Re: Re: Mold has workers wondering about health

[Guest guest]

Laci,

That isn't true.

Here is a relevant paper on the difficulty of remediation of

home/office contents:

J Occup Environ Hyg. 2004 Jul;1(7):442-7.

An investigation into techniques for cleaning mold-contaminated

home contents.

SC, Brasel TL, Carriker CG, Fortenberry GD, Fogle MR,

JM, Wu C, Andriychuk LA, Karunasena E, Straus DC.

Center for Indoor Air Research,

Department of Microbiology and Immunology,

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas 79430,

USA.

.@...

This study examined the efficacy of the following treatments to

reduce selected fungal spore and mycotoxin levels on materials

commonly found in home contents: (1) gamma irradiation at a 10-13

kiloGray exposure, (2) a detergent/bleach wash, and (3) a steam

cleaning technique. A minimum of six replicates were performed per

treatment. Paper, cloth, wood, and carpet were inoculated with either

fungal spores (Stachybotrys chartarum, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium

chrysogenum, or Chaetomium globosum) at 240,000 spores/2.54 cm2 of

material or with the mycotoxins roridin A, T-2, and verrucarin A at 10

microg per 2.54 cm2 of material. Treatments were evaluated with an

agar plating technique for fungal spores and a yeast toxicity culture

assay for mycotoxins.

Results showed that gamma irradiation inactivated fungal spores, but

the treatment was not successful in inactivating mycotoxins.

The washing technique completely inactivated or removed spores on all

materials except for C. globosum, which was reduced on all items

except paper (p < 0.05). Washing inactivated all mycotoxins on paper

and cloth but not on carpet or untreated wood (p < 0.001).

The steam cleaning treatment did not completely eliminate any fungal

spores; however, it reduced P. chrysogenum numbers on all materials,

C. globosum was reduced on wood and carpet, and S. chartarum was

reduced on wood (p < 0.05). Steam cleaning was unsuccessful in

inactivating any of the tested mycotoxins. These results show that the

bleach/detergent washing technique was more effective overall in

reducing spore and mycotoxin levels than gamma irradiation or steam

cleaning. However, the other examined techniques were successful in

varying degrees.

Copyright 2004 JOEH, LLC

PMID: 15238314 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

On Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 6:05 PM, llaci2003 <jjaksic@...> wrote:

> If everyone goes back to work as normal on Monday they will get sick

> from the chemical residue. Yes they can remediate the mold in one-two

> days wearing special suits and breathing apparatus. But the smell

> lingers for months. We had to open every window in the house for six

> months plus get the carpeting replaced because of the chemical smell.

> llaci

>

> _

[Guest guest]

Some other papers about mold decontamination of buildings:

Appl Environ Microbiol. 2005 Sep;71(9):5399-403.Click here to read

Click here to read Links

Effect of chlorine dioxide gas on fungi and mycotoxins associated

with sick building syndrome.

SC, Wu C, Andriychuk LA, JM, Brasel TL, Jumper CA, Straus DC.

Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology, Texas Tech University Health

Sciences Center, 3601 4th St., Lubbock, TX 79430, USA.

stephen.wilson@...

The growth of indoor molds and their resulting products (e.g.,

spores and mycotoxins) can present health hazards for human beings.

The efficacy of chlorine dioxide gas as a fumigation treatment for

inactivating sick building syndrome-related fungi and their mycotoxins

was evaluated. Filter papers (15 per organism) featuring growth of

Stachybotrys chartarum, Chaetomium globosum, Penicillium chrysogenum,

and Cladosporium cladosporioides were placed in gas chambers

containing chlorine dioxide gas at either 500 or 1,000 ppm for 24 h.

C. globosum was exposed to the gas both as colonies and as ascospores

without asci and perithecia. After treatment, all organisms were

tested for colony growth using an agar plating technique. Colonies of

S. chartarum were also tested for toxicity using a yeast toxicity

assay with a high specificity for trichothecene mycotoxins. Results

showed that chlorine dioxide gas at both concentrations completely

inactivated all organisms except for C. globosum colonies which were

inactivated an average of 89%. More than 99% of ascospores of C.

globosum were nonculturable. For all ascospore counts, mean test

readings were lower than the controls (P < 0.001), indicating that

some ascospores may also have been destroyed. Colonies of S. chartarum

were still toxic after treatment. These data show that chlorine

dioxide gas can be effective to a degree as a fumigant for the

inactivation of certain fungal colonies, that the perithecia of C.

globosum can play a slightly protective role for the ascospores and

that S. chartarum, while affected by the fumigation treatment, still

remains toxic.

PMID: 16151130 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Int J Toxicol. 2005 May-Jun;24(3):181-6.Click here to read Links

Efficacy of chlorine dioxide as a gas and in solution in the

inactivation of two trichothecene mycotoxins.

