Government, Stop Saying Thank You For Sharing and DO SOMETHING

[Guest guest]

I was asked to share the following by yet another family whose lives have

been devastated by this issue. She has told every single legislator she

can. I have seen some of the responses she has received from our legislators.

Basically, " Thank you for sharing "

Sharon Kramer

The following message has been sent to hundreds of elected officials

including President Obama, all U.S. Senators, members of the U.S. House, the

Governors of all 50 states, state legislators, state health departments, etc.

My family was exposed to toxic mold in our home in ston, Iowa. Toxic

mold can happen anywhere. My name is Cheryl Wisecup, but you don't need my

name to understand this issue. I am writing to you on behalf of millions

of Americans who have been harmed by exposure to toxic mold.

Toxic mold causes serious health problems. We need your help to get laws

passed in order to ensure that the American people can get appropriate

medical care and the correct information regarding the handling and remediation

of toxic mold. We need laws and regulations in regard to people who test

and remediate mold in order to stop the fraud and deceit that has been

occurring throughout the country.

Toxic mold can happen to anyone. My family's experience is a good example

of what has been happening to families throughout the country. We had

toxic mold in our home. We lost our home, our health, all of our personal

belongings and our financial security. What if your family lost

everything---your home, your health, your personal property, your family

mementos, your

financial security, and your children's sense of safety?

For 50 years, the tobacco industry denied the truth about the health

effects of tobacco. How long will the insurance industry and other

stakeholders

be allowed to deny the truth about the health effects of toxic mold? We

need to expose the truth now and educate the public about the proper way to

handle mold problems in our homes, schools and businesses. If your family

was exposed to toxic mold, wouldn't you want laws in place to protect your

loved ones? This is all we are asking. We need your leadership and

action on this very important issue.

The following information will give you a good place to start in

understanding the issues that need to be addressed. These ten items are a very

small sample of the thousands of documents available on this topic. I thought

these items would be most helpful in your efforts to create new laws and

regulations about mold-related issues. You might also review the mold

legislation that was proposed by Representative Conyers.

1. The following paper has an insightful discussion of whether mold

contamination in homes can be regulated. " Can Mold Contamination of Homes be

Regulated--Lessons Learned from Radon and Lead Policies " ? The answer is yes.

_http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es0620585_

(http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es0620585)

2. The State of California issued mold remediation guidelines. This is

one of the most up-to-date reports available. It contains references to

several important articles about the health effects of toxic mold. The U.S.

Navy also has mold remediation guidelines.

_http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/06/01/06-001.pdf_

(http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/06/01/06-001.pdf)

_http://www-nehc.med.navy.mil/downloads/prevmed/katrina/ihfom_ch13-3.pdf_

(http://www-nehc.med.navy.mil/downloads/prevmed/katrina/ihfom_ch13-3.pdf)

3. The State of Nevada recently passed legislation designating September

2009 as toxic mold awareness month, and the State of Arkansas passed

legislation regarding standards and qualifications for mold investigators. You

could use this information as a starting point for one part of your

legislation, but you would want to get input from experts.

_http://www.leg.state.nv.us/75th2009/Bills/ACR/ACR7_EN.pdf_

(http://www.leg.state.nv.us/75th2009/Bills/ACR/ACR7_EN.pdf)

_http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2009/R/Acts/Act1467.pdf_

(http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2009/R/Acts/Act1467.pdf)

4. The U.S. Surgeon General just announced the federal government's new

Healthy Home Initiative which discusses mold and mold toxins, along with

lead paint and radon, and other issues that can affect the indoor environment

in homes.

_http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/healthyhomes/calltoactiontopromoteheal

thyhomes.pdf_

(http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/healthyhomes/calltoactiontopromotehealthyh\

omes.pdf)

5. The Center for School Mold Help has a lot of valuable information

about mold in schools and also has an excellent article discussing how certain

stakeholders are trying to hide the truth about the health effects of toxic

mold.

_http://www.schoolmoldhelp.org_ (http://www.schoolmoldhelp.org/)

_https://www.schoolmoldhelp.org/content/view/1639/46/_

(https://www.schoolmoldhelp.org/content/view/1639/46/)

6. There are many books available on this subject including these two

books:

" Bioaerosols: Assessment and Control " This book was published by the

American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists in 1999.

" Molds and Mycotoxins--Papers from an International Symposium " This book

was edited by Kaye Kilburn, M.D., and was published by Heldref Publications

in 2004.

7. Craner, M.D., has published several good articles and reports on

this topic, including " A Critique of the ACOEM Statement on Mold. "

Another leading expert is Jack Thrasher, Ph.D., who is a toxicologist.

_http://www.drcraner.com_ (http://www.drcraner.com/)

_http://www.drcraner.com/images/ACritiqueoftheACOEMStatementonMold.pdf_

(http://www.drcraner.com/images/ACritiqueoftheACOEMStatementonMold.pdf)

_http://www.drthrasher.org_ (http://www.drthrasher.com/)

8. The following links are from military textbooks. The first one is

Chapter 34 on Trichothecene Mycotoxins, and the second one is Chapter 4 on

Toxins (which includes information about mycotoxins). If the U.S. military

can admit that mycotoxins are dangerous, then why are the insurance companies

allowed to deny that mycotoxins cause health problems.

_http://www.envirochex.com/Downloads/Chapter34_Military_Medicine.pdf_

(http://www.envirochex.com/Downloads/Chapter34_Military_Medicine.pdf)

_http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1018.5/MR1018.5.chap4.html_

(http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1018.5/MR1018.5.chap4.html)

9. The University of Connecticut published a handbook in 2004 titled

" Guidance for Clinicians on the Recognition and Management of Health Effects

Related to Mold Exposure and Moisture Indoors. "

_http://oehc.uchc.edu/images/PDFs/MOLDGUIDE.pdf_

(http://oehc.uchc.edu/images/PDFs/MOLDGUIDE.pdf)

10. Ritchie Shoemaker, M.D., is one of the leading doctors in the country

who are helping people who have been harmed by exposure to toxic mold.

This is the link for Dr. Shoemaker's website:

_http://www.biotoxin.info_ (http://www.biotoxin.info/)

Toxic mold is a very serious health threat, and we need to do enact laws

to help protect all Americans. I hope this information is helpful as you

work to develop laws and regulations about mold-related issues.