Fwd: Why There are so Few Scientific Articles on Mold Poisoning

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/15/2002 2:55:09 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Rllipsey87 writes:

.......... FYI ........

Subj:article

Date:4/15/2002 1:41:02 PM Eastern Daylight Time

From:lalexander@...

To:rllipsey87@...

Glad you like the funding article. It is fine for you to post it on the tox boards. The plain text is pasted below. Talk to you soon!

--

, Editor

COLUMNS-Mold

610-344-7888

COLUMNS MOLD MAGAZINE

" Funding for Mold Research: Where is it? "

According to L. Lipsey, Ph.D., of Lipsey & Associates, Inc. in

ville, Fla., to answer the question of ³where is the funding for

mold related research?² you first have to answer ³where is the profit?²

Lipsey received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at

Urbana, Champaign in 1972, studying the biology of fungicides, pesticides

that kill mold. He is now a consulting toxicologist and finds himself

testifying each year in more than 60 cases related to toxins and fungi.

Lipsey recently spoke with Publishing about his thoughts on

why, he says, there may never be adequate studies conducted on the effects of mold spores and mycotoxins on the human system.

³It¹s a sad situation when people who are very sick from chronic exposures to significant levels of highly pathogenic molds don¹t have any guidelines for what is safe in a house, much less standards for remediation,² Lipsey said. ³And nobody is willing to stick their necks out because the basic research has not been done for human subjects.²

According to Lipsey, research is lacking because no company has a way of making a profit from the prevention of mold exposure. He compared mold contamination to termite infestation. Major chemical companies are willing to conduct research on how to eradicate termites from homes and buildings because they can design products based on that research. Currently, the profit in the mold industry is not in the development of products but in the removal and destruction of contaminated materials, Lipsey said.

In light of this apparent lack of corporate motivation, what organizations should be conducting mold

related research? Lipsey said there are a number of federal organizations that should appropriately be studying various aspects of mold and its effects on human health. For example, the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the lead federal agency for developing and applying disease prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion and education activities designed to improve the health of the U.S. populace. The CDC also has the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) that is responsible for conducting

research and making recommendations for the prevention of work related

disease and injury.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is another federal agency that could be investigating mold and human health, according to Lipsey. The EPA was established to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment.

And then there are the state health departments, Lipsey added. In general, the have the authority to enforce statutes pertaining to public health for the prevention and suppression of disease and injury and are responsible for planning and coordinating health resources throughout each state.

The EPA includes statements on its Web site indicating that research and data collection are being conducted on topics such as the environmental conditions that permit building material colonization by fungi and the subsequent development of contamination sources, although much of this information is a year or more old. According to information posted by the EPA¹s Indoor Environment Management Branch (IEMB) on ³Children¹s Health Initiative: Toxic Mold,² last updated in March 2001, data collected over the last five years regarding a variety of building materials and fungi ³is in the process of being transitioned to a Standard Guide for the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM).²

Representatives at ASTM¹s headquarters in Conshohocken, Pa. were unaware of the development of any such standard. According to Luciw, staff manager of the committee on sampling and analysis of atmospheres, it is not uncommon for committee members to talk to one another about a potential standard for as long as six months before any formal action is taken. Once a standard is formally entered onto the committee list, the standardization process could take several years, he said. According to Luciw, there is ³nothing on the horizon² for the development of any mold related standard at ASTM, as far as he is aware.

According to Marc Yves Menetrez, Ph.D., Environmental Engineer in the EPA¹s Air Pollution Prevention Control Division in Research Triangle Park, N.C., there is an ASTM guide entitled ³Standard Guide for Developing Methodology for Evaluating the Ability of Indoor Materials to Support Microbial Growth Using Static Environmental Chambers.² He indicated that there is also a draft standard in progress for a test to determine the ability of antimicrobial treated indoor materials to support or resist microbial

growth. However, Dr. Menetrez did not respond to questions about these ASTM guides, such as when the draft standard might be completed or whether there are any other mold related draft standards currently going through the ASTM process.

