Many of you right now may have read the latest news by National Institute of Medicine, varying greatly by which news organization reported it. What most people don’t know is this study was conducted only to determine what type of damage that molds can do to the respiratory system, nothing else. Furthermore, the findings of this study “claimed that there was not enough evidence to determine that molds can cause neurological damage.” Many news organizations altered this quote by stating, “mold does not cause neurological damage.” These two phrases mean two different things, but many reporters failed to describe this accurately. Many reporters went so far as to say that mold does not cause anything else but asthma to susceptable individuals. This is at least, poor reporting in its worst form.

We dispute the findings of these reporters and their mistakes in reporting the facts. In our opinion, this is another scheme to protect large corporations and the government, while the drug manufacturers make billions from the symptoms associated with fungal exposure.  We also find it rather amusing that this study was funded by the CDC, a rather biased governmental entity. If the study was funded by private, unbiased organizations, and journalists covering this story had done an ethical job, we honestly don’t believe that this would have happened.  Unfortunately, most organizations that have the money for funding these types of studies usually have strong ties to the government or they profit from the misinformation of ill homeowners.  Please read our article on the cover-ups for more information.

Panel Claims Mold in Buildings Is No Threat to Most People

May 26, 2004

In an effort to disuade the public with the issue that has been alarming homeowners, made thousands of people very ill, and led to hundreds of lawsuits and billions of dollars of loss, a government panel of experts yesterday actually went so far as to claim that toxic mold in homes did not appear to pose a serious health threat to most people.

Though the experts said mold and indoor dampness were associated with respiratory problems and symptoms of asthma in certain susceptible people, they went so far as to claim that they “found no evidence of a link between mold and conditions like brain or neurological damage, reproductive problems and cancer.”  They based their conclusions on a review of scientific papers and reports but warned that the research was limited and that more studies were needed. They failed to mention exactly what papers and reports that they reveiwed.  Under the Freedom of Information act, Mold Help will be investigating their resources and post them on this site..

The panel was convened by the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences that advises the federal government on health issues. Its findings come as public concern about mold-related health problems grows, stoked in part by lawsuits and accounts of people driven from their homes and schools by mold. In 2002, insurers in the United States paid out $2.5 billion in mold-related claims.

Yesterday’s findings drew criticism and skepticism from homeowners, some physicians, lawyers, and many others who have had an experience with fungal exposure who say they have experienced the phenomenon.  There are numerous case studies and medical data that back up what these people have endured.  Here are a few that perhaps these experts may have missed.

“I get calls from people every day saying they’ve had water problems, windows that leak, or water plumbing events behind the walls,” said Janet Ahmad, president of Homeowners for Better Building in San Antonio, an advocacy group for people affected by mold. “Somebody in the house usually has nosebleeds. They go away for the weekend and the children stop coughing and having nosebleeds.”  In fact, there are thousands of similar documented and peer-reviewed studies. It takes a great deal of resources to obtain an entire library, but in the end, it’s worth it.

Another bizarre twist to this propaganda that the government panders their experts to dispense. If the T-2 mycotoxins (that are found in air samples from many moldy buildings) have not yet been determined to be dangerous to human health, then why does the United States Military, among other countries, use them as a biological warfare agent? When it’s convenient for the government to do one thing, they do, but contradict themselves so blatantly when it is convenient for them to do so otherwise. They must think we, as a nation, are a very stupid civilization to actually believe what we are told, both here and abroad.

You’ve got to be kidding!

But the government panel said even the link between mold and respiratory problems had yet to be demonstrated conclusively. It makes one wonder what they were thinking when the study states that mold does cause respiratory problems only, but mold doesn’t cause any other health conditions; and now their posture is even the link between mold and respiratory problems had yet to be demonstrated conclusively. What???

“We know that when people are in damp spaces they report more upper respiratory tract problems and asthma symptoms,” said its chairwoman, Dr. Noreen Clark, dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan. “But we don’t know that mold is the cause, because dampness is associated with dust mites, bacteria, and can lead to chemical emissions from buildings and from furnishings.”

Dr. Jordan N. Fink, an expert on allergy and immunology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee who was not a member of the panel, disagreed, saying there was strong evidence that dampness and mold cause allergic diseases.  Many physicians who treat patients with mold related problems state that these patients also suffer from memory loss, nosebleeds, abdominal pain, fibromyalgia and seizures; to name a few.

