Hardin's newest power point from a conference in Oct, 2006

[Guest guest]

Construction Solutions Conference - Seattle

http://www.constructionsolutionsconference.com/seattle/downloads/2006/bryan_hardin.pdf

"Was the dose adequate to produce the specific health effect?"

Pg 25 "Assume a high airborne concentration of spores (200,000 spore/m3) [not mycotoxins]

How does the calculated maximum dose of the mycotoxin fumitremorgen compare the lowest dose which causes an effect in animals?"

Hard to say when:

1. We have no measurement of mycotoxins in this equation, only generic "spores"

2. There has been no established number for the amount of mycotoxins produced by a

single spore, particularly when all types of spores are different.

3. One cannot take animal, or in this case a rodent data and directly extrapolate a number

that is indicative of human exposure.

4. When humans are exposed to mycotoxins within a moldie indoor environment, the toxins

enter the body via inhalation, ingestion and dermal contact for varying periods of time.

5. Therefore, one cannot take an acute inhalation study of rats, directly

corrolate extrapolations and determine anything one way or the other regarding the

establishment of dose necessary before human symptoms occurs.

6. Nor can one scientifically take the information provided within this power point and

determine anything about threshold levels of exposure to mycotoxins within an indoor

environment.

Pg 27 "In a typical mold-contaminated office or residential environment, it is virtually impossible to inhale sufficient mycotoxin to cause an adverse effect."

There is no scientific foundation to support the above statement. In addition the information is irrelevant in understanding human toxicity as it does not address the other routes of human exposure that simultaneously occur within a damp indoor environment.

Pg 28, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) Council on Scientific Affairs. 2003. Evidence-Based Statement. Adverse Human Health Effects Associated with Molds in the Indoor Environment. J Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 45(5):470-478.

Pg 29 "Current scientific evidence does not support the proposition that human health has been adversely affected by inhaled mycotoxins in home, school, or office environments.􀂾Except for persons with severely impaired immune systems, indoor mold is not a source of fungal infections."

These two above statements are incorrect and not founded upon any scientific study. Much current scientific evidence supports adverse human health effects from the matter. The body of evidence is growing daily. The term "inhaled" is irrelevant and the data to support their "inhaled" theory is not scientific in foundation to make the conclusions it does. Current scientific evidence does not support the proposition that one can take the data used within the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine paper to form any conclusion of human illness.

Pg 30 "Institute Of Medicine. 2004. Damp Indoor Spaces and Health. National Academies Press, Washington, D.C."

The Institute of Medicine report directly contradicts all the above statements made within this power point and the methods used to support these statements within the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine paper:

IOM Executive Summary:

“Toxicologic studies, which examine such responses using animal and cellular

models, cannot be used by themselves to draw conclusions about human health

effects.â€

IOM Chapter 4 Mycotoxins Summary: “Except for a few studies on cancer, toxicologic studies of mycotoxins are acute or short-term studies that use high exposure concentrations to reveal immediate effects in small populations of animals. Chronic studies that use lower exposure concentrations and approximate human exposure more closely have not been done except for a small number of cancer studies.â€

IOM Chapter 4 Mycotoxins

Summary

Considerations in Evaluation of Evidence

“Most of the information reviewed in this chapter is derived from studies in vitro (that is studies in an artificial environment, such as a test tube or a culture medium) or animal studies. In vitro studies, as explained below, are not suitable for human risk assessment. Risk can be extrapolated from animal studies to human health effects only if chronic animal exposures have produced sufficient information to establish no-observed-adverse-effect levels (NOAELs) and lowest-observed-adverse-effect levels (LOAELs). Extrapolation of risk exposure from animal experiments must always take into account species differences between animals and humans, sensitivities of vulnerable human populations, and gaps in animal data.â€

Pg 34, "AAAAI: Position PaperBush RK, et al.The medical effects of mold exposure. (Position paper of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.) Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 117(2):326-333."

Pg 38 "We agree with the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine evidence-based statement and the Institute of Medicine draft, which conclude that the evidence does not support the contention that mycotoxin-mediated disease (mycotoxicosis) occurs through inhalation in nonoccupational settings."

This is not a scientific statement when the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and the Institute of Medicine Draft, directly contradict each other on this point.

Pg 39 "The occurrence of mold-related irritant reactions from exposure to fungal irritants in nonoccupational settings are theoretically possible, although unlikely to occur in the general population given exposure and dose considerations."

Again, unscientific. There is no exposure or dose consideration established to make the determination of "unlikely".