Lipsey points to the CDC as the organization with the primary responsibility to conduct mold related epidemiological studies.³The CDC had a wonderful opportunity to study the effects of mold on human health with the infants in Ohio, but they copped out because that type of research is time consuming and expensive,² Lipsey said. Lipsey was referring to the clusters of infants from the Cleveland area who were suspected of suffering from Stachybotrys induced lung hemorrhage in the early 1990s. Deficiencies in data collection and evaluation were cited as the reason for the CDC¹s later retraction of the original study conclusions that a link existed between mold exposure and the infants¹ illnesses. One of the principle investigators, Dorr Dearborn, M.D., Ph.D. of Rainbow Babies

and Children¹s Hospital, Case Western Researve University in Cleveland, is

currently conducting a new study on this topic. See ³Stachybotrys Induced

Hemorrhage in the Developing Lung: Report on a Clinical Trial² on page 2 of the November 2001 issue of COLUMNS & Mold.

Lipsey observed that without organizations such as the CDC taking the lead in mold related research, it has been left to judges and juries to decide on a case by case basis whether mold exposures have caused claimants¹ injuries. The CDC ought to take the bull by the horns and do an epidemiological study on mold poisoning,² Lipsey said. Without it, judges and juries will continue to be placed in the positions of making medical decisions, he added.

However, even Lipsey says he recognizes the many challenges inherent in studying the effects of mold poisoning. For starters, it is difficult to get a statistically significant result when the subject of study incorporates so many variables. No two houses are alike. No two families are alike. Exposure to the study organisms must be controlled. Exposure to other organisms must be limited. To overcome such obstacles and design an epidemiological study, Lipsey said that the first step would be to gather the country¹s experts. Their task would be to define the problem and set up a study protocol. The next step?

³Go after funding,² he stated.

DR. RICHARD L. LIPSEY

PROFESSOR AND TOXICOLOGIST

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA (OSHA)

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA MEDICAL CENTER-JAX

(POISON CONTROL)

CV- Dr. R. Lipsey, Toxicologist

......... FYI ........

Subj:article

Date:4/15/2002 1:41:02 PM Eastern Daylight Time

From:lalexander@...

To:rllipsey87@...

Glad you like the funding article. It is fine for you to post it on the tox boards. The plain text is pasted below. Talk to you soon!

--

, Editor

COLUMNS-Mold

610-344-7888

COLUMNS MOLD MAGAZINE

" Funding for Mold Research: Where is it? "

According to L. Lipsey, Ph.D., of Lipsey & Associates, Inc. in

ville, Fla., to answer the question of ³where is the funding for

mold related research?² you first have to answer ³where is the profit?²

Lipsey received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at

Urbana, Champaign in 1972, studying the biology of fungicides, pesticides

that kill mold. He is now a consulting toxicologist and finds himself

testifying each year in more than 60 cases related to toxins and fungi.

Lipsey recently spoke with Publishing about his thoughts on

why, he says, there may never be adequate studies conducted on the effects of mold spores and mycotoxins on the human system.

³It¹s a sad situation when people who are very sick from chronic exposures to significant levels of highly pathogenic molds don¹t have any guidelines for what is safe in a house, much less standards for remediation,² Lipsey said. ³And nobody is willing to stick their necks out because the basic research has not been done for human subjects.²

According to Lipsey, research is lacking because no company has a way of making a profit from the prevention of mold exposure. He compared mold contamination to termite infestation. Major chemical companies are willing to conduct research on how to eradicate termites from homes and buildings because they can design products based on that research. Currently, the profit in the mold industry is not in the development of products but in the removal and destruction of contaminated materials, Lipsey said.

In light of this apparent lack of corporate motivation, what organizations should be conducting mold related research? Lipsey said there are a number of federal organizations that should appropriately be studying various aspects of mold and its effects on human health. For example, the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the lead federal agency for developing and applying disease prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion and education activities designed to improve the health of the U.S. populace. The CDC also has the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) that is responsible for conducting

research and making recommendations for the prevention of work related

disease and injury.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is another federal agency that could be investigating mold and human health, according to Lipsey. The EPA was established to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment.

And then there are the state health departments, Lipsey added. In general, the have the authority to enforce statutes pertaining to public health for the prevention and suppression of disease and injury and are responsible for planning and coordinating health resources throughout each state.

The EPA includes statements on its Web site indicating that research and data collection are being conducted on topics such as the environmental conditions that permit building material colonization by fungi and the subsequent development of contamination sources, although much of this information is a year or more old. According to information posted by the EPA¹s Indoor Environment Management Branch (IEMB) on ³Children¹s Health Initiative: Toxic Mold,² last updated in March 2001, data collected over the last five years regarding a variety of building materials and fungi ³is in the process of being transitioned to a Standard Guide for the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM).²

Representatives at ASTM¹s headquarters in Conshohocken, Pa. were unaware of the development of any such standard. According to Luciw, staff manager of the committee on sampling and analysis of atmospheres, it is not uncommon for committee members to talk to one another about a potential standard for as long as six months before any formal action is taken. Once a standard is formally entered onto the committee list, the standardization process could take several years, he said. According to Luciw, there is ³nothing on the horizon² for the development of any mold related standard at ASTM, as far as he is aware.