SC, Brasel TL, JM, Wu C, Andriychuk L, DR,

Cobos L, Straus DC.

Center for Indoor Air Research, Department of Microbiology and

Immunology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock,

Texas 79430, USA. .@...

The efficacy of chlorine dioxide (ClO2) in detoxifying two

potential bioterrorism agents, the trichothecene mycotoxins verrucarin

A and roridin A, was evaluated. In the first experiment, verrucarin A

(1, 5, or 10 microg) and roridin A (5 or 10 microg) were each

inoculated onto square-inch sections of glass, paper, and cloth and

exposed to 1000 ppm of ClO2 for either 24 or 72 h at room temperature.

In the second experiment, verrucarin A and roridin A (1 or 2 ppm in

water) were treated with 200, 500, or 1000 ppm ClO2 for up to 116 h at

room temperature in light and dark conditions (N = 9 per treatment for

test and control). A yeast assay using Kluyveromyces marxianuswas used

to quantify the toxicity of verrucarin A and roridin A. Additionally,

high-performance liquid chromatography was performed on selected

samples. Results for the first experiment showed that ClO2 treatment

had no detectable effect on either toxin. For the second experiment,

both toxins were completely inactivated at all tested concentrations

in as little as 2 h after treatment with 1000 ppm ClO2. For verrucarin

A, an effect was seen at the 500 ppm level, but this effect was not as

strong as that observed at the 1000 ppm level. Roridin A toxicity was

decreased after treatment with 200 and 500 ppm ClO2, but this was not

significant until the 24-h exposure time was reached. These data show

that ClO2 (in solution) can be effective for detoxification of roridin

A or verrucarin A at selected concentrations and exposure times.

PMID: 16040571 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

This is new - just newly available!

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed & pubmedid=1726724\

7

Fungal Genet Biol. 2007 Jul;44(7):641-7. Epub 2006 Dec 24.Click here

to read Click here to read Links

Biomechanics of conidial dispersal in the toxic mold Stachybotrys chartarum.

Tucker K, Stolze JL, Kennedy AH, Money NP.

Department of Botany, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA.

Conidial dispersal in Stachybotrys chartarum in response to

low-velocity airflow was studied using a microflow apparatus. The

maximum rate of spore release occurred during the first 5 min of

airflow, followed by a dramatic reduction in dispersal that left more

than 99% of the conidia attached to their conidiophores.

Micromanipulation of undisturbed colonies showed that micronewton

(microN) forces were needed to dislodge spore clusters from their

supporting conidiophores. Calculations show that airspeeds that

normally prevail in the indoor environment disturb colonies with

forces that are 1000-fold lower, in the nanonewton (nN) range.

Low-velocity airflow does not, therefore, cause sufficient disturbance

to disperse a large proportion of the conidia of S. chartarum.

PMID: 17267247 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Mycopathologia. 2004 Jul;158(1):87-97.Click here to read Links

Protein translation inhibition by Stachybotrys chartarum conidia

with and without the mycotoxin containing polysaccharide matrix.

Karunasena E, Cooley JD, Straus D, Straus DC.

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Texas Tech University

Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA.

Recent studies have correlated the presence of Stachybotrys

chartarum in structures with SBS. S. chartarum produces mycotoxins

that are thought to produce some of the symptoms reported in

sick-building syndrome (SBS). The conidia (spores) produced by

Stachybotrys species are not commonly found in the air of buildings

that have been found to contain significant interior growth of this

organism. This could be due in part to the large size of the

Stachybotrys spores, or the organism growing in hidden areas such as

wall cavities. However, individuals in buildings with significant

Stachybotrys growth frequently display symptoms that may be attributed

to exposure to the organism's mycotoxins. In addition, Stachybotrys

colonies produce a " slime " or polysaccharide (carbohydrate) matrix

that coats the hyphae and the spores. The intent of this project was

to determine whether the carbohydrate matrix and the mycotoxins

embedded in it could be removed from the spores by repeated washings

with either aqueous or organic solvents. The results demonstrated that

the process of spore washing removed compounds that were toxic in a

protein translation assay as compared to spores that were washed with

an organic solution, however a correlation between carbohydrate

removal during the washing process and the removal of mycotoxins from

the spore surface was not observed. These data demonstrated that

mycotoxins are not likely to be found exclusively in the carbohydrate

matrix of the spores. Therefore, mycotoxin removal from the spore

surface can occur without significant loss of polysaccharide. We also

showed that toxic substances may be removed from the spore surface

with an aqueous solution. These results suggest that satratoxins are

soluble in aqueous solutions without being bound to water-soluble

moieties, such as the carbohydrate slime matrix.

PMID: 15487326 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Appl Environ Microbiol. 2005 Jan;71(1):114-22.

http://aem.asm.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long & pmid=15640178

Detection of airborne Stachybotrys chartarum macrocyclic

trichothecene mycotoxins on particulates smaller than conidia.

