The Center for School Mold Help

Read this controversial article, its numerous comments on all sides of the issue 

and add your own ... 

DO YOU THINK MOLD CAN SICKEN PEOPLE AND KILL A BABY? WHY DID TWO BABIES PURPORTEDLY DIE WITHIN TEN DAYS IN THE SAME APARTMENT BUILDING?

ALSO, SHOULD SCHOOL CHILDREN AND THEIR TEACHERS REMAIN IN SICK, MOLDY, DAMP BUILDINGS? RIGHT NOW, THROUGHOUT AMERICA, THEY ARE FORCED TO. FAMILIES AND WORKERS ARE ALSO FORCED TO OCCUPY UNHEALTHY BUILDINGS. THIS IS WRONG!

This is an EPA photo of a very moldy home. Do you think that this looks healthy?

At SMH, we know that mold harms health, sickens and even kills people. We have amassed 1,000 scientific and media articles and documents to prove this.

We have an epidemic of mold in our buildings - and a CDC that is busily downplaying the problem. This is why the public is so upset over the issue - especially those who become ill or the loved ones who lose children or family members due to mold-related illnesses. These are preventable. All we need are government agencies, a Congress and administrative leadership that will treat this toxin producer like any other threat to our health, and stop ignoring it, to please big business! Then our courtrooms will stop playing the denial-game.

 http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/local/67141.php

Published: 10.29.2007
Ex-tenants say mold caused ailments, death
Judge throws out lawsuits, fines attorney
A.J. FLICK
Tucson Citizen

The wall outside the bedroom where Ezekiel Mark Bullis
spent all five weeks of his brief life in 2001 still weeps
black mold.

Streaks of peppery mold seep from underneath slats of
siding on the two-story-high wall at The Overlook at
Pantano apartment complex, 1800 S. Pantano Road, a 443-unit
complex south of East 22nd Street.

The official cause of Ezekiel's death is listed as sudden
infant death syndrome, but his grandmother blames the mold
that infested her apartment.

"At first I thought, 'Mold can't do this to a person,'"
Rachael Bullis said. "But we went and did research, and we
found that it can. That's when we started putting two and
two together."

On Oct. 22, Bullis returned to the Overlook, which used to
be called Eastside Place, for the first time since she
moved out in 2001.

Bullis pointed to the window sill of the second-floor
apartment where Ezekiel lived.
"It makes me mad to see toys are sitting there," Bullis
said. "Children live there."

Bullis and more than 100 former residents of the complex
sued the owners, Dell Loy and Randy Hansen, and their
company, Wasatch Property Management of Logan, Utah, in
several lawsuits beginning in September 2002 that were
eventually grouped together in two separate suits.

Former residents complained of numerous respiratory
problems and other ailments. In addition, within 10 days,
Ezekiel and another infant in the same apartment building
died with toxic mold in their lungs, court records said.
Medical experts on both sides of the lawsuit agreed that
both babies died of SIDS, even though the cause of death
for one infant is officially listed as "accidental
smothering."

Pima County Superior Court Judge John Davis effectively
threw out both lawsuits, believing experts hired by the
Hansens' team of attorneys who said mold can only make
asthma worse. Davis also ordered personal injury attorney
Harold Hyams to pay $750,000 in court fees, saying he
caused unnecessary delays.

That fine and others have marred the case and left Hyams
spending nearly as much of his time defending himself
against complaints by judges about his conduct and errors
as he has pursuing the tenants' complaints against the
apartment complex's owners and managers.

Bullis said it's Davis who is causing unnecessary delays by
not issuing a final judgment on her lawsuit, which is
needed before Hyams can file an appeal.

"Judge Davis said Harold made the case all about himself,
but it was Judge Davis who made the case about Harold and
not the mold," said Robin Peters, another plaintiff.
"We want the jury to decide the case," said Peters. "I'm
gonna fight this till the end. We've got so much proof, but
Judge Davis won't see any of it."

In a motion asking Davis to reconsider his sanction against
Hyams, legal ethics expert and attorney Mark I. Harrison,
who was hired by Hyams' attorney defending him before the
state bar, said defense attorneys filed nearly four times
as many substantive motions, those requiring hearings or
more pleadings, as Hyams - 223 to Hyams' 62.

Hyams also was fined $20,000 by the Arizona Court of
Appeals over mistakes he made in a motion he filed in that
court challenging Davis's decision to dismiss punitive
damages in the first lawsuit.

Dell Loy Hansen filed a complaint against Hyams with the
State Bar of Arizona. The reason for the complaint was not
available. The Bar said it has no open investigations on Hyams and
dismissed one complaint in August. The Bar doesn't disclose
details on complaints unless probable cause to hold further
proceedings is found.

About 100 residents and their children were included in the
first lawsuit. The first blow came in May 2005, when a
dozen of the former tenants were dismissed from the
lawsuit.

Davis, who inherited the case from another judge, ruled
against the remaining former tenants, saying the evidence
didn't support their claims.

Davis recently issued a similar ruling in the second
lawsuit, which included about 115 residents, some of whom
moved into apartments vacated by the original group of
plaintiffs.

All of the dismissals came after Frye hearings, in which a
judge decides whether evidence from expert witnesses is
credible enough to present to a jury.

In both cases, Davis decided that Hyams had not presented
enough evidence that mold causes more harm than worsening
asthma, though he also dismissed claims involving
plaintiffs with worsened asthma.

The Hansens and attorneys on both sides declined to comment
while the second lawsuit is still active. Hyams argued unsuccessfully in court that an Arizona
repressed-memory case, Logerquist v. McVey, required that a
jury decide which expert testimony is credible.
Among Hyams' experts were Tucson allergy expert Dr. Mark
Sneller, a pollen and mold identification expert approved
by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
who writes a syndicated column and often appears in the
national press, and John Terranova of Nevada-based Terra
Nova Inc., who lectures nationally on mold remediation.
Sneller and Terranova both found "extreme" amounts of mold
at the complex.

"I was on the verge of vomiting from the moldy odors inside
these apartments," Terranova said in his 2002 report. "I
found the apartments with the infant deaths to have the
worst mold contamination of all."

Terranova recommended demolition of the complex.
"There's no evidence that exposure to mold causes
anything," Wasatch attorney Russell D. Hiles said in an
Oct. 15 hearing.

It isn't enough for the former tenants to prove that mold
was in their apartments when they lived there, Hiles said.
They must prove that mycotoxins, the poisonous substance in
mold, were present and no such testing was done, Hiles
said.

In addition, he said, none of the plaintiffs was tested for
mold allergies or reactions while they were living at the
property.
"We have no ability to establish that mold caused any
injuries," he said.

"I was mad at them for saying there's nothing wrong with
mold, that you can't suffer any harm living in it," said
Kuuleme Stephens, who moved into the complex in 2000 with
her husband and three children ages 8, 9 and 12.

"We were getting sick, and it was ridiculous to be told
there was nothing wrong with us," Stephens said. "We did
not have these problems before the mold."

Stephens, Bullis and Peters all report similar ailments
they and their relatives contracted, including profuse
nosebleeds, asthma and respiratory infections. Peters and
Bullis also said they found lumps in their breasts, which
they attributed to immune systems devastated by the mold.

Peters blames mold for the death of one dog and
neurological problems in another.
Stephens and other residents in the lawsuits filed some 30
complaints with the city over conditions at the Overlook.
Stephens said as soon as her family was moved into a
temporary unit while its unit was being remediated, the
city complaint was dismissed.