According to Marc Yves Menetrez, Ph.D., Environmental Engineer in the EPA¹s Air Pollution Prevention Control Division in Research Triangle Park, N.C., there is an ASTM guide entitled ³Standard Guide for Developing Methodology for Evaluating the Ability of Indoor Materials to Support Microbial Growth Using Static Environmental Chambers.² He indicated that there is also a draft standard in progress for a test to determine the ability of antimicrobial treated indoor materials to support or resist microbial

growth. However, Dr. Menetrez did not respond to questions about these ASTM guides, such as when the draft standard might be completed or whether there are any other mold related draft standards currently going through the ASTM process.

Lipsey points to the CDC as the organization with the primary responsibility to conduct mold related epidemiological studies.³The CDC had a wonderful opportunity to study the effects of mold on human health with the infants in Ohio, but they copped out because that type of research is time consuming and expensive,² Lipsey said. Lipsey was referring to the clusters of infants from the Cleveland area who were suspected of suffering from Stachybotrys induced lung hemorrhage in the early 1990s. Deficiencies in data collection and evaluation were cited as the reason for the CDC¹s later retraction of the original study conclusions that a link existed between mold exposure and the infants¹ illnesses. One of the principle investigators, Dorr Dearborn, M.D., Ph.D. of Rainbow Babies

and Children¹s Hospital, Case Western Researve University in Cleveland, is

currently conducting a new study on this topic. See ³Stachybotrys Induced

Hemorrhage in the Developing Lung: Report on a Clinical Trial² on page 2 of the November 2001 issue of COLUMNS & Mold.

Lipsey observed that without organizations such as the CDC taking the lead in mold related research, it has been left to judges and juries to decide on a case by case basis whether mold exposures have caused claimants¹ injuries. The CDC ought to take the bull by the horns and do an epidemiological study on mold poisoning,² Lipsey said. Without it, judges and juries will continue to be placed in the positions of making medical decisions, he added.

However, even Lipsey says he recognizes the many challenges inherent in studying the effects of mold poisoning. For starters, it is difficult to get a statistically significant result when the subject of study incorporates so many variables. No two houses are alike. No two families are alike. Exposure to the study organisms must be controlled. Exposure to other organisms must be limited. To overcome such obstacles and design an epidemiological study, Lipsey said that the first step would be to gather the country¹s experts. Their task would be to define the problem and set up a study protocol. The next step?

³Go after funding,² he stated.

DR. RICHARD L. LIPSEY

PROFESSOR AND TOXICOLOGIST

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA (OSHA)

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA MEDICAL CENTER-JAX

(POISON CONTROL)

CV- Dr. R. Lipsey, Toxicologist

Glad you like the funding article. It is fine for you to post it on the

toxtalk, etc. boards. The plain text is pasted below. Talk to you soon!

--

COLUMNS-Mold

610-344-7888

Funding for Mold Research: Where is it?

According to L. Lipsey, Ph.D., of Lipsey & Associates, Inc. in

ville, Fla., to answer the question of ³where is the funding for

mold­related research?² you first have to answer ³where is the profit?²

Lipsey received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at

Urbana­Champaign in 1972, studying the biology of fungicides, pesticides

that kill mold. He is now a consulting toxicologist and finds himself

testifying each year in more than 60 cases related to toxins and fungi.

Lipsey recently spoke with Publishing about his thoughts on

why, he says, there may never be adequate studies conducted on the effects

of mold spores and mycotoxins on the human system.

³It¹s a sad situation when people who are very sick from chronic exposures

to significant levels of highly pathogenic molds don¹t have any guidelines

for what is safe in a house, much less standards for remediation,² Lipsey

said. ³And nobody is willing to stick their necks out because the basic

research has not been done for human subjects.²

According to Lipsey, research is lacking because no company has a way of

making a profit from the prevention of mold exposure. He compared mold

contamination to termite infestation. Major chemical companies are willing

to conduct research on how to eradicate termites from homes and buildings

because they can design products based on that research. Currently, the

profit in the mold industry is not in the development of products but in the

removal and destruction of contaminated materials, Lipsey said.

