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Please read our Internet Links relating to Sick Buildings, Mold and Human Health - you will be convinced that there is much evidence that people DO become ill - and children, most of all - but sadly, they have no advocacy for their illness except for their own parents, their doctors (if lucky enough to have an informed pediatrician - in the area of sick building syndrome and mold)an occasional superintendent and their teachers. Since so many people aren't aware of the symptoms of sick building syndrome deriving from mold, there is much confusion. Even our governmental agencies are not done studying the problems - in fact, they have just begun. We see, below, what they have come up with, thus far - and what their recommendations are for further study. While it is gratifying to know that the CDC (Center for Disease Control) understands that there is enough of a problem to study, we realize it will be many years before their findings are final - and those of us in the middle of a health crisis at our schools just cannot wait for that to happen. Weekly, new information and studies are being brought forth - to help those of us who deal with the here-and-now. Some of these are found on our Research page, where many of the top names in mold research are found, with their latest findings.
The CDC commissioned a comprehensive review of the existing data on the relationship of damp buildings and human health, studied for the past year by the Institite of Medicine (IOM)Damp Indoor Spaces and Health. Their conclusions were reported in May, 2004, and misrepresented in the national media. The Institute of Medicine, a prestigious body, did, indeed, find evidence of some associations between damp buildings, mold and serious health problems AND recommended further studies be undertaken in many other areas of concern (like neurological damage). Please see below, and follow links for their report.
(May 25, 2004) Executive Summary (excerpt from)Board on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HPDP), Institute of Medicine (IOM)
Page 8 http://books.nap.edu/books/0309091934/html/8.html#pagetop
Table ES-2, Summary of Findings Regarding the Association Between Health Outcomes and the Presence of Mold or other Agents in Damp Indoor Environments
Sufficient Evidence of an Association
Upper Respiratory (nasal and throat) tract symptoms.
Cough
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis in susceptible persons
Wheeze
Asthma symptoms in susceptible persons
Limited or Suggestive Evidence of an Association
Lower respiratory illness in otherwise healthy children
IAQA Seeks to Correct Misreporting on Implications of IOM Mold ReportMedia Misinformed Public on Health Effects of Mold in Government-Sponsored Report
NOTE TO EDITORS: The following represents the opinion of IAGA
ROCKVILLE, MD -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 06/17/2004 -- A recent report by the Institute of Medicine, which finds an association between conditions caused by indoor dampness and a laundry list of health effects, has largely been misunderstood and misrepresented among members of the general media.
The Institute of Medicine has found sufficient evidence of an association between the presence of mold or other agents in damp indoor environments and the following health outcomes: upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, wheeze, asthma symptoms in sensitized persons. It found limited or suggestive evidence of an association between the presence of agents in damp indoor environments and lower respiratory illness in otherwise healthy children.
It is the position of the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) that these findings should not be minimized...
In the eyes of scientists, there is a clear-cut distinction between what they call an "association" and what they call a "link," simply put, an association describes the relationship between two conditions that merely coexist, while a link describes the cause-and-effect relationship between one condition and another. This important distinction is often glossed over by the media, or the terms are incorrectly used interchangeably.
Authors of the Institute of Medicine report have stated repeatedly that there is "a dearth of research" proving whether a causal link exists between indoor dampness and any health effects. Because of this, they have requested further study and presented guidelines for those studies.
They also list no less than 15 other health symptoms that have been attributed to mold and other agents and that scientific research has not yet established sufficient evidence to determine whether an association exists between them and the presence of mold or other agents in damp environments. These include cancer, fatigue, reproductive effects, skin symptoms, lower respiratory illness in otherwise healthy adults, and airflow obstruction in otherwise healthy people.
Furthermore, the authors have listed numerous concerns for damp buildings. Indoor dampness in general is "not your friend," as stated by one member of the panel introducing the report at a May 25 press conference in Washington, D.C. Thus, the report urges the building community to develop steps to prevent indoor dampness before it should ever become a problem.
Authors recommend action on the federal, state and local levels, and the report specifically recommends that a federal agency develop and disseminate consensus guidelines on building design, construction, operation and maintenance, with the goal of preventing indoor dampness. IAQA staff is working closely with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to determine whether the association could assist with such a project.
The Institute of Medicine is a private, nonprofit institution that provides health policy advice under a congressional charter granted to the National Academy of Sciences. The full report, which was requested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can be read online at http://books.nap.edu/catalog/11011.html.
The Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) is a nonprofit, multidisciplinary organization, dedicated to promoting the exchange of indoor environmental information, through education and research, for the safety and well being of the general public. For more information on IAQA, visit www.iaqa.org or call (301) 231-8388.
Indoor Air Quality Association
12339 Carroll Avenue
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 231-8388
Fax (301) 231-8321
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www.iaqa.org
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