Once the family returned to the remediated apartment,
Stephens said, mold levels were even higher than before.
Other residents not involved in the lawsuits complained
also. One resident complained to the city's Neighborhood
Resources Division in January and August 2005 about a
leaking roof. Both times, repairs were ordered.

In October 2005, a complex employee told the city nothing
was fixed since the resident moved out.
A city inspector told the employee that the apartment would
have to be reinspected before it was rented again. City
records don't indicate whether the reinspection was
completed.

Mold has become a hot-button topic in recent years. Many
experts, including those from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, are studying a cluster of cases in
Cleveland, where up to 27 infants developed lung ailments
while living in flooded or water-damaged houses. Nine
babies died.

"Mold can affect health, but not in everyone," said Mary
Kay O'Rourke, who teaches environmental health and related
subjects at the University of Arizona's College of Public
Health.

"What happens is, some people respond (to mold), some
people become hypersensitive and some not all," said
O'Rourke, who was not involved in either lawsuit.
Innumerable species of mold are everywhere, O'Rourke said.
Most people have immune systems healthy enough to resist
any reaction.

However, those who become sensitive to mold will never get
rid of it, she said. "Certain types of mold are associated with certain types of
disease that are problematic," she said.
"But just because mold is in the house does not necessarily
mean a person inhaled it or was exposed to it. A host of
things have to happen in order to say that there's a direct
relationship."

That's the crux of the stalemate in these lawsuits,
according to court documents and hearings. The Hansens
don't deny that the apartments were moldy, but that
a "host" of conditions wasn't met to prove actual harm.
Hyams said his evidence proves the conditions were met.
Davis, obviously, disagreed.

Hyams tried to show that since the Hansens bought the
complex in 1992, they chronically neglected maintenance,
used improper techniques such as painting over mold to fix
the problems and blamed low-income residents for failing to
clean their apartments.

"Mold infestation is almost always a symptom of poor
maintenance, poor housekeeping or the two jointly,"
O'Rourke said. "It doesn't occur overnight." The only way
to get rid of the mold is to cut off the water supply and
remove the mold with a bleach solution or replace the
affected area, she said.

Peters and Bullis lived in apartments the complex said
were "remediated," but both said the mold remained and
continued to harm their families.
O'Rourke said she's often asked what residents should do if
they live in homes with excessive mold.

"You may think I'm callous, but I say, 'Move,'" O'Rourke
said. "If you live in a sick building and you don't own it
and can't control it, get the hell out of there.
"If you own it, fix it."

In both lawsuits, plaintiffs were offered settlements. The
first was for cash in various amounts that Bullis, Peters
and Stephens said didn't even begin to cover their
expenses. The second was for nothing but an agreement that
the Hansens wouldn't pursue costs of the case against them,
which exceeds several hundred thousand dollars in the first
lawsuit alone.

A handful of families accepted a settlement. Bullis, Peters
and Stephens didn't.
"It's not about what we can get out of it," Bullis
said. "Whatever we get is not going to replace what we
lost.

"But people live there now. They move in and they bring
more young children. I don't ever want anyone to experience
the loss my family has. As long as that place stands there,
I'll fight."

------------------------------

(go to http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/67141.php to add your comments, too!)

Published: 10.30.2007
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/opinion/67254.php
ONLINE COMMENTS
The big debate: The mold and the lawsuit
'In many states the level of mold documented here would result in a demolition order by the health department.'
Compiled by MARK KIMBLE
Tucson Citizen
The story: Ex-tenants of an East Side apartment complex say mold made them sick and may have contributed to the deaths of two babies. But a judge threw out lawsuits.
Your take: Who would want to live in those apartments? And what's up with the judge?
The comment at the top of this column is from Tom S., who also is suspicious of the judge's motives. The discussion on mold among members of the Citizen's online community quickly spins into a debate on judges, lawyers and insurance companies.
"The judge should move into the apartment where one of the babies died," suggests Sam. L. But Bruce S. opines, "The judge got it right. The plaintiff's 'feelings' about the cause of any illness are not relevant."
And Do. D. adds, "This is nothing more than people signing up for the lawsuit lottery."

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/comments/index.php?id=67141

Ex-tenants say mold caused ailments, death
The wall outside the bedroom where Ezekiel Mark Bullis spent all five weeks of his brief life in 2001 still weeps black mold. Streaks of peppery mold seep from underneath slats of siding on the two-story-high wall at The Overlook at Pantano apartment complex
 Only show comments that are at least:  2 Thumbs Up 1 Thumb Up 0 Thumbs Up 1 Thumb Down 2 Thumbs Down 3 Thumbs Down 4 Thumbs Down 5 Thumbs Down View All
1. Comment by Tom S. (tominegypt) — October 29,2007 @ 4:24AM
Rating: 10 Thumbs Up

What I want to know is who paid this judge how much. The mold toxic health affects are well documented. In many states the level of mold documented here would result in a demolition order by the health department.

2. Comment by Jose J. (#2238) — October 29,2007 @ 6:23AM
Rating: 12 Thumbs Down This comment is below your threshold. (View Comment)

Sounds like a judge that has common sense, unlike the scum ambulance chasing lawyer.

  Rate this comment

3. Comment by Andy S. (Vet) — October 29,2007 @ 7:02AM
Rating: 6 Thumbs Up

Jose, did you miss this sentence?

"In addition, within 10 days, Ezekiel and another infant in the same apartment building died with toxic mold in their lungs, court records said."

4. Comment by A C. (PootieTang) — October 29,2007 @ 7:54AM
Rating: 6 Thumbs Up

Jose, you an insensitive and disgusting human being. Babies died you callous fool.

5. Comment by mary s. (noone123) — October 29,2007 @ 9:06AM
Rating: 1 Thumb Down This comment is below your threshold. (View Comment)

I am glad to see Harold Hyams lose. He really takes advantage of insurance companies. Don't get me wrong, insurance companies aren't saints either, but his actions cost all of us more in premiums.

6. Comment by Joy K. (KC01) — October 29,2007 @ 9:11AM
Rating: 6 Thumbs Up

The money the apt complex (insurance company) spent of this - could have well been better spent on removing walls and carpets and flooring to FIX THE DAMN PROBLEM - INSTEAD OF Allowing anyone to die Especially Children - What the he## is wrong with people???????????? THE SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN - nothing more than a mold collecting rent - Tucson needs to do something about slum lords - charge them taxes on no-existing domains! Then lets see how fast they fix problems!

  Rate this comment

7. Comment by Sam L. (thruska) — October 29,2007 @ 9:18AM
Rating: 0 Thumbs Up

Sounds like the judge doesn't like the attorney for personal reasons and is clouding his judgment as, uh, judge.

The judge should move into the apartment where one of the babies died for one month to see if he is affected by the mold. Must be done under the same conditions and must sleep in a bed and crawl around on the floor. If he gets sick and it is apparent to himself the mold caused it, then rule in favor of the suit. If not, then rule against.

  Rate this comment

8. Comment by Sam L. (thruska) — October 29,2007 @ 9:19AM
Rating: 2 Thumbs Up

...crawl around on the floor like the baby would have...

  Rate this comment

9. Comment by Sam L. (thruska) — October 29,2007 @ 9:20AM
Rating: 1 Thumb Up

...in the same room the baby was in. (Yikes. Having problems completing sentences today.)

  Rate this comment

10. Comment by Bruce S. (#276) — October 29,2007 @ 10:57AM
Rating: 6 Thumbs Down This comment is below your threshold. (View Comment)

The judge got it right. The plaintiff's "feelings" about the cause of any illness are not relevant.

  Rate this comment

11. Comment by Lila S. (#2245) — October 29,2007 @ 11:08AM
Rating: 6 Thumbs Up

Mold is very toxic in excessive amounts, especially if you are sensitive to begin with. I think Landlords need to take action against mold since apartments get leaks they are fixed but the mold still lingers after the leak is stopped. But I guess its all about the money it takes to fix the mold issues. Those poor babies suffered the ultimate price for someone's stupidity.

12. Comment by Sonja W. (yesican) — October 29,2007 @ 11:29AM
Rating: 3 Thumbs Up

#11 Lila, your sentence could have stated, "the ultimate price for someone's GREED."

Greed does many horrible things in the name of money.

  Rate this comment

13. Comment by Sabrina S. (Sabi4) — October 29,2007 @ 11:42AM
Rating: 0 Thumbs Up

i believe this judge should be taken off the bench and should be investigated along with the owners of the complex it only shows if you have money and people are dieing especially children you just pay the right person and the problem is dispossed of

14. Comment by Bruce S. (#276) — October 29,2007 @ 1:14PM
Rating: 6 Thumbs Down This comment is below your threshold. (View Comment)

Sabrina, you need remedial English,urgently.

  Rate this comment

15. Comment by Do D. (DoDah) — October 29,2007 @ 1:42PM
Rating: 2 Thumbs Down This comment is below your threshold. (View Comment)

This is nothing more than people signing up for the lawsuit lottery. Three cheers for Davis for making them follow the law. We all pay for these stupid law suits. I am sorry the baby was smothered?? and the other died of SIDS but don't make me pay more insurance for your loss.

16. Comment by Rachael B. (Rachis0n) — October 29,2007 @ 1:51PM
Rating: 3 Thumbs Up

Maybe you should read alittle closer...
In addition, within 10 days, Ezekiel and another infant in the same apartment building died with toxic mold in their lungs

17. Comment by Do D. (DoDah) — October 29,2007 @ 1:52PM
Rating: 5 Thumbs Down This comment is below your threshold. (View Comment)

If mold was such a killer we would have people dropping dead left and right. Mold is everywhere. This is nothing more than an attorney trying to get in front of a jury with BS facts.
The comments above show how stupid jurors are. One article with no facts and the illiterate are up in arms????

  Rate this comment

18. Comment by Do D. (DoDah) — October 29,2007 @ 2:06PM
Rating: 5 Thumbs Down This comment is below your threshold. (View Comment)

Doesn't everyone have mold in there lungs. You would have to not breath to not have mold in you lungs. Along with dust, particulates etc etc. Everything that can make it down your wind pipe is in your lungs. Give me a break.

  Rate this comment

19. Comment by rich h. (richh) — October 29,2007 @ 2:22PM
Rating: 1 Thumb Up

Come on...really? How about if we force asprin on a baby that has an allergy to it. Is there a difference? Really? All the adults and children that die every year due to black mold and you make comments like that? Do you live under a rock? Really? Do some research!!! Then maybe you will realize how ignorant you sound!!!! Really????? Do live on another planet? Where have you been?? Why would congress be considering the melina bill(look it up). How can you give an opinion about something you know zero about? Really??? Or are you just stirring the pot? Really????

20. Comment by rich h. (richh) — October 29,2007 @ 2:25PM
Rating: 4 Thumbs Up

Not every person has a reaction to it. I get a reaction from tabacoo smoke... not everybody does...right... get the picture???? Really????

  Rate this comment

21. Comment by Melissa P. (Melissa P.) — October 29,2007 @ 2:47PM
Rating: 4 Thumbs Up

This article was shocking when I read it. My brother, his wife and their 2 children ages 2 & 1 just recently broke their lease at this complex and moved out due to all the problems with the apartment. They had tons of mold in their house under the carpet! They later found out why. During the monsoon the rain would accumulate in the porch area and then would rise to the top of the sliding glass door. It woould then seep through the bottom of the door onto the carpet. They would have to move all their furniture into the kitchen area just to avoid the water damage to their furniture. When they reported this to managment they simply supplied them with a fan to air out the carpet. That place smelled so bad like mold. My brother's children were constantly sick with respiratory related issues. It was not until they moved out that the kids health returned to normal.

I feel really sad that these people had to suffer the loss of a child due to the neglegence of proper maintenance of these apartments.

  Rate this comment

22. Comment by dave b. (daveisitaz) — October 29,2007 @ 5:04PM
Rating: 3 Thumbs Up

I am astounded if I read this right hundreds of tenants in two separate cases brought a lawsuit against these people and this complex. They claim illness and deaths of infants. A judge dismissed it all except the asthma case, and then he denied those cases to go to trial also. Judge and jury all rolled up into one convenient package. Where is the check and balance in this. So it went on for 6 years and this lady goes back to the complex to find in six years there is still mold and it is still on the walls, She sees the enemy that took her child raging unchecked. What is it she has to say about it, there are children living where the baby died, as she points to the toys on the window. I fear that these women will not be stopped. It does not sound as if she wants money. I would like to know how it is possible someone did not care enough to fix this given six years. I would like to know whom it is that has been entrusted with the safety and security of these children at this place. I will point out they don’t care they are asleep at the wheel. I find another thought provocative, Why should they pay to be made ill? Your friends and your family and others live in this place. Show them you care pray for the family of Ezekiel and the others.
That they may find the strength to close down this place down. That they will see the day the bulldozers roll through this place.
They are true Americans fighting for other people’s children.
It appears they don’t care what it cost.
God bless America and Moms and Grandmas everywhere. Oh yea and apple pie.

  Rate this comment

23. Comment by Sharon K. (Mrs Kramer) — October 29,2007 @ 5:04PM
Rating: 5 Thumbs Up

It is ridiculous in this day and time that one, who is educated enough to become a judge, would think mold exposure only exasberates asthma. I think this judge must have bought into the science hype over this issue, that has been heavily promoted by old tobacco scientists, and had his/her mind made up as to which way the case was going to go, before he/she heard the first word of evidence.

For more on the subject, read the following front page Wall Street Journal article, Jan 2007 titled, "Cout of Opinion, Amid Suits Over Mold Experts Wear Two Hats - Authors of Science Paper Often Cited by Defense
Also Help in Litigation"

http://drcraner.com/images/suits_over_mold_WSJ.pdf

Former US Surgeon General Carmona, I am aware you reside in Tuscon and have spoken out about the stifling of scientific information by the Bush Administration. When are you going to speak out regarding the deceit that has been occurring over the mold issue? As noted in this article, people's lives are at stake.

Surgeon General's Office Issues Conflicting Message on "Toxic Mold".
http://www.fdrcinc.org/surgeon.html

  Rate this comment

24. Comment by Jonathan W. (jonathanleewright) — October 30,2007 @ 7:50AM
Rating: 4 Thumbs Up

Tucson Citizen readers --

As a nonprofit foundation with official ties to the office of the Chairman of the US House Judiciary Comittee (the Honorable John Conyers) we offer the following commments on both this nationally significant case, and it's questionable ruling.

