Vancouver, Canada (PRWEB)
February 21, 2005
Many property owners, landlords, employers, and mold victim relatives in
Canada, the USA, and worldwide often question or minimize the proven and serious
health threat arising from exposure to elevated levels of indoor mold
infestation, according to Phillip Fry, Certified Mold Inspector, Certified Mold
Remediator, and author of the book Mold Health Guide.
“All molds have the potential to cause health effects. Molds can produce allergens that can trigger allergic reactions or even asthma attacks in people allergic to mold. Others are known to produce potent toxins and/or irritants,” according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
A number of commonly found mold species are, in fact, toxic mold, a description applied to any mold that produces mycotoxins in its spores. Stachybotrys (black mold), Aspergillus, and Penicillium are three of the most dangerous and commonly found indoor toxic molds.
Mycotoxins are cytotoxic, meaning they have the capacity to pass through the human cellular wall and disrupt certain cellular processes – potentially causing serious health damage to workers and customers.
Studies on animals and cell cultures in labs have found toxic effects from various microbial agents, raising concerns about whether these same agents growing in buildings can cause illness in people, according to the 2004 mold health report from the Institute of Medicine (U.S. Government’s National Academy of Sciences).
Mold Health Symptoms
Fungi can cause health problems to both humans and animals by several different biological mechanisms: infections, allergic or hypersensitivity reactions, irritant reactions, or toxic reactions — reported a 2004 University of Connecticut Health Center report.
If exposed to elevated levels of indoor mold, some or many residents and workers can experience one or more of most common, mold health symptoms: allergies, asthma, bleeding lungs, breathing difficulties, cancer, central nervous system problems, recurring colds, chronic coughing, coughing up with blood, dandruff problems (chronic) that do not go away despite use of anti-dandruff shampoos, dermatitis, skin rashes, diarrhea, and/or; Eye and vision problems, fatigue (chronic, excessive, or continued) and/or general malaise, flu symptoms (chronic), sudden hair loss, headaches, hemorrhagic pneumonitis, hives, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, irritability, itching (of the nose, mouth, eyes, throat, skin or any other area), kidney failure, learning difficulties or mental dysfunction or personality changes, memory loss or memory difficulties; and/or Open skin sores and lacerations, peripheral nervous system effects, redness of the sclera (white of your eyes), runny nose (rhinitis) or thick, green slime coming out of nose (from sinus cavities), seizures, sinus congestion, sinus problems, and chronic sinusitis, skin redness, sleep disorders, sneezing fits, sore throat, tremors (shaking), verbal dysfunction (trouble in speaking), vertigo (feelings of dizziness, lightheadedness, faintness and unsteadiness), and vomiting.
“Where is the proof?” ask skeptical moldy home sellers, landlords, employers,
and unaffected relatives of mold victims. There is actually abundant evidence
about the serious impact of mycotoxins and mold exposure in human disease.
Medical studies in both the military and agricultural environments have
discovered that significant health problems can readily arise from the
inhalation of elevated levels of fungal spores and toxins by soldiers and
farmers.
Laboratory studies in animals and at the cellular level provide supporting
evidence for direct toxicity of fungal spores and mycotoxins in mammalian lungs
(University of Connecticut Health Center report in 2004).
As to asthma (one of the most common health consequences of mold exposure), a
health study by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health links adult-onset
asthma to workplace mold exposure---
“The present (health study) results estimated that the percentage of adult-onset
asthma attributable to workplace mold exposure to indoor molds and development
of asthma in adulthood. Our findings suggest that indoor mold problems
constitute an important occupational health hazard.”
The Finnish workplace mold study estimated that the percentage of adult-onset
asthma attributable to workplace mold exposure to be 35% (Reported in
Environmental Health Perspectives, May, 2002).
A European Community respiratory health survey in 2002 reported that asthma patients experience more significant asthma symptoms after they become sensitized to molds such as Alternaria and Cladosporium species, and to dust mites.
