Toxic Mold

Although molds have always existed in the environment and are generally harmless, there are some types of molds that produce toxins that can be harmful enough to cause what has recently been termed Toxic Mold Syndrome.

What is Toxic Mold Syndrome?

Toxic Mold Syndrome pertains to illnesses that result from exposure to the toxic vapors that are released from specific types of molds that are activated in moist conditions. These vapors, called mycotoxins, can be released both indoors and outdoors. When these vapors are inhaled, they can cause Toxic Mold Syndrome in some people.

Causes

Some molds produce mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are deadly vapors that are released in the air when mold exists in certain conditions. When these noxious vapors enter the body, they can cause severe illnesses.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of exposure to toxic levels of mold include the following:

Coughing, sneezing, sinusitis
Difficulty swallowing, choking, vomiting mucous
Fibromyalgia
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
Burning in the throat and lungs
Wheezing, shortness in breath, coughing, burning in lungs
Irritable bowel syndrome, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pains
Pain in bladder, liver, spleen, or kidney
Dark urine
Dirt-like taste in mouth, coated tongue
Memory loss; brain fog, slurred speech, sometimes leading to dementia

Treatment

There are several methods available for a health professional to determine if an individual has been exposed to toxic levels of mold. The major diagnostic measures include examining lung tissue, administering a breathing capacity test, perform lung function testing, taking a chest x-ray, and performing an immunological investigation. Once an individual is diagnosed, the treatment that is usually offered is for the area with the toxic mold to be cleaned and the offending mold removed. Since most symptoms of Toxic Mold Syndrome are temporary, one the mold is removed, individuals usually experience relief.

Major Legal Cases

Although not a toxic mold case, the lawsuit involving Melinda Ballard and Ron Allison and insurance giant Farmers Insurance Group shined a great deal of light on toxic mold and started a wave of lawsuits. Melinda and Ron owned a mansion in Dripping Springs, Texas. The couple claimed that the insurance company's failure to make repairs to a leak that sprang up in their mansion caused toxic mold to grow and to make them sick. In June of 2001, a jury awarded the couple $32 million dollars. The case is important to the subject of toxic mold because it was the first view of the possible ailments related to toxic mold as a condition. The couple and their son suffered major ailments. Ron Allison suffered the most severe effects of the toxic mold, as he suffers neurological problems, so bad that Ron could no longer keep his job as an investment banker.

In the same year as Ron and Allison's case, a group of over 500 tenants of a Henry Phipps Plaza South apartment complex took to court, their claim that the apartment building owner neglected to address a mold problem in the building and resulting in many of them suffering from various illnesses, including skin cancer, asthma, hair loss, short-term memory loss, and respiratory disease. This case is a landmark case in the toxic mold issue because it marked the first time that an issue of toxic mold was brought to the justice system. In December of 2001, the tenants settled for $1.8 million dollars

References and Resources

http://www.environews.com/Features/mold.htm

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (http://www.epa.gov/Region06/6xa