Household Mold Report to Congress

[Guest guest]

Controlling and Preventing Household Mold and Moisture

Problems: Lessons Learned and Strategies for

Disseminating Best Practices

A Report to Congress

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

April 1, 2005

http://www.healthyhomestraining.org/Documents/HUD/HUD_Mol

d_Report_Congress.pdf

Through this ongoing process of dissemination

HUD is building an infrastructure of state and

local agencies, builders, residents and other

interested groups that will minimize the

occurrence and impact of mold and moisture

problems in homes.

One point I want to make about the following statement from

page 9 of the Introduction:

The Committee also found that there was

insufficient evidence to determine if any

association exists between exposure to mold or

mold-produced toxins and acute idiopathic

pulmonary hemorrhage in infants, or a variety

of other adverse health outcomes.

This does NOT say there is no association. It says there is not yet

sufficient evidence to say there is or is not an association. The

reason for lack of evidence continues to be as stated in the IOM

report in 2004: The appropriate studies have not been conducted.

Until they are they are not going to say one way or another. They

are going to wait for the evidence to come in but in the meantime

it is still a public health issues.

Unfortunately, it is now four years later and not much has

changed in terms of definitive evidence. The evidence being

produced is pointing in the direction of an association but it does

not yet meet the criteria required for other causes of other

diseases.

In my opinion, it doesn't need to for us making our own decisions

to take care of ourselves. But to convince the skeptical and

especially to force those who are liable will require the type of

evidence not yet produced.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC