New Findings on Toxic Mold Help Clear the Air

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New Findings on Toxic Mold Help Clear the Air by Kathlyn Stone, citizen

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(NaturalNews) Mold toxins in buildings damaged by moisture are much

more prevalent and more potent than previously thought, according to

new international research from Lund University in Sweden. Scientific

research concerning toxic mold has broad implications for not only

patients with respiratory illnesses but also U.S. home sellers,

building contractors, trial lawyers and insurance companies.

Researchers

in the university's medical microbiology lab analyzed dust and material

samples from buildings damaged by mold using mass spectrometry. The 167

samples studied came from numerous sources, including some buildings

flooded in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. They found that 67

percent of all of the samples contained at least one mold toxin.

" Previously it was claimed that the occurrence of mold does not necessarily mean

that there are toxins present. But they are! On the contrary, we can assume that

wherever

there is visible mold, there are also mold toxins, " says a Bloom, a

doctoral candidate at Sweden's Lund University. Bloom is the lead

author on three related studies published in international scientific

journals.

Bloom's study also asserts that toxins produced by

mold are more potent than previously thought. " It has now been shown,

for instance, that mold toxins (mycotoxins) not only directly kill

cells but can also affect immune cells in a way that increases the risk

of allergies, "

wrote Bloom. " Even incredibly tiny amounts of these toxins can do this,

as little as a few picograms. " A picogram is one millionth of a

millionth of a gram.

These extremely small particles can enter

the lungs more easily than the spores that have been the focus of much

more study, said Bloom. " We looked at 6-7 different mycotoxins and

found them in a majority of the samples. And since there are at least

400 sorts of mycotoxins, what we have seen is probably just the tip of

the iceberg, " she says.

The Lund team will continue to study the health effects of mold, and will take

part in a large EU study on the possible connection between asthma and allergies

and indoor environments in schools.

Remediation works

A 2007 study published in the scientific journal Thorax related that mold

remediation - the removal of visible mold - improved

respiratory illnesses in most of the 95 asthma patients that took part

in the South Wales study.

Asthma and rhinitis symptoms and the use of medications to treat them were

reduced in patients who took part in a randomized

controlled trial to see if removing visible household mould would

relieve symptoms, according to the study.

After a year the

intervention group (those whose mold was removed) reduced their use of

medications by 22 percent while the controls reduced their medications

by 16 percent. The intervention group also reported about 24 percent

net improvement in rhinitis and rhino conjunctivitis symptoms than the

control group, and the intervention group also showed an improvement in

wheezing that affected their activities like sleeping and speaking (31

percent vs. 7 percent improvement reported by the control group).

With

mass spectrometry and data sharing growing among researchers, and the

public's growing awareness about mold, expect to hear much more about

its health impacts and effective and safe removal methods.

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