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Mold Hype Not Helping Anyone It seems that much of what is said in the media about mold is wrong. And some of it is downright inflammatory. ABC News reported in November 2002 that "black mold" was forcing families out of their homes, and that dire health effects were linked to exposure. An Oregon family asked their fire department to "burn their $450,000 house to the ground" to end their mold-related woes. A $95 million Hilton Hotel tower in Hawaii was closed down thanks to mold being found in some of the rooms. Clean up was estimated to cost up to$40 million, and all 453 guests rooms may remain closed until the summer of 2003. Time Magazine likened the spread of black mold to a new kind of "biblical plague," while The New York Daily News criminalized it as a "killer." Insurance companies that attempted to exclude mold related claims are finding legislation that would force them to provide coverage. At least six states have mold related bills pending in their legislative houses. Some of the bills attack insurance companies, while others address the licensing of so-called "experts" who examine, test and remediate mold. There have been more than 8000 articles and hundreds of television reports about mold since 2000. In the majority of them, the message is one of concern over mold and mold related illnesses. Headlines scream, homeowners react, experts remediate and insurance companies pay billionss for damages supposedly caused by exposure to toxic, deadly, killer molds. The only thing missing in the whirlwind of hype and hysteria? Proof. Thomas McManus, president of Environmental Health Services, a Las Vegas based indoor air investigation and remediation company, told members of the Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors of Nevada that concern over mold has been blown out of proportion. "The mold issue is controversial, "McManus said. "It’s on television and in newspapers, and most of what we’ve seen is inaccurate." McManus, with degrees in chemistry and microbiology, has more than 21 years experience as an industrial hygienist. He’s recognized as one of Nevada’s top experts in identifying and remediating indoor air problems, and hie company specializes in industrial health and safety issues with an emphasis on occupational IAQ investigations and process chemical safety. He investigated the indoor air concerns at the Grant Sawyer State Office Building in 1998, and said something that illustrates the public’s perception about mold. "The state spent $1.5 million dollars (remediating the mold), and at one point told the employees that if they felt ill they could go home," he said. "The building was empty the next day." McManus said the suspected effects of exposure to Stachybotrys (stachybotryotoxicosis) include chronic fatigue, immune system suppression, bleeding disorders and even cancer. The American Council of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) studied the issue in 1998 and developed guidelines for investigating indoor air complaints. McManus said they found that there are no recognized measurement methods for all the types if fungi, and "significant" individual susceptibility. There are also many different agents, strains and variability in toxin production, and the study found "No established dose response relationship." "Like plant pollen, many fungi are aeroallergens," McManus said. "These areoallergens can cause allergic rhinitis, asthma, and other allergic responses. Some fungi, however, produce toxins that have the potential to cause systemic effects. "The problem," according to McManus, "is distinguishing very common symptoms from true conditions." |
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