A Critique of the ACOEM Statement on Mold

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http://ijoeh.com/index.php/ijoeh/article/view/911/840

A Critique of the ACOEM Statement on Mold:

Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest in the Creation of an

“Evidence-based” Statement

JAMES CRANER, MD, MPH, FACOEM, FACP

In 2003, the American College of Occupational and

Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) published its evidence-

based statement, “Adverse Human Health Effects

Associated with Molds in the Indoor Environment,” in

its Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

(JOEM). ACOEM’s author selection, development, peer

review, and publication of its mold position paper

involved a series of seemingly biased and ethically dubious

decisions and ad hoc methods. The resulting position

paper resembled a litigation “defense report”

which omitted or inadequately acknowledged research

validating the association between mold and buildingrelated

symptoms. ACOEM nonetheless released the

paper as an “evidence-based” statement and then published

it in JOEM without any further changes or conflict

disclosure. The Mold Statement has been relied

upon by attorneys and expert witnesses representing

defendants in mold litigation to disclaim and invalidate

individuals’, families’, and workers’ claims of buildingrelated

health effects from indoor mold exposure. Key

words: ACOEM; conflicts of interest; evidence-based

statement; indoor air quality; JOEM; mold.

INT J OCCUP ENVIRON HEALTH 2008;14:283–298

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