Readers need to be aware that the issue of mold and human health is highly politicized owing to the enormous liabilities for broad stakeholders. The overwheming amount of peer-reviewed scientific research making associations of inhalent exposure to mold and illness is now undeniable. As with the subjects of Tobacco, Asbestos, and recently, Global Warming, claimants denying adverse health effects from mold exposures need to have both their credibility and professional associations scrutinized before considering their contributions to either online debate or formal litigation.

For further insight into the level of influence that is being exerted on the issue, please follow this link hosted on our website.

http://www.fdrcinc.org/junk.html

Our organization has been in direct contact regarding this overall issue within this state with the governor of Arizona, Janet Napolitano, since her first term. However, we have yet to receive a response from that office indicating any commitment to moving the issue forward to safeguard the interests of the people of the state of Arizona.

There is now a broad advocate movement committed to moving this public health crisis into greater awareness and resolution to protect the people, and children, of this country. Concerned readers should contact their legislators and demand to know what actions are being taken to insure the health and well-being of their constituencies from the dangers that mold presents.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Lee Wright
Executive Director
Fungal Disease Resource Center, Inc
http://www.fdrcinc.org

  Rate this comment

25. Comment by Margaret M. (mmaizel) — October 30,2007 @ 8:57AM
Rating: 0 Thumbs Up

I attempted to vote a "thumbs up" on the article by Jonathan Lee Wright and it failed to record. I refreshed the screen. and there was no change. Can you tell me why ?

  Rate this comment

26. Comment by Concerned V. (Concerned44) — October 30,2007 @ 9:41AM
Rating: 1 Thumb Up

This is a list of scientific references on mold and illness. You can look them up at PubMed at
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez

Current WDB References 06/22/07

EPA

1. Mudarri D, Fisk WJ. Public health and economic impact of dampness and
mold. Indoor Air 2007; 17: 226-236.

Causality

1. Hill AB. The environment and disease: association or causation?
Proceedings of Royal Society of Medicine Section of Occupational Medicine
01/14/65; 295-230.
2. Kundi M. Causality and the interpretation of epidemiologic evidence
Environmental Health Perspectives 2006; 114(7): 969-974.
3. Phillips CV, Goodman KJ. The missed lessons of Sir Austin Bradford Hill.
Epidemiologic Perspectives and Innovations 2004; 1(3): 1-5.
4. Carbone M, Klein G, Gruber J, Wong M. Modern criteria to establish human
cancer etiology. Cancer Research 2004; 64: 5518-5524.
5. Altman DG, Bland JM. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. BMJ
1995; 311: 485.
6. Maldonado G, Greenland S. Estimating causal effects. International
Journal of Epidemiology 2002; 31: 422-429.
7. Broderick G, Craddock RC, Whistler T, Taylor R, Klimas N, Unger ER.
Identifying illness parameters in fatiguing syndromes using classical
projection methods. Pharmacogenomics 2006; 7(3): 407-419.

VCS
1. Frederick R, Furtaw Jr EJ, Haugland RA, Hudnell K, Kolb L, Menetrez MY,
Macler B, Selgrade MK, Shoemaker JA, Van Emon JM, Vesper SJ, Ward MW, Wymer
LJ. Exposure of children to indoor molds. EPA Science Forum 2004;
http://cfpub2.epa.gov/ordpubs/nerlpubs/nerlpubs_mcear_2004.cfm?ActType=Pu

CDC/New Orleans

1. Redd SC. State of the science on molds and human health. 2002; 1-10.
2. Rao CY, Riggs MA, Chew GL, Muilenburg ML, Thorne PS, Van Sickle D, Dunn
KH, Brown C. Characterization of airborne molds, endotoxins, and glucans in
homes in New Orleans after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Applied and
Environmental Microbiology 2007; 73(5): 1630-1634.
3. Verhoeff AP, Burge HA. Health risk assessment of fungi in home
environments. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 1997; 78: 544-556.
4. Gent JF, Ren P, Belanger K, Triche E, Bracken MB, Holford TR, Leaderer
BP. Levels of household mold associated with respiratory symptoms in the
first year of life in a cohort at risk for asthma. Environmental Health
Perspectives 2002; 110(12): A781-A786.
5. Solomon GM, Hjelmroos-Koski M, Rotkin-Ellman M, Hammond SK. Airborne mold
and endotoxin concentrations in New Orleans, Louisiana, after flooding,
October through November 2005. Environmental Health Perspectives 2006;
114(9): 1381-1386.
6. Chew GL, Wilson J, Rabito FA, Grimsley F, Iqbal S, Reponen T, Muilenberg
ML, Thorne PS, Dearborn DG, Morley RL. Mold and endotoxin levels in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: a pilot project of homes in New Orleans
undergoing renovation. Environmental Health Perspectives 2006; 114(2): 1883-
1889.
7. Brandt M, Burkhart J, Burton NC, Cox-Ganser J, Damon S, Falk H, Fridkin
S, Garbe P, Kreiss K, McGeehin M, Morgan J, Page E, Rao C, Redd S, Sinks T,
Trout D, Wallingford KM, Warnock D, Weissman DN. Mold Prevention strategies
and possible health effects in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
CDC October 2005; 1-45.

Canada Ministry of Health

1. Minister of Health. Residential indoor air quality guideline for moulds.
2007-03-31 Canada Gazette Part I, 141(13).

ERMI

1. Vesper SJ, McKinstry C, Haugland RA, Iossofova Y, Lemasters G, Levin L,
Hersgey GKK, Villareal M, Bernstein DI, Lockey J, Reponen T. Relative
moldiness index as predictor of childhood respiratory illness. Journal of
Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology 2006; 1-7.
2. Vesper S. Developing the EPA relative moldiness index based on
mold-specific quantitative PCR. The Synergist 2006; 39-43.
3. Vesper SJ, McKinstry C, Yang C, Haugland RA, Kercsmar CM, Yike I,
Schluchter MD, Kirchner HL, Sobolewski J, Allan TM, Dearborn DG. Specific
molds associated with asthma in water-damaged homes. JOEM 2006; 48(8): 852-
858.

