Re: This is what we are fighting ! HELP FIGHT BACK!!!!!

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The news article below will expire on this website in 52 days.

Misconceptions About Mold Exposure Abound

March 15, 2006

Clementine Wallace

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Illnesses resulting from mold-exposure are

common and important, but a lot of what's currently being blamed on mold

exposure

is not supported by good medical evidence, researchers assert.

" There are misconceptions in the public concerning the dangers associated

with mold exposure -- unproven assertions that often end up soliciting

litigations, " Dr. Wood, from s Hopkins University School of Medicine

in

Baltimore, told Reuters Health.

Wood and his colleagues have authored an article on the medical effects of

mold exposure, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

The researchers compiled key references to " provide a state-of-the-art review "

of the role played by mold exposure in human diseases such as asthma,

allergic rhinitis, and sinusitis. It also reviews the data on other illnesses

purported to be related to mold.

" Our goal is to give doctors an up-to-date statement about what we really

know about mold exposure, that they can use to answer their patients'

questions, " Wood said.

Fungi can cause illnesses through three known mechanisms: by generating a

harmful immune reaction in the host (allergies for example); by direct

infection; and by releasing toxic or irritating byproducts.

For each one of these categories, there is scientific evidence to establish

mold as a genuine cause of illness, " but hypothesized associations have also

been made, especially concerning indoor molds, " Wood explained.

For example, the team notes in the article, studies concerning the

contribution of indoor mold to upper airway allergies are not compelling.

Regarding the potential toxic effects of mold, they say that while ingesting

large quantities of mold from contaminated or spoiled food can lead to

serious illnesses, there is no scientific evidence proving that inhaling toxins

from molds has harmful effects on health.

Concerns have also been raised as to whether mold exposure could induce

disorders of immune regulation. However, the authors write, " The published

literature in this regard is of particularly poor quality and should not be

relied

on as scientifically valid. "

Wood's group concludes with advice on assessing patients with suspected

mold-related allergies -- using blood tests to measure antibodies to mold

allergens, for example -- and they suggest that sampling air for mold spores

can be

useful in some cases.

SOURCE: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, February 2006.