears that today, the chances of being exposed to toxic mold is

much

greater than 50, 40 or even 30 years ago. Imagine if you are being

exposed

to mold in both your home and workplace/school. I think it is a

possibility! Could the many health problems that families deal with

today

be possibly related to mold?

What are the real effects of Mold Exposure?

Anne Bylsma Phone: 613-652-4990

Iroquois, Ontario, Canada Fax: 613-652-1126