Association Studies

1. Hodgson MJ, Morey P, Leung WY, Morrow L, Miller D, Jarvis BB, Robins H,
Halsey JF, Storey. Building-associated pulmonary disease from exposure to
Stachybotrys chartarum and Aspergillus versicolor. J Occup Environ Med 1998;
40(3): 241-249.
2. Reijula K, Tuomi T. Mycotoxins of aspergilli: exposure and health
effects. Front Biosci 2003; 8: s232-235.
3. Skaug MA, Eduard W, Stormer FC. Ochratoxin A in airborne dust and fungal
conidia. Mycopathologia 2001; 151(2): 93-98.
4. Sebastian A, Larsson L. Characterization of the microbial community in
indoor environments: a chemical-analytical approach. Appl Envir Microbiol
2003; 69: 3103-3109.
5. Horner WE, Worthan AG, Morey PR. Air- and dust mycoflora in houses free
of water damage and fungal growth. Appl Environ Microbiol 2004; 70:
6394-6400.
6. Murtoniemi T, Nevalainen A, Suutari M, Toivola M, Komulainen H, Hirvonen
MR. Induction of cytotoxicity and production of inflammatory mediators in
raw 264.7 macrophages by spores grown on six different plasterboards. Inhal
Toxicol 2001; 13(3): 233-247.
7. Bloom E, Bal K, Nyman E, Must A, Larsson L. Mass spectrometry-based
strategy for direct detection and quantification of some mycotoxins produced
by Stachybotrys and Aspergillus spp. in indoor environments. Applied and
Environmental Microbiology 2007; 73(13): 4211-4217.
8. Boutin-Forzano S, Charpin-Kadouch C, Chabbi S, Bennedjai N, Dumon H,
Charpin D. Wall relative humidity: a simple and reliable index for
predicting Stachybotrys chartarum infestation in dwellings. Indoor Air 2004;
14(3): 196-199.
9. Menzies D, Comtois P, Pasztor J, Nunes F, Hanley JA. Aeroallergens and
work- related respiratory symptoms among office workers. J Allergy Clin
Immunol 1998; 101(1): 38-44.
10. Meyer HW, Wurtz H, Suadicani P, Valbjern O, Sigsgaard T, Gyntelberg F.
Molds in floor dust and building-related symptoms among adolescent school
children: a problem for boys only? Indoor Air 2005; 15(Suppl 10): 17-24.
11. Bornehag G, Sundell J, Sigsgaard T. Dampness in buildings and health
(DBH): report from an ongoing epidemiological investigation on the
association between indoor environmental factors and health effects among
children in Sweden. Indoor Air 2004; 14(Suppl 7): 59-66.
12. Park JH, Cox-Ganser J, Rao C, Kreiss K. Fungal and endotoxin
measurements in dust associated with respiratory symptoms in a water-damaged
office building. Indoor Air 2006; 16: 192-203.
13. Andersson MA, Nikulin M, Koljajg U, Andersson MC, Rainey F, Reijula K,
Hintikka EL, Salkinojia-Salonen M. Bacteria, molds, and toxins in
waterdamaged building materials. Applied and Environmental Microbiology
1997; 63(2): 387-393.
14. Dales RE, Burnett R, Zwanenburg H. Adverse health effects among adults
exposed to home dampness and molds. Am Rev Respir Dis 1991; 143: 505-509.
15. Petola J, Andersson MA, Haahtela T, Mussalo-Rauhamaa H, Rainey FA,
Kroppenstedt RM, Samsom RA, Salkinoja-Salonen MS. Toxic-metabolite producing
bacteria and fungus in an indoor environment. Applied and Environmental
Microbiology 2001; 67(7): 3269-3274.
16. Page EH, Trout DB. The role of Stachybotrys mycotoxins in
building-related illness. AIHAJ 2001; 62: 644-648.
17. Wan GH, Li CS. Dampness and airway inflammation and systemic symptoms in
office building workers. Archives of Environmental Health 1999; 54(1):
58-63.
18. Mahooti-Brooks N, Storey E, Yang C, Simcox NJ, Turner W, Hodgson M.
Characterization of mold and moisture indicators in the home. Journal of
Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 2004; 1: 826-839.
19. Cox-Ganser JM, White SK, Jones R, Hilsbos K, Storey E, Enright PL, Rao
CY, Kreiss K. Respiratory morbidity in office workers in a water-damaged
building. Environmental Health Perspectives 2005; 113(4): 485-490.
20. Gunnbjornsdottir MI, Franklin KA, Norback D, Bjornsson E, Gisason D,
Lindberg E, Svanes C, Omenaas E, Norrman E, Jogi R, Jensen EJ, Dahlman-
Hoglund A, Janson C. Prevalence and incidence of respiratory symptoms in
relation to indoor dampness: the RHINE study. Thorax 2006; 61: 221-225.
21. Jacob B, Ritz B, Gehring U, Koch A, Bischof W, Wichmann HE, Heinrich J.
Indoor exposure to molds and allergic sensitization. Environmental Health
Perspectives 2002; 110(7): 647-653.
22. Gunnbjornsdottir MI, Norback D, Plaschke P, Norrman E, Bjornsson E,
Janson C. The relationship between indicators of building dampness and
respiratory health in young Swedish adults. Respir Med 2003; 94(4): 302-307.
23. Kyle AD, Woodruff TJ, Axelrad DA. Integrated assessment of environment
and health: America’s children and the environment. Environmental Health
Perspectives 2006; 114(4): 447-452.
24. Weschler CJ, Wells JR, Poppendieck D, Hubbard H, Pearce TA. Workgroup
report: indoor chemistry and health. Environmental Health Perspectives 2006;
114(3): 442-504.
25. Miller JD, Rand TG, Jarvis BB. Stachybotrys chartarum: cause of human
disease or media darling? Medical Mycology 2003; 41: 271-291.
26. Jaakkola MS, Nordman H, Piipari R, Uitti J, Laitinen J, Karjalainen A,
Hahtola P, Jaakkola JJK. Indoor dampness and molds and development of
adult-onset asthma: a population-based incident case-control study.
Environmental Health Perspectives 2002; 110(5): 543-547.
27. Gent JF, Ren P, Belanger K, Triche E, Bracken MB, Holford TR, Leaderer
BP. Levels of household mold associated with respiratory symptoms in the
first year of life in a cohort at risk for asthma. Environmental Health
Perspectives 2002; 110(12); A781-A792.
28. Apostolakos MJ, Rossmoore H, Beckett WS. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
from ordinary residential exposures. Environmental Health Perspectives 2001;
109(9): 979-981.
29. Trout D, Bernstein J, Martinez K, Biagini R, Wallingford K. Bioaerosol
lung damage in a worker with repeated exposure to fungi in a water-damaged
building. Environmental Health Perspectives 2001; 109(6): 641-644.
30. Menetrez MY. Emission exposure model for the transport of toxic mold.
Indoor and Built Environment 2004; 13(1); 75-82.
31. Craner J. Building-related illness in occupants of mold-contaminated
houses: a case series. Eastern New York Occupational & Environmental Health
Center 1999; 146-157.
32. Engelhart S, Loock A, Skutlarek D, Sagunski H, Lommel A, Farber H, Exner
M. Occurrence of toxigenic Aspergillus versicolor isolates and
sterigmatocystin in carpet dust from damp indoor environments. Applied and
Environmental Microbiology 2002; 68(8): 3886-3890.
33. Murtoniemi T, Nevalainen A, Hirvonen MR. Effect of plasterboard
composition on Stachybotrys chartarum growth and biological activity of
spores. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2003; 69(7): 3751-3757.
34. Shelton BG, Kirkland KH, Flanders WD, Morris GK. Profiles of airborne
fungi in buildings and outdoor environments in the United States. Applied
and Environmental Microbiology 2002; 68(4): 1743-1753.
35. Sebastian A, Larson L. Characterization of the microbial community in
indoor environments: a chemical-analytical approach. Applied and
Environmental Microbiology 2003; 69(6): 3103-3109.
36. Hormer WE, Worthan AG, Morey PR. Air and dustborne mycoflora in houses
of water damage and fungal growth. Applied and Environmental Microbiology
2004; 70(11): 6394-6400.
37. Burge HA. Health effects of biological contaminants. Indoor Air and
Human Health Chapter 10 CRC Press 1996; 171-178.
38. Martinez KF, Rao CY, Burton NC. Exposure assessment and analysis for
biological agents. Grana 2004; 43: 193-208.
39. Pessi AM, Suonketo J, Pentti M, Kurkilahti M, Peltola K,
Rantio-Lehtimaki A. Microbial growth inside insulated external walls as an
indoor air biocontamination source. Applied and Environmental Microbiology
2002; 68(2): 963-967.
40. Krauter P, Biermann A. Reaerosolization of fluidized spores in
ventilation systems. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2007; 73(7):
2165-2172.
41. Thrasher JD, Kilburn K, Immes N. Indoor environment resulting from water
intrusion. Perspectives 2006; 4-53.
42. Flannigan B, McCabe EM, McGarry F. Allergenic and toxigenic
micro-organisms in houses. Journal of Applied Bacteriology Symposium
Supplement 1991; 70: 61S-73S.
43. Verhoeff AP, van Strien RT, van Wijnen JH, Brunekreef B. Damp housing
and childhood respiratory symptoms: the role of sensitization to dust mites
and molds. American Journal of Epidemiology 1995; 141(2): 103-109.
44. Malloy CD, Marr JS. Mycotoxins and public health: a review. J Public
Health Management Practice 1997; 3(3): 61-69.
45. Smoragiewucz W, Cossette B, Boutard A, Krzystyniak K. Trichothecene
mycotoxins in the dust of ventilation systems in office buildings. Int Arch
Occup Environ Health 1993; 65: 113-117.
46. Johanning E, Biagini R, Hull D, Morey P, Jarvis B, Landsbergis P. Health
and immunology study following exposure to toxigenic fungi (Stachybotrys
chartarum) in a water-damaged office environment. Int Arch Occup Environ
Health 1996; 68: 207-218.
47. Croft WA, Jarvis BB, Yatawara CS. Airborne outbreak of trichothecene
toxicosis. Atmospheric Environment 1986; 20(3): 549-552.
48. Hodgson MJ, Morey P, Leung WY, Morrow L, Miller D, Jarvis BB, Robbins H,
Halsey JF, Storey E. Building-associated pulmonary disease from exposure to
Stachybotrys chartarum and Aspergillus versicolor. JOEM 1998; 40(3):
242-249.
49. Johanning E, Landsbergis P, Gareis M, Yang CS, Olmsted E. Clinical
experience and results of a sentinel health investigation related to indoor
fungal exposure. Environmental Health Perspectives 1999; 107(3): 489-494.
50. Sorenson WG. Fungal spores: hazardous to health? Environmental Health
Perspectives 1999; 107(3): 469-472.
51. Rautiala S, Reponen T, Hyvarinen A, Nevalainen A, Vehvilainen A,
Kalliokoski P. Exposure to airborne microbes during the repair of moldy
buildings. American Industrial Hygience Asso Journal 1996; 57: 279-284.
52. Tuomi T, Reijula K, Johnsson T, Hemminki K, Hintikka EL, Lindroos O,
Kalso S, Koukila-Kahkola P, Mussalo-Rauhamaa H, Haajtela T. Mycotoxins in
crude building materials from water-damaged buildings. Applied and
Environmental Microbiology 2000; 66(5): 1899-1904.
53. Redlich CA, Sparer J, Cullen MR. Sick-building syndrome. Lancet 1997;
349: 1013-1015.

