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This document is also available as a PDF. THE STATE
MOLD DANGER NOT OVERBLOWN
Friday, April 16, 1999
Section: EDITORIAL
Edition: FINAL
Page: A19
By ECKARDT JOHANNING, Special to The State An "amused" retired physician, Dr. R.B. Dreskin, recently dismissed health
concerns about a school mold contamination (The Greenville News, Feb. 1).
Because of an apparent lack of measurements of mold toxins and some other
technical issues, parents' call for action was belittled as a "hysterical outcry." I am a practicing occupational and environmental health physician specializing
in indoor health problems, and I am very familiar with this topic. I believe Dr.
Dreskin's comments contribute to unnecessary confusion about highly allergic
and toxic molds.
Is the mold scare overblown? It probably depends on whom you ask. Try
saying so to the young mother of a student who requires medical care and
must use an inhaler because his asthma is aggravated in a school with a history
of water leaks and ventilation problems. Or tell this to the mothers in
Cleveland (now more than 30 of them) who either lost their babies or had to
take their infants to intensive care units because of a severe (although rare)
lung disease that caused bleeding of the lungs. That bleeding was attributed, in
a scientific study, to unusual toxic fungal exposure inside the infants' homes. It's true not all people will get sick, and certainly not all will die from
breathing in some mold spores. However, many schools are in desperate need
of repair - one-third, according to a recent government study. And many
buildings have indoor air quality problems and significant water damage - 42
percent of evaluated office buildings, according to a study by the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Our experience shows that indoor mold-related heath problems - including
infection, allergy and toxic-irritant reaction - can, in most cases, be prevented
and controlled through proper action, timely repair and proper clean-up. We recently organized an international conference convening more than 300
specialists with a wide variety of professional backgrounds. New research was
presented on bioaerosols, fungi and mycotoxins and their health effects,
assessment prevention and control in indoor environments. The agreement
among the experts was that any indoor fungal exposure ought to be avoided.
Serious efforts should be made to minimize it. A growing number of scientific reports describe situations in which people 1 of 2 7/25/99 10:36 PM NewsLibrary Document Delivery http://newslibrary.krmediastream.com/cgi...cument/nl1_auth?DBLIST=cs99&DOCNUM=11584 suffered from intensive inhalation of mold, including spores containing potent
toxins (called mycotoxins). Surely, further research is necessary to better
understand at what air levels people will get sick and which mold species are
more dangerous than others in indoor environments. However, the current
health data does show that unnecessary indoor mold exposure should be
avoided if possible. Results of international research show more and more evidence that mold
exposure inside buildings is associated with higher risks of asthma, allergies,
frequent respiratory infections and even toxic health reactions at
concentrations that we had thought acceptable. However, such news is still
too often found only in specialty journals that are not read by general care
providers, who often have very little training in environmental or occupational
health issues. Why is mold so important? About 12 million people have asthma in the United
States, and asthma-related deaths are increasing. The costs exceed $6 billion.
About 40 million people in the United States have allergic rhinitis or sinusitis.
That costs $2 billion to $3 billion. Several million school and work days are
lost each year because of it. About 2 percent to 15 percent of all adult-onset
asthma cases have been attributed to environmental or occupational factors in
the workplace and homes. Microbes, like mold, are just one important factor. Clearly, general practitioners need to be better educated about these issues.
More educational materials should be provided the public by health
departments. It may cost all of us a little more to build better buildings and
keep our buildings in better shape, but in the long run we will all benefit by
improving the inside air quality. Dr. Johanning is medical director of the Eastern New York Occupational and
Environmental Health Center in Albany, N.Y. All content © 1999 THE STATE and may not be republished without permission. All archives are stored on a SAVE (tm) newspaper library system from MediaStream Inc., a
Knight-Ridder Inc. company. 2 of 2 7/25/99 10:36 PM |
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