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Exposure to Elevated Levels of Indoor Mold Can Cause Severe
Health Problems
by Phillip Fry, Nov. 22, 2011
Humans and pets suffer severe health consequences from exposure to elevated
levels of indoor airborne mold spores thrown into the breathing air by molds
growing on and inside walls, wallpaper, ceilings, floors, carpeting,
furniture, window
air conditioners, heating/cooling ducts, attics, crawl
spaces, and basements.
The top dozen mold health problems, according to the U.S. Government's
General Accounting Office “Indoor Mold” report (Sept. 30, 2008), which
summarized
thirty-two (32) federal government mold studies and reports,
are:
1. Asthma, asthma triggers, or asthma symptoms (such as episodes
or attacks)
2. Upper respiratory tract symptoms
3. Eye symptoms
4. Skin symptoms
5. Allergies
or allergic reactions
6. Wheeze
7. Cough
8. Difficulty breathing, trouble breathing, or shortness of breath
9. Infections (including those affecting people who have chronic lung
disease).
10. Adverse effects to the nervous system
11. Fungal colonization or opportunistic infections in immune-compromised
individuals and
12. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
Ninety percent of all chronic sinus problems are caused by exposure to mold,
according to a Mayo Clinic study.
Mold-sensitive individuals can experience health difficulties after only a
few hours to a few days of being in a mold-infested building. People differ
significantly in their sensitivity and health reaction to mold exposure.
Prolonged exposure to mold infestation cause such serious medical problems
as chronic fatigue-like symptoms; immune
suppression; central nervous system dysfunction (vertigo, memory failure,
irritability, concentration, and verbal dysfunction); gastro-intestinal
tract, heart, liver, and kidney damage; and even cancer (caused by
carcinogenic mold mycotoxins), according to E. Johanning, M.D.; P.
Landsgergis, Ph.D., Clinical Findings Related to Indoor Fungal
Exposure.
Aspergillosis is
an infection, growth, or
caused by exposure to the commonly-found
Aspergillus mold,
resulting in serious lung diseases such as:
●Pulmonary Aspergillosis (allergic bronchopulmonary type) that usually
develops in people who already have lung problems (such as asthma or cystic
fibrosis);
●Aspergilloma,
which is a growth (fungus ball) that develops in an area of previous lung
disease or lung scarring (such as
tuberculosis
or
lung abscess);
and
●Pulmonary Aspergillosis (invasive type) that is a serious infection with
pneumonia that can spread to other parts of the body, but almost exclusively
in people with weakened immune systems. Source: National Institutes of
Health.
Anecdotally (e.g., in the famous CBS Dan Rather 48 Hours mold report
about brain damage to the husband and son of Melinda Ballard because of
living in their Stachybotrys-infested Dripping Springs, Texas, house), some
mold and health professionals believe that exposure to the toxic mold
species Stachybotrys chartarum can cause headaches and damage the mold
victims’ ability to think and remember.
Over a 5-year period, one Chicago family complained of headaches, sore
throats, flu-like symptoms, recurring colds, diarrhea, fatigue, dermatitis
and general malaise. Air sampling of this home revealed spores of
Stachybotrys. The fungus was found growing on moist organic debris in an
uninsulated cold air duct and on some wood fiber ceiling material. The home
had a chronic moisture problem that favored mold growth. Extracts from the
duct debris and contaminated building materials were toxic to test animals.
When the mold problem was corrected, the family’s health symptoms
disappeared.
One controlled study concluded that exposure to
Stachybotrys chartarum and
Aspergillus versicolor was responsible for various pulmonary diseases among
office works in a water-damaged building. See Journal of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine, 1998: 40: 241-249.
The
following individuals appear to be at higher risk for adverse health effects
of molds, according to the California Department of Health: infants and
children, elderly, immune compromised patients (people with HIV infection,
cancer chemotherapy, liver disease, etc.), pregnant women, and individuals
with existing respiratory conditions, such as allergies, multiple chemical
sensitivity, and asthma.
Protect your health by: (1) preventing mold growth by promptly fixing roof,
window, plumbing and basement leaks; (2) complete drying of flooded rooms
within 24 hours; (3) quarterly cleaning inside window
air conditioners and
central heating/cooling systems; and (4) looking for and removing all molds
in your home and workplace.
©2011 Phillip Fry. All Rights Reserved.
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