Guest guest Posted March 17, 2002 Report Share Posted March 17, 2002 Saturday, January 12, 2002 Scientists 'know very, very little' about health effects What about that mildrew in my shower? Homes are perfect place for mold The Mold War By Marcia Mattson Times-Union staff writer Could mold in your house make you sick? So far, science can only answer: Maybe."That's murky for everybody, and unfortunately is being decided by the courts," said Lipsey, a ville toxicologist who does mold testing and clean-up plans, and serves as an expert witness in mold lawsuits on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants.Some people appear to be more sensitive to mold or its spores in general and can develop allergic symptoms. People who are overexposed to mold may develop coughs, congestion, runny noses, eye irritation and aggravation of asthma, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.Some common molds can, under the right conditions, make enzymes that are toxic to human cells in the laboratory. Stachybotrys, aspergillis and penecillium are a few. But scientific evidence is scant on how people can become sick in their homes or workplaces from from mold toxins. And no state or federal agencies have set an indoor air standard for mold."There's not enough good science to make a definitive statement," said Lipsey, who has a doctorate in mold poisoning and toxicology and federal standards for hazardous materials management at the University of North Florida. In the meantime, Lipsey goes into 50 to 60 heavily contaminated homes throughout the nation each year, and the health effects of the people in those homes vary widely."When babies are dying and people are vomiting blood from a severely contaminated home, that's real," Lipsey said. Other people are just imagining themselves sick after reading or hearing about the increase in health complaints blamed on mold, he said."We can't scare people, but we need to educate them," Lipsey said. Stachybotrys chartarum -- a greenish-black, slimy mold -- is causing the biggest scare nationwide.It has been associated at high levels with bleeding in the lungs of some infants. More commonly, it has been associated with coldlike symptoms, rashes, eye infections, aggravated asthma problems, lack of concentration and fatigue, according to the EPA. Symptoms usually disappear when the contaminant is removed.The people most susceptible to serious illness from mold appear to be the very young, the very old or people with weakened immune systems -- people like Crabtree.Crabtree and her husband moved to Ponte Vedra Beach from New Jersey in 1997. A smoker for 44 years, Crabtree developed shortness of breath. Doctors diagnosed her with emphysema. She stopped smoking and went to daily pulmonary rehabilitation for two years. She'd never felt better.But in August 2000, doctors noticed a change in her lung CT scan from a scan done the year before. A small growth had formed on her lung.A biopsy concluded it probably was early-stage cancer. But after doctors at a Tampa cancer center removed the growth in October 2000, they learned it was a fungus. The lab results were 99 percent positive for aspergillis, she said."I kind of praised God it wasn't cancer," Crabtree said. But she'd never heard of a fungus causing such a health problem."I think it's a lot more common than we realize," she said.Crabtree, now 64, was placed on antifungal medication twice a day for a year. Doctors asked where she had been in the past year. The Crabtrees had been renting an apartment in Ponte Vedra Beach. Now they own a condo in Ponte Vedra Beach. But before they moved in, they had a home inspector look for signs of mold and had the seller correct some moisture problems.Marcia Mattson can be reached at (904) 359-4073 or at mmattson@.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.