Mycotoxin Effects

1. Meloche JL, Smith TK. Altered tissue amino acid metabolism in acute T-2
toxicosis. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 1995; 210(3): 260-265.
2. Smoragiewicz W, Cossette B, Boutard A, Krzystyniak K. Trichothecene
mycotoxins in the dust of ventilation systems in office buildings. Int Arch
Occup Environ Health 1993; 65(2): 113-117.
3. Charpin-Kadouch C, Maurel G, Felipo R, Queralt J, Ramadour M, Henri D,
Garans M, Botta A, Charpin D. Mycotoxin identification in moldy dwellings.
Journal of Applied Toxicology 2006; 26: 475-479.
4. Yike I, Distler Am, Ziady AG, Dearborn DG. Mycotoxin adducts on human
serum albumin: biomarkers of exposure to Stachybotrys chartarum.
Environmental Health Perspectives 2006; 114(8): 1221-1226.
5. Nieminen SM, Karki R, Auriola S, Toivola M, Laatsch H, Laatikainen R,
Hyvarinen A, von Wright A. Isolation and identification of Aspergillus
fumigatus mycotoxins on growth medium and some building materials. Applied
and Environmental Microbiology 2002; 68(10): 4871-4875.
6. Brasel TL, Campbell AW, Demers RE, Ferguson BS, Fink J, Vojdani A, Wilson
SC, Straus DC. Detection of trichothecene mycotoxins in sera from
individuals exposed to Stachybotrys chartarum in indoor environments.
Archives of Environmental Health 2004; 59(6): 317-323.
7. Brasel TL, Martin JM, Carriker CG, Wilson SC, Straus DC. Detection of
airborne Stachybotrys chartarum macrocyclic trichothecene mycotoxins in the
indoor environment. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2005; 71(11):
7376- 7388.
8. Panaccione DG, Coyle CM. Abundant respirable ergot alkaloids from the
common airborne fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. Applied and Environmental
Microbiology 2005; 71(6): 3106-3111.
9. Bennett JW, Klich M. Mycotoxins. Clin Microbiol Rev 2003; 16(3): 497-516.
10. Rao CY, Brain JD Burge HA. Reduction of pulmonary toxicity of
Stachybotrys chartarum spores by methanol extraction of mycotoxins. Applied
and Environmental Microbiology 2000; 66(7): 2817-2821.
11. Wannemacher RW, Wiener SL. Trichothecene Mycotoxins. Textbook of
Military Medicine: Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare:
Chapter 34.
12. Creasia DA, Thurman JD, Jones J, Nealley ML, York CG, Wannemacher RW,
Bunner DL. Acute inhalation toxicity of T-2 mycotoxin in mice. Fundamental
and Applied Toxicology 1987: 8: 230-235.
13. Karunasena E, Cooley JD, Douglas DR, Straus DC. Protein translation
inhibition by Stachybotrys chartarum conidia with and without the mycotoxins
containing polysaccharide matrix. Mycopathologia 2004; 158: 87-97.
14. Peltola J, Ritieni A, Mikkola R, Grigoriev PA, Pocafalvi G, Andersson
MA, Salkinoja-Salonen MS. Biological effects of Trichoderma harzianum
peptaibols on mammalian cells. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2004;
70(8): 4996-5004.
15. Neville J, Hodgson M. Background and toxicity on some mycotoxins commonly
found in water damaged buildings and outside ambient environment. PK-Jarvis
Microbiological, LLC.
16. Sorenson WG, Frazer DG, Jarvis BB, Simpson J, Robinson VA. Trichothecene
mycotoxins in aerosolized conidia of Stachybotrys atra. Applied and
Environmental Microbiology 1987; 53(6): 1370-1375.
17. Etzel RA. Mycotoxins. JAMA 2002; 287(4): 425-428.
18. Jarvis BB, Salemme J, Morais A. Stachybotrys toxins. 1 Natural Toxins 1995; 3:
10-16.
19. Yike I, Rand TG, Dearborn DG. Acute inflammatory responses to Stachybotrys
chartarum in the lungs of infant rats: time course and possible mechanisms.
Toxicol Sci 2005; 84(2): 407-417.
20. Rand TG, Flemming J, David Miller J, Womiloju TO. Comparison of
inflammatory responses in mouse lungs exposed to atranones A and C from
Stachybotrys chartarum. J Toxicol Environ Health A 2006; 69(13): 1239-1251.
21. Rosenblum Lichtenstein JH, Molina RM, Donaghey TC, Brain JD. Strain
differences influence murine pulmonary responses to Stachybotrys chartarum.
Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2006; 35(4): 415-423.
22. Sorenson WG, Frazer DG, Jarvis BB, Simpson J, Robinson VA. Trichothecene
mycotoxins in aerosolized conidia of Stachybotrys atra. Appl Environ Microbiol
1987; 53(6): 1370-1375.
23. Tuomi T, Reijula K, Johnsson T, Hemminki K, Hintilla EL, Lindroos O, Kalso S,
Koukila-Kahkola P, Mussalo-Rauhamaa H, Haahtela T. Mycotoxins in crude
building materials from water-damaged buildings. Appl Environ Microbiol 2000;
66(5): 1899-1904.
24. Nielsen KF, Gravesen S, Nielsen PA, Andersen B, Thrane U, Frisvad JC.
Production of mycotoxins on artificially and naturally infested building materials.
Mycopathologia 1999; 145(1): 43-56.
25. Hodgson MJ, Morey P, Leung WY, Morrow L, Miller D, Jarvis BB, Robbins H,
Halsey JF, Storey E. Building-associated pulmonary disease from exposure to
Stachybotrys chartarum and Aspergillus versicolor. J Occup Environ Med 1998;
40(3): 241-249.
26. Jarvis BB, Miller JD. Mycotoxins as harmful indoor air contaminants. Appl
Microbiol Biotechnol 2005; 66(4): 367-372.
27. Fog Nielsen K. Mycotoxin production by indoor molds. Fungal Genet Biol 2003;
39(2): 103-117.
28. Fiedler K, Schutz E, Geh S. Detection of microbial volatile organic compounds
(MVOCs) produced by moulds on various materials. Int J Hyg Environ Health
2001; 204(2-3): 111-121.
29. Gao P, Martin J. Volatile metabolites produced by three strains of Stachybotrys
chartarum cultivated on rice and gypsum board. Appl Occup Environ Hyg 2002;
17(6): 430-436.
Nay Sayers