“The allergy literature over the years demonstrates that molds can cause asthma and hay fever,” said Dr. Fink, a professor of pediatrics and medicine.  But he didn’t say anything about all of the other problems associated with fungal exposure. Mold contains mycotoxins and some types are very dangerous as they have been determined to be neurotoxins. It has been proven that mold patients have large amounts of Nitrous Oxide in their brain matter. Some specialists agree that it is the Nitrous Oxide that is eating away at the mylein sheath, leading to a serious autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, and Raynaud’s Disease.

Dr. Fink did actually agree with the finding that there was no basis to claims that molds could produce nonallergic health problems . In the more than 70 years that scientists have studied molds, he said, “you would think that someone would have reported some evidence of that.”

But someone actually did. . .

Currently there are a number of studies that do confirm the fact that toxic mold indeed causes a multiplicity of other problems.  The study also failed to mention the World Health Organization and their findings that confirm that some molds are related to many autoimmune diseases.  The statements made by the team who conducted this study leads a lot of  skepticism in the eyes of the public.  If mold doesn’t cause any health problems, why did George Bush remediate the Governor’s mansion immediately after Laura became very ill at the cost of the taxpayers to $300,000.  After the mansion was remediated, Bush allegedly failed to help any of the 44,000 people who had mold problems in their houses the same year.

Melinda Ballard, a Texas homeowner who won a $32 million judgment against an insurer in a mold-related lawsuit several years ago (later reduced to $4 million), said her mold-infested home made her family violently ill in a matter of months. Her husband suffered memory loss, had trouble breathing and started coughing up blood. He had brain seizures that were evident in brain scans. Their son developed stomach problems and diarrhea.  Juries don’t award such an amount for nothing.  Her case was proven in court and it was because the mold did, in fact, cause these severe health problems.

A mold expert found that they were breathing in mycotoxins, a mold often caused by water damage, and persuaded them to leave, Ms. Ballard said. Some scientists say mycotoxins can cause brain and lung damage.

The Ballards lived near Austin, not far from a school where large amounts of stachybotrys, another mold linked to health problems, were found in 2000. Some teachers and students became sick as a result.  Stachybotrys is actually much more common in water damaged buildings than once thought.

“When so many people have been exposed to similar varieties of mold and they’re all reporting the same symptoms, the bottom line is: Are we all a bunch of pathological liars, or is there something to this?” said Mrs. Ballard.

More Info (Mold Cover-Up? Who to Contact)

Here is an Example of a letter that was sent to Noreen M. Clark, PhD

Dear Dr. Clark,

We are very concerned about your study on the indoor effects of mold that you recently conducted. Your study claimed that there is insufficient evidence that toxic mold causes any other conditions other than respiratory and asthmatic problems.

On the contrary, we believe there is plenty of peer-reviewed material that shed light on the matter of mold induced illnesses. Even Dr. A.V. Constantini, head of the World Health Organization, states that toxic indoor mold exposure is linked to 14 diseases, including Lupus, Diabetes II, fibromyalgia, and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Have you read Dr. Michael Gray’s paper on Mold, Mycotoxins, and Human Health? Have you ever reviewed the papers from Dr. Vincent Marinkovich, Eckhardt Johanning, Dr. J.V. Baldo, Dr. L. Ahmad, Dr. R. Ruff, or any of the Canadian or European studies on the neurological and immunological effects of fungal exposure?

We think not. Your review, in our opinion is misleading and questionable. We also find it odd that your study is chartered by Congress to advise the government and the CDC. I wonder why the government would fund or advocate such a terrible injustice. How would the government benefit from this? I wonder if it has something to do with admitting that mold does indeed cause permanent neurological, psychological, immunological and pathogenic conditions. Perhaps it has something to do with the cost of testing and remediating public buildings such as prisons, schools, military installations and other various public buildings. Or maybe because the drug companies profit so well in treating the symptoms and illnesses related to fungal exposure. I know how well these drug companies “donate” monies to the government. We wonder if the government thinks that the public would panic if they knew what the possible effects of damaged buildings. Do you think the public couldn’t handle this news?

Don’t bet on it. We are very disappointed with your statements and would like to know exactly what evidence you studied to determine such findings. It would benefit the thousands of sickly mold victims in this country in knowing what research you conducted.

If you would like to contact Noreen to express your opinion:

Noreen M. Clark, PhD
Dean of University of Michigan School of Public Health
Email: nmclark@umich.edu)
Phone: (734)763-5454

Author: Contributor