Re: Test kits for Trichothecene Mycotoxins?

[Guest guest]

,

Thanks for this new info. It has a use, much like home mold test

kits (settling plates) but with qualifications (Which all testing

methods have) which are important to understand.

This home test kit, along with the others on the Web site

www.IndoorAirTest.com have been presented at some high level

conferences and met with some healthy skepticism as to the

actual capabilities, sensitivities and accuracy. They do what they

say they will do but the marketing and uninformed conclusions

often overreach the reproducable facts.

We need to keep three things in mind based on what is in the

press release.

1. These test kits are identified and marketed as " screening

tests. " In other words, a positive may indicated the need and

value for further investigation by a professional. A negative result

is not that " nothing is there " but that " there was none found. " It

may be there, but it wasn't detected. Use only as a first, self-help

step much like home settling plates for mold. It is not a definitive

test, because interpretation of the results depends on sample

type and location as part of the context of the presence of the

trichothecene. Which puts us back to the history, inspection etc

by an experienced person.

2. The mycotoxin test kit will detect " mycotoxin trichothecenes, "

as a group, not differentiated as to which ones (Type A or Type B

or both?) and certainly not mycotoxins other than trichothecenes.

Interferences are not mentioned. Will the kit give a positive result

to something other than trichothenes from mold?

3. They correctly state they are an AIHA accredited lab. But the

AIHA accreditation has nothing to do with mycotoxins. It only

accredits accurate reading of some mold spores by microscopy.

Better than nothing and it does help separate qualifications of

labs but guarantees little. Certainly not for mycotoxins.

Finally, a reliable, court defensible (maybe) mycotoxin test for

environmental samples is still $600-$900 per sample from only a

very limited number of labs.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

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> EDLab Offers Solutions to Flooding - Simple and Affordable Mold & Bacteria

Test Kits

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> Award-winning

> indoor Environmental Diagnostics laboratory (EDLab) offers advice on

> simple tests for tricothocene mycotoxins, molds and bacteria

> Pensacola, FL 8/17/2009 11:21 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)

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