Allergy and Immunology News

American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) - Damp environments, poorly maintained heating & air-conditioning systems & carpeting may contribute to poor indoor air quality

"If there was just one thing I could do to fix buildings, it would be to change the relative humidity," said Doug Garrett, CEM, CDSM, building scientist and president of Building Performance and Comfort, Leander, Texas.

"Moisture leads to conditions that are conducive to dust mites and mold, as well as bacteria, yeast and other living organisms."

Garrett pointed to dust mites and mold as particularly worrisome.

A damp building with high humidity may lead to increased levels of dust mites and mold, leading to increased allergic respiratory symptoms, as well as the worsening of asthma. And even if someone is not allergic, molds may produce mycotoxins and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) that smell bad and may cause respiratory irritation, he said.

One thing is for sure: if you live in a humid climate, or if you have ever had water damage to your home, you’re going to want to watch this film.

After all, this black mold is a living organism, and might just as easily eat away at a human’s health as it eats away at concrete and thrives within old carpeting. Common sense dictates that this nasty, stinky, vile, living thing just couldn’t possibly be anything other than harmful if it should find its way to the interior of a human being.

Unfortunately, several groups of people who have a vested financial interest in proving otherwise - insurance companies, politicians, construction contractors, and even some doctors - have done their very best to claim that people whose lives have been devastated by the black mold are unworthy of compensation or treatment. Even worse, some of these same powerful forces won’t even acknowledge that black mold is a serious problem. It seems obvious that breathing in black mold spores can have negative health effects, and it seems absurd that even the CDC (Center for Disease Control) denies the existence of some fairly blatant symptoms of mold exposure.

Once again, greed trumps humanity, dollars trump suffering, the guy with the worst lawyer is wrong, and the little guy loses. This is the thesis of “Black Mold Exposure,” a documentary by Michael Williams.

The university is relocating College of Engineering employees who work in a suite on the first floor of Hitchcock Hall, said Amy Murray, an OSU spokeswoman. And the university is bringing in a contractor that specializes in testing for the disease, called histoplasmosis.

Olga Stavridis, 42, the college's associate director for career services, said she recently paid to have a ceiling tile from her office tested for the fungus that causes histoplasmosis. "It was detected," she said

She said she gave Ohio State the results on Oct. 13.

Stavridis said she contracted the disease after her office and adjacent offices flooded on March 13. University maintenance workers and a cleaning contractor opened up the ceiling tiles and ran box fans for the next several weeks to make sure everything dried.

The scientists looked at two different fungal pathogens: Alternaria brassicicola, which causes widespread damage in crops like canola, cabbage and broccoli, and Aspergillus fumigatus, a human pathogen that often leads to fatal disease in immunocompromised patients. Infection with A. fumigatus can lead to invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, the leading cause of death due to invasive fungal infections in humans.

The current study shows that TmpL is essential for both types of fungi to cause disease in their host cells.

Lawrence said: "In this study, we provide the first evidence that a certain type of disease-related protein from both a plant and animal fungal pathogen is critical for protecting the pathogen and for causing infection of healthy host tissue. As such, this protein represents a good starting point as a potential target for the development of efficient and novel therapeutics for both plant and animal fungal diseases."

We hope that this is an inspiration to parents and activists throughout the 50 states and beyond, that we need not tolerate a system that produces ill health – through education, there is power. With persistence, there are results. Share this law with your state legislators to see if they, too, can craft legislation to protect children in school environments. (SMH)

katy's exposure

STEVE R. JONES, Employee, Plaintiff, v. STEVE JONES AUTO GROUP, Employer, and UNIVERSAL UNDERWRITERS GROUP, Carrier, Defendants. Court of Appeals of North Carolina. Filed November 3, 2009

Dr. Thornton opined that Plaintiff’s prolonged exposure to the combination of stachybotrys, aspergillus, and penicillium “perpetuated and established in [Plaintiff] an immunologic state that perpetuated a very serious illness” and that Plaintiff’s symptoms and problems “were significantly aggravated if not caused completely” by his exposure to mold in the workplace. Dr. Thornton explained that while “there is not a specific medical test that would clearly demonstrate definitively” that Plaintiff’s exposure to mold caused his illness, based on “the constellation of . . . [Plaintiff's] symptoms, the time course of their onset, [and Plaintiff's] response to therapy[,]” he felt strongly that Plaintiff’s illness was caused by his exposure to mold in his workplace. Thus, contrary to Defendants’ contention, Dr. Thornton’s opinion is not based solely “on the temporal relationship between discovery of mold [in] [P]laintiff’s office and the onset of [P]laintiff’s symptoms.”

We conclude that the testimony of Dr. Thornton and Dr. Kussin is competent evidence to support the Commission’s findings of fact that Plaintiff’s exposure to mold at his place of work caused his illness. This Court is thus bound by these findings. Gilberto, 152 N.C. App. at 118, 566 S.E.2d at 792.

Political Action Committee – NAA – files Amicus Brief in mold case (two infant deaths in mold filled apt – Wasatch Prop Mgmt) citing US Chamber/ACOEM ‘litigation defense report’ to disclaim health effects of indoor mold & limit financial risk for industry

The NAA amicus to the courts of why the apartment owner/insurer should not be held responsible for these deaths cites to a paper that was paid for by a think-tank, the Manhattan Institute, and mass promoted to many courts by the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform. The Chamber paper, that was SPECIFICALLY written for judges is titled “A Scientific View of the Health Effects of Mold."

Sharon Kramer

Construction defects led to debilitating mold-related injuries.

RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Supreme Court has refused The Drees Co.’s petition for appeal of a $1.4 million judgment that was awarded in March to a couple who claimed that construction defects led to debilitating mold-related injuries. Meng v. The Drees Co., No. 091484 (Va. Sup. Ct.)...

The couple charged that Drees failed to address leaks and attempted to repair window leaks with calking rather than re-install them.

Wendy Meng said she was hospitalized in 2006 and 2007 for migraine headaches, and suffers from tachycardia, heart palpitations, memory loss, nervous system dysfunction, breathing difficulties and chemical sensitivity. Paul Meng said he was diagnosed with asthma after moving into the house. The family left the home in April 2007....

Since January, 2009, The Center for School Mold Help has engaged in a writing campaign to alert President Obama and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the need to recognize the national public health problems associated with indoor dampness and mold, and for the CDC to update its information related to mold and health. This has resulted in direct communications with the (former) Acting Director of the CDC and a phone conference with the Chief of Air Pollution and Respiratory Branch of the CDC, Dr. Paul L. Garbe, who is ultimately responsible for the current information on the CDC website about mold and health. As of 10/9/2009, Dr. Garbe has admitted the information falls short and promised to improve it, to add the IOM's (2004) full findings including the effects associated with mold and dampness, which include (new) asthma development and lower respiratory disease in otherwise healthy children. Further, he promised to insert the WHO findings on dampness and mold (2009). As of 10/27/09, the CDC information remains the same. We are waiting and have alerted President Obama, CDC Director Thomas Frieden, MD, and Senator Barbara Boxer (Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works) of this meeting and promises. (SMH)

katy's exposure