1. Lees-Haley PR. Toxic mold and mycotoxins in neurotoxicity cases: Stachybotrys,
Fusarium, Trichoderma, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, Alternaria,
Trichothecenes. Psychol Rep 2003; 93(2): 561-584.
2. Zacharisen MC, Fink JN. Is indoor “mold madness” upon us? Annals of Allergy,
Asthma & Immunology 2005; 94: 12-13.
3. Marmot AF, Eley J, Stafford M, Stansfeld SA, Warwick E, Marmot MG. Building
health: an epidemiological study of “Sick building syndrome” in the Whitehall II
study. Occup Environ Med 2006; 63: 283-289.
4. Khalili B, Montanaro MT, Bardana EJ. Indoor mold and your patient’s health:
from suspicion to confirmation. The Journal of Respiratory Diseases 2005;
26(12): 520-526.
5. Bobbitt RC, Crandall MS, Venkataraman A, Bernstein JA. Characterization of a
population presenting with suspected mold-related health effects. Ann Allergy
Asthma Immunol 2005; 94: 39-44.
6. Robbins CA, Swenson LJ, Nealley ML, Gots RF, Kelman BJ. Health effects of
mycotoxins in indoor air: a critical review. Applied Occupational and
Environmental Hygiene 2000; 15(10): 773-784.
7. Kelman BJ, Robbins CA, Swenson LJ, Hardin BD. Risk from inhaled mycotoxins
in indoor office and residential environments. International Journal of Toxicology
2004; 23: 3-10.
8. Council on Scientific Affairs. Adverse human health effects associated with
molds in the indoor environment. JOEM 2003; 45(5): 470-478.
9. Sudakin DL. Toxigenic fungi in a water-damaged building: an intervention study.
American Journal of Industrial Medicine 1998; 34: 183-190.
10. Sudakin DL. Stachybotrys chartarum: current knowledge of its role in disease.
Medscape General Medicine 2000; 1-8.
11. Hossain MA, Ahmed MS, Ghannoum MA. Attributes of Stachybotrys chartarum
and its association with human disease. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2004; 113(2):
200-208.
12. Kuhn DM, Ghannoum MA. Indoor mold, toxigenic fungi, and Stachybotrys
chartarum: infectious disease perspective. Clinical Microbiology Reviews 2003;
16(1): 144-172.
13. Terr AI. Stachybotrys: relevance to human disease. Ann Allergy Asthma
Immunol 2001; 87(Suppl): 57-63.
14. Kolstad HA, Brauer C, Iversen M, Sigsgaard T, Mikkelsen S. Do indoor molds in
nonindustrial environments threaten workers’ health? A review of the
epidemiologic evidence. Epidemiol Rev 2002; 24: 203-217.
15. Fung F, Hughson WG. Health effects of indoor fungal Bioaerosol exposure.
Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 2003; 18: 535-544.
16. Mahmoudi M, Gershwin ME. Sick building syndrome. III. Stachybotrys
chartarum. Journal of Asthma 2000; 37(2): 191-198.
Biowarfare
1. Casadevall A, Pirofski LA. The weapon potential of human pathogenic fungi.
Medical Mycology 2006; 44: 689-696.
2. Sidell FR, Takafuji ET, Franz DR. Medical aspects of chemical and biological
warfare. 1997; NLM Unique ID: 9709389.
Hormonal Effects
1. Taylor MJ, Smart RA, Sharma RP. Relationship of the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal
axis with chemically induced immunomodulation. I. Stress-like response
after exposure to T-2 toxin. Toxicology 1989; 56(2): 179-195.
2. Desruisseaux MS, Nagajyothi, Trujillo ME, Tanowitz HB, Scherer PE.
Adipocyte, adipose tissue, and infectious disease. Infection and Immunity 2007;
75(3): 1066-1078.
3. Gonzalez-Rey E, Chorny A, Delgado M. Regulation of immune tolerance by antiinflammatory
neuropeptides. Nature Reviews Immunology 2007; 7: 52-63.
Fragments
1. Cho SH, Seo SC, Schmechel D, Grinshpun SA, Reponen T. Aerodynamic
characteristics and respiratory deposition of fungal fragments. Atmospheric
Environment 2005; 39: 5454-5465.
2. Brasel TL, Douglas DR, Wilson SC, Straus DC. Detection of airborne
Stachybotrys chartarum macrocyclic trichothecene mycotoxins on particulates
smaller than conidia. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2005; 71(1): 114-
122.
3. Gorny RL, Reponen T, Willeke K, Schmechel D, Robine E, Boissier M,
Grinshpun SA. Fungal fragments as indoor air biocontaminants. Applied and
Environmental Microbiology 2002; 3522-3531.
4. Gorny RL. Filamentous microorganisms and their fragments in indoor air- a
review. Ann Agric Environ Med 2004; 11: 185-197.
5. Panaccione DG, Coyle CM. Abundant respirable ergot alkaloids from the
common airborne fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. Applied and Environmental
Microbiology 2005; 71(6): 3106-3111.
6. Schulz T, Senkpiel K, Ohgke H. Comparison of the toxicity of reference
mycotoxins and spore extracts of common indoor moulds. International Journal of
Hygiene and Environmental Health 2004; 207(3): 267-277.
Actinomycetes
1. Penttinen P, Pelkonen J, Huttunen K, Hirvonen MR. Co-cultivation of
Streptomyces of Streptomyces californicus and Stachybotrys chartarum stimulates
the production of cytostatic compound(s) with immunotoxic properties.
Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 2006; 217: 342-351.
2. Gorny RL, Mainelis G, Grinshpun SA, Willeke K, Dutkiewicz J, Reponen T.
Release of Streptomyces albus propagules from contaminated surfaces.
Environmental Research 2003; 91: 45-53.
3. Huttunen K, Pelkonen J, Nielsen KF, Nuutinen U, Jussila J, Hirvonen MR.
Synergistic interaction in simultaneous exposure to Streptomyces californicus and
Stachybotrys chartarum. Environmental Health Perspectives 2004; 112(4): 659-
665.
4. Martinez A, Kolvek SJ, Hopke J, Yip CLT, Osburne MS. Environmental DNA
fragments conferring early and increased sporulation and antibiotic production in
Streptomyces species. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2005; 71(3):
