Exposure to Mold Infestation Is
a Proven and
Serious Health Threat to Residents and Workers
February 21,
2005 — By Phillip Fry
VANCOUVER. 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 Mold Health Guide.
Mold’s Harmful Effects
“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.
Mold Health Studies
“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 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.
Suggestions
“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.
For more information about
mold health and coping with mold problems, please visit---
http://www.moldinspector.com
http://www.certifiedmoldinspectors.com
http://www.mold.ph
http://www.moldmart.net
http://www.envirosurf.com
Contact: Phillip Fry, author
Phone: 011-63-921-352-1287
Email:
moldinspector@yahoo.com |