In light of this apparent lack of corporate motivation, what organizations

should be conducting mold­related research?

Lipsey said there are a number of federal organizations that should

appropriately be studying various aspects of mold and its effects on human

health. For example, the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services¹ Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the lead federal agency for

developing and applying disease prevention and control, environmental

health, and health promotion and education activities designed to improve

the health of the U.S. populace. The CDC also has the National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) that is responsible for conducting

research and making recommendations for the prevention of work­related

disease and injury.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is another federal agency that

could be investigating mold and human health, according to Lipsey. The EPA

was established to protect human health and to safeguard the natural

environment.

And then there are the state health departments, Lipsey added. In general,

they have the authority to enforce statutes pertaining to public health for

the prevention and suppression of disease and injury and are responsible for

planning and coordinating health resources throughout each state.

The EPA includes statements on its Web site indicating that research and

data collection are being conducted on topics such as the environmental

conditions that permit building material colonization by fungi and the

subsequent development of contamination sources, although much of this

information is a year or more old. According to information posted by the

EPA¹s Indoor Environment Management Branch (IEMB) on ³Children¹s Health

Initiative: Toxic Mold,² last updated in March 2001, data collected over

the last five years regarding a variety of building materials and fungi ³is

in the process of being transitioned to a Standard Guide for the American

Soecity of Testing and Materials (ASTM).²

Representatives at ASTM¹s headquarters in Conshohocken, Pa. were unaware of

the development of any such standard. According to Luciw, staff

manager of the committee on sampling and analysis of atmospheres, it is not

uncommon for committee members to talk to one another about a potential

standard for as long as six months before any formal action is taken. Once a

standard is formally entered onto the committee list, the standardization

process could take several years, he said. According to Luciw, there is

³nothing on the horizon² for the development of any mold­related standard at

ASTM, as far as he is aware.

According to Marc Yves Menetrez, Ph.D., Environmental Engineer in the EPA¹s

Air Pollution Prevention Control Division in Research Triangle Park, N.C.,

there is an ASTM guide entitled ³Standard Guide for Developing Methodology

for Evaluating the Ability of Indoor Materials to Support Microbial Growth

Using Static Environmental Chambers.² He indicated that there is also a

draft standard in progress for an ³as­used² test to determine the ability of

antimicrobial treated indoor materials to support or resist microbial

growth. However, Dr. Menetrez did not respond to questions about these ASTM

guides, such as when the draft standard might be completed or whether there

are any other mold­related draft standards currently going through the ASTM

process.

Lipsey points to the CDC as the organization with the primary responsibility

to conduct mold­related epidemiological studies.

³The CDC had a wonderful opportunity to study the effects of mold on human

health with the infants in Ohio, but they copped out because that type of

research is time consuming and expensive,² Lipsey said.

Lipsey was referring to the clusters of infants from the Cleveland area who

were suspected of suffering from Stachybotrys­induced lung hemorrhage in the

early 1990s. Deficiencies in data collection and evaluation were cited as

the reason for the CDC¹s later retraction of the original study conclusions

that a link existed between mold exposure and the infants¹ illnesses. One of

the principle investigators, Dorr Dearborn, M.D., Ph.D. of Rainbow Babies

and Children¹s Hospital, Case Western Researve University in Cleveland, is

currently conducting a new study on this topic. See ³Stachybotrys Induced

Hemorrhage in the Developing Lung: Report on a Clinical Trial² on page 2 of

the November 2001 issue of COLUMNS­Mold.

Lipsey observed that without organizations such as the CDC taking the lead

in mold­related research, it has been left to judges and juries to decide on

a case­by­case basis whether mold exposures have caused claimants¹ injuries.

³The CDC ought to take the bull by the horns and do an epidemiological study

on mold poisoning,² Lipsey said. Without it, judges and juries will continue

to be placed in the positions of making medical decisions, he added.

However, even Lipsey says he recognizes the many challenges inherent in

studying the effects of mold poisoning. For starters, it is difficult to get

a statistically significant result when the subject of study incorporates so

many variables. No two houses are alike. No two families are alike. Exposure

to the study organisms must be controlled. Exposure to other organisms must

be limited.

To overcome such obstacles and design an epidemiological study, Lipsey said

that the first step would be to gather the country¹s experts. Their task

would be to define the problem and set up a study protocol. The next step?

³Go after funding,² he stated.