Scientific evidence links mold and other factors related to damp conditions in
homes and buildings to asthma symptoms in some people with the chronic asthma,
as well as to coughing, wheezing, and upper respiratory tract symptoms in
otherwise healthy people, stated the Institute of Medicine report.
“We were able to find sufficient evidence that certain respiratory problems,
including symptoms in asthmatics who are sensitive to mold, are associated with
exposure to mold and damp conditions. Excessive dampness influences whether
mold, as well as bacteria, dust mites and other such agents, are present and
thrive indoors,” reported the Institute of Medicine in its mold health report on
May 25, 2004.
“In addition, the wetness may cause chemicals and particles to be released from
building materials. A rare ailment known as hypersensitivity pneumonitis also
was associated with indoor mold exposure in susceptible people,” reported the
Institute of Medicine.
A 1994 Harvard University School of Public Health study of 10, 000 homes in the
United States and Canada found that half had conditions of water damage and
mold, which was associated in the study with a 50 to 100% increase in
respiratory problems for the residents of water and mold damaged homes.
Dr. David Sherris of the Mayo Clinic conducted (1999) a study of 210 patients
with chronic sinus infections and found that
most had allergic fungal sinusitis.
The prevailing medical opinion had been [prior to the Mayo Clinic study] that
mold accounted for only 6 to 7% of all chronic sinusitis.
The Mayo Clinic Proceedings reported on Sept. 13, 1999 that: “Researchers
have found that chronic sinusitis, a condition that affects about 37 million
people in the United States, is apparently caused by an immune response to
fungus (mold).”
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found an apparent link, announced in 1997,
between mold contamination in the homes and cases of infant pulmonary
hemorrhage.
The American Academy for Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Environmental Health
released a statement (April 6, 1998) concerning the toxic effects of indoor
molds and acute idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage in infants.
The AAP recommended that until more information is available on the cause of
this condition, infants under one year of age should not be exposed to
chronically moldy, water-damaged environments.
The AAP also recommended that pediatricians inquire about mold and water damage
in the home when treating infants with pulmonary hemorrhage, and that when mold
is present in a patient’s home, that pediatricians should encourage parents to
try to find and eliminate sources of moisture.
At the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, approximately 15-20% of
patients with leukemia die of fungal leukemia caused most frequently by the
species Aspergillus.
In patients with leukemia who have undergone allogenic bone marrow
transplantation or allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, 15-30% of
deaths are caused by refractory fungal infections such as Aspergillus, one of
the most dangerous indoor molds.
In recent years, comparative risk studies performed by EPA and its Science
Advisory Board (SAB) have consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top
five environmental risks to public health.
Ninety four percent (94%) of all respiratory ailments are caused by polluted air
according to the American Medical Association, which also reported that
one-third of the U.S.A. national health bill is for causes directly attributable
to indoor air pollution.
“Any person at risk from mold should not be in an area that is likely to be
contaminated with mold. If you or your family members have health problems after
exposure to mold, contact your doctor or other health care provider,” advises
the Centers for Disease Control.
Residents and workers often differ significantly (from co-residents and
co-workers) in their sensitivity and reaction to mold exposure. Even the smell
of mold can make some residents and workers sick.
Consequently, there are no federal standards or recommendations, (e.g.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health, EPA and the Centers for Disease Control) for
airborne concentrations of mold or mold spores in either the home or the
workplace.
Thus, if one or a few residents, employees, or customers experience one or more
possible mold health symptoms, the property owner, landlord or employer should
still inspect and mold test the residential or work premises for the health
protection of both the mold-sensitive residents and employees, as well as others
who may ultimately be harmed from time-cumulative mold exposure.
Homes and workplaces should be carefully and thoroughly mold inspected and mold
tested all around by a Certified Mold Inspector, Environmental Hygienist, or an
Industrial Hygienist if there are: (1) significant amounts of visible mold; (2)
serious water leaks, flooding problems, or high indoor humidity; and (3)
residents, employees, or business customers [such as hotel guests] report
experiencing one or more possible mold health symptoms.