Re: Dr. Wedner--Allergy expert has advice for flood victims

[Guest guest]

Sharon, thanks for posting this additional information about Dr. Wedner.  Just

to make sure that everyone adds this guy to their list of insurance company

defense experts, his full name is Dr. H. Wedner.  He is merely an

allergist with Washington University in St. Louis.

Re: Re[2]: [] Allergy expert has advice for flood victims

Dr. Wedren: Expert on mold induced illnesses and the effects of Stachybotrys

in 2008

_http://www.physorg. com/news13310831 8.html_

(http://www.physorg. com/news13310831 8.html)

But Wedner says Stachybotrys itself has little to no affect on health.

" Stachybotrys is a mold that needs a lot of water, " he says. " So it's a sign

that

there has been a lot of water in the building. But it's not toxic, and people

generally aren't allergic to it. "

" If you feel sick when you smell mold, make sure what's making you sick is

the mold and not the emotions associated with the smell, " Wedner says.

Wedner indicates that although molds release natural toxins, called

mycotoxins, these don't cause problems to people who live in moldy houses

because the

toxins don't diffuse into the air. The only way to be exposed to them is to

swallow them.

Dr.. Wedren: Expert on mold induced illnesses and the effects of Stachybotrys

in 1999

For at least 9 years, this guy has been seeing people exhibiting the

symptoms of poisoning after exposure to mold. However, after seeing these same

symptoms over and over again, he will only acknowledge allergy. He has NO RIGHT

or expertise in the study of toxicity to make these conclusions he does. He

is an allergist. While he will acknowledge mold causes allergy (see below) the

other symptoms that he sees over and over again must be caused by anything

BUT mold. This is not even close to logical.

_http://www.dolir. mo.gov/lirc/ wcdecisions/ WCDEC03/MontgT. htm_

(http://www.dolir. mo.gov/lirc/ wcdecisions/ WCDEC03/MontgT. htm)

The deposition testimony of Dr. Wedner was admitted into evidence on behalf

of the employee. Dr. Wedner, is a physician with the Washington University

Department of Allergy and Immunology. Dr. Wedner testified that he examined

the claimant and performed skin testing for the standard molds. He found the

claimant had a significant positive reaction to Aspergillus – a common indoor

mold, the kind found on bread, potatoes and onions; otherwise, she did not

react to any other molds. Dr. Wedner was unable to test for a reaction to the

Stachybotrys mold since there is no commercially available skin test

reagent. However, Dr. Wedner added that, “we don’t know whether there is a

cross-sensitivity between Aspergillus and Stachybotrys because it’s never been

examined as far as we can tell”. Dr. Wedner concluded that, “we felt that if

anything she was allergic to Aspergillus and perhaps other environmental

contaminants”. After further treatment Dr. Wedner felt the claimant had, “upper

airway allergies”. (Wedner Depo. p. 24). He was concerned that, “despite

the fact that she was away from the work environment…. maybe there was another

factor that was causing her to feel bad”. Id. p. 24. The skin testing

showed the claimant was also allergic to Fumigutis, Fusaruim, Geotrichum, Phoma,

Rhizopus, Rhodotorula, and cat hair, felt, dog and mites. Fumigutis is a

form of Aspergillus. Fusaruim is a slime mold. Dr. Wedner said that many of

these allergies were not caused by her work environment. “It’s unusual … in a

new building… there probably wouldn’t be cats there or dogs there, so she

wasn’t exposed there. It would be astounding for there to be dust mite(s)

there, so she wasn’t exposed there. So to that extent we can’t implicate that

building in that extent to her disease, nor can we implicate that building as

the underlying mechanism.” p. 33. Dr. Wedner further testified that, “so

I think that in this case we have a contributing factor, but this is not the

cause of her disease”. Id., p. 34. “It probably contributed to one part

of her disease”. Id., p. 34. “I think that by her own admission, the thing

that made her, quote, turn the corner if you will was environmental control,

and that’s we – where we targeted her home, and we covered her mattress, her

box spring, and her pillow, and that’s when she started to get better. So

that part of her disease (allergic rhino conjunctivitis) really doesn’t relate

to her exposure”. Id., p. 34. Then Dr. Wedner stated, “to a reasonable

degree of medical and scientific certainty a portion of how she is today was

initiated probably by her exposure”. As to Stachybotrys Dr. Wedner testified

that the claimant’s current sensitivity to things in her environment like

mites, cats, dogs and the “other molds was not related to her initial exposure

to

the Stachybotrys”. Dr. Wedner stated, “I really don’t think there is

evidence that allows us to say that if you’re exposed to Stachybotrys that in

some way exerts a permissive effect on allergies to other things.. I suspect

therefore that the dog, the cat, and the mite allergies probably has little or

nothing to do with her workplace environment either at the Eagleton Building

or any other for that matter”. Id., p. 35. However, as to molds Dr. Wedner

testified that exposure to molds, “in a continuum, and so exposure in the

workplace contributed to her mold sensitivity. I don’t think that we have

evidence to suggest that it contributed to her other sensitivities”. Id., p. 36.

He further testified, “what’s causing her to be ill now is the other molds

plus the other indoor allergens. But what set off this process in part is

most likely Stachybotrys is a contributing factor”. Id., p. 46. Further, he

stated there was no documentation that Stachybotrys caused her current fatigue

and joint pain. Id., p. 47. Nor that her current headaches were caused by

her exposure to Stachybotrys. p. 47. Nor her memory loss, shoulder pain,

Id., p. 47, tremors in her hands, Id., p. 48, muscular degeneration, Id.., p.

48.

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