Brasel TL, DR, SC, Straus DC.

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, TTUHSC, 3601 4th St.,

Lubbock, TX 79430, USA.

Highly respirable particles (diameter, <1 microm) constitute the

majority of particulate matter found in indoor air. It is hypothesized

that these particles serve as carriers for toxic compounds,

specifically the compounds produced by molds in water-damaged

buildings. The presence of airborne Stachybotrys chartarum

trichothecene mycotoxins on particles smaller than conidia (e.g.,

fungal fragments) was therefore investigated. Cellulose ceiling tiles

with confluent Stachybotrys growth were placed in gas-drying

containers through which filtered air was passed. Exiting particulates

were collected by using a series of polycarbonate membrane filters

with decreasing pore sizes. Scanning electron microscopy was employed

to determine the presence of conidia on the filters. A competitive

enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) specific for macrocyclic

trichothecenes was used to analyze filter extracts. Cross-reactivity

to various mycotoxins was examined to confirm the specificity.

Statistically significant (P < 0.05) ELISA binding was observed

primarily for macrocyclic trichothecenes at concentrations of 50 and 5

ng/ml and 500 pg/ml (58.4 to 83.5% inhibition). Of the remaining

toxins tested, only verrucarol and diacetylverrucarol (nonmacrocyclic

trichothecenes) demonstrated significant binding (18.2 and 51.7%

inhibition, respectively) and then only at high concentrations. The

results showed that extracts from conidium-free filters demonstrated

statistically significant (P < 0.05) antibody binding that increased

with sampling time (38.4 to 71.9% inhibition, representing a range of

0.5 to 4.0 ng/ml). High-performance liquid chromatography analysis

suggested the presence of satratoxin H in conidium-free filter

extracts. These data show that S. chartarum trichothecene mycotoxins

can become airborne in association with intact conidia or smaller

particles. These findings may have important implications for indoor

air quality assessment.

PMID: 15640178 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

On Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 10:30 PM, LiveSimply <quackadillian@...> wrote:

> Laci,

>

> That isn't true.

>

> Here is a relevant paper on the difficulty of remediation of

> home/office contents:

>

> J Occup Environ Hyg. 2004 Jul;1(7):442-7.

>

> An investigation into techniques for cleaning mold-contaminated

> home contents.

>

> SC, Brasel TL, Carriker CG, Fortenberry GD, Fogle MR,

> JM, Wu C, Andriychuk LA, Karunasena E, Straus DC.

>

> Center for Indoor Air Research,

> Department of Microbiology and Immunology,

> Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas 79430,

> USA.

> .@...

>

> This study examined the efficacy of the following treatments to

> reduce selected fungal spore and mycotoxin levels on materials

> commonly found in home contents: (1) gamma irradiation at a 10-13

> kiloGray exposure, (2) a detergent/bleach wash, and (3) a steam

> cleaning technique. A minimum of six replicates were performed per

> treatment. Paper, cloth, wood, and carpet were inoculated with either

> fungal spores (Stachybotrys chartarum, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium

> chrysogenum, or Chaetomium globosum) at 240,000 spores/2.54 cm2 of

> material or with the mycotoxins roridin A, T-2, and verrucarin A at 10

> microg per 2.54 cm2 of material. Treatments were evaluated with an

> agar plating technique for fungal spores and a yeast toxicity culture

> assay for mycotoxins.

>

> Results showed that gamma irradiation inactivated fungal spores, but

> the treatment was not successful in inactivating mycotoxins.

>

> The washing technique completely inactivated or removed spores on all

> materials except for C. globosum, which was reduced on all items

> except paper (p < 0.05). Washing inactivated all mycotoxins on paper

> and cloth but not on carpet or untreated wood (p < 0.001).

>

> The steam cleaning treatment did not completely eliminate any fungal

> spores; however, it reduced P. chrysogenum numbers on all materials,

> C. globosum was reduced on wood and carpet, and S. chartarum was

> reduced on wood (p < 0.05). Steam cleaning was unsuccessful in

> inactivating any of the tested mycotoxins. These results show that the

> bleach/detergent washing technique was more effective overall in

> reducing spore and mycotoxin levels than gamma irradiation or steam

> cleaning. However, the other examined techniques were successful in

> varying degrees.

>

> Copyright 2004 JOEH, LLC

>

> PMID: 15238314 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

>

> On Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 6:05 PM, llaci2003 <jjaksic@...> wrote:

>> If everyone goes back to work as normal on Monday they will get sick

>> from the chemical residue. Yes they can remediate the mold in one-two

>> days wearing special suits and breathing apparatus. But the smell

>> lingers for months. We had to open every window in the house for six

>> months plus get the carpeting replaced because of the chemical smell.

>> llaci

>>

>> _

>