1638-1641.
5. Murtoniemi T, Penttinen P, Nevalainen A, Hirvonen MR. Effects of microbial
cocultivation on inflammatory and cytotoxic potential of spores. Inhal Toxicol
2005; 17(12): 681-693.
6. Penttinen P, Huttunen K, Pelkonen J, Hirvonen MR. The proportions of
Streptomyces californicus and Stachybotrys chartarum in simultaneous exposure
affect inflammatory responses in mouse RAW264.7 macrophages. Inhal Toxicol
2005; 17(2): 79-85.
Bacteria/Endotoxin
1. Buttner MP, Cruz-Perez P, Stetzenbach LD. Enhanced detection of surfaceassociated
bacteria in indoor environments by quantitative PCR. Applied and
Environmental Microbiology 2001; 67(6): 2564-2570.
2. Inoue KI, Takno H, Yanagisawa R, Hirano S, Sakurai M, Shimada A, Yoshikawa
T. Effects of airway exposure to nanoparticles on lung inflammation induced by
bacterial endotoxin in mice. Environmental Health Perspectives 2006; 114(9):
1325-1330.
3. Peltola J, Andersson MA, Haahtela T, Mussalo-Rauhamaa H, Rainey FA,
Kroppenstedt RM, Samson RA, Salkinoja-Salonen MS. Toxic-metaboliteproducing
bacteria and fungus in an indoor environment. Applied and
Environmental Microbiology 2001; 67(7): 3269-3274.
4. Gandara A, Mota LC, Flores C, Perez HR, Green CF, Gibbs SG. Isolation of
Staphylococcus aureus and antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from
residential indoor bioaerosols. Environmental Health Perspectives 2006; 114(12):
1859-1864.
5. Zughaier SM, Zimmer SM, Datta A, Carlson RW, Stephens DS. Differential
induction of Toll-like receptor 4-MyD88-dependent and –independent signaling
pathways by endotoxins. Infect Immun 2005; 73(5): 2940-2950.
6. Medvedev AE, Lentschat A, Wahl LM, Golenbock DT, Vogel SN. Dysregulation
of LPS-induced Toll-like receptor 4-MyD88 complex formation and IL-1
receptor-associated kinase 1 activation in endotoxin-tolerant cells. J Immunol
2002; 169(9): 5209-5216.
7. Dobrovolskaia MA, Medvedev AE, Thomas KE, Cuesta N, Toshchakov V, Ren
T, Cody MJ, Michalek SM, Rice NR, Vogel SN. Induction of in vitro
reprogramming by Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and TLR4 agonists in murine
macrophages: effects of TLR “homotolerance” versus “heterotolerance” on NFkappa
B signaling pathway components. J Immunol 2003; 170(1): 508-519.
8. Zhou HR, Harkema JR, Hotchkiss JA, Yan D, Roth RA, Pestka JJ.
Lipopolysaccharide and the trichothecene vomitoxin (deoxynivalenol)
synergistically induce apoptosis in murine lymphoid organs. Toxicol Sci 2000;
53(2): 253-263.
9. Islam Z, Moon YS, Zhou HR, King LE, Franker PJ, Pestka JJ. Endotoxin
potentiation of trichothecene-induced lymphocyte apoptosis is mediated by upregulation
of glucocorticoids. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2002; 180(1): 43-55.
10. Islam Z, King LE, Fraker PJ, Pestka JJ. Differential induction of glucocorticoiddependent
apoptosis in murine lymphoid subpopulations in vivo following
coexposure to lipopolysaccharide and vomitoxin (deoxynivalenol). Toxicol Appl
Pharmacol 2003; 182(2): 69-99.
11. Islam Z, Pestka JJ. Role of IL-1beta in endotoxin potentiation of deoxynivalenolinduced
corticosterone response and leukocyte apoptosis in mice. Toxicol Sci
2003; 74(1): 93-102.
12. Hirvonen MR, Huttunen K, Roponen M. Bacterial strains from moldy buildings
are highly potent inducers of inflammatory and cytotoxic effects. Indoor Air 2005; 15
Suppl 9: 65-70.
Environmental RX Health Problems
1. Menzies D, Popa J, Hanley JA, Rand T, Milton DK. Effect of ultraviolet
germicidal lights installed in office ventilation systems on worker’s health and
wellbeing: double-blind multiple crossover trial. The Lancet 2003; 362: 1785-
1791.
2. Wilson SC, Wu C, Andriychuk LA, Martin JM, Brasel TL, Jumper CA, Straus
DC. Effect of chlorine dioxide gas on fungi and mycotoxins associated with sick
building syndrome. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2005; 71(9): 5399-
5403.
3. Kercsmar CM, Dearborne DG, Schluchter M, Xue L, Kirchner L, Sobolewski J,
Greenberg SJ, Vesper SJ, Allan T. Reduction in asthma morbidity in children as a
result of home remediation aimed at moisture sources. Environmental Health
Perspectives 2006; 114(8): 1574-1580.
4. Levetin E, Shaughnessy R, Rogers CA, Scheir R. Effectiveness of germicidal UV
radiation for reducing fungal contamination within air-handling units. Applied
and Environmental Microbiology 2001; 67(8): 3712-3715.
5. Bourbeau J, Brisson C, Allaire S. Prevalence of the sick building syndrome
symptoms in office workers before and after being exposed to a building with an
improved ventilation system. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 1996;
53: 204-210.
Brain and Neuro Injury
1. Martin LJ, Doebler JA, Anthony A. Scanning cytophotometric analysis of brain
neuronal nuclear chromatin changes in acute T-2 toxin-treated rats. Toxicol Appl
Pharmacol 1986; 85(2): 207-214.
2. Martin LJ, Morse JD, Anthony A. Quantitative cytophotometric analysis of brain
neuronal RNA and protein changes in acute T-2 mycotoxin poisoned rats.
Toxicon 1986; 24(9): 933-941.
3. Schoental R. Fusarial mycotoxins and behaviour: possible implications for
psychiatric disorder. Br J Psychiatry 1985; 146: 115-119.
4. Wang J, Fitzpatrick DW, Wilson JR. Effect of T-2 toxin on blood-brain barrier
permeability monoamine oxidase activity and protein synthesis in rats. Food
Chem Toxicol 1998; 36(11): 955-961.
5. Patton DE, Duff K, Schoenberg MR, Mold J, Scott JG, Adams RL. Base rates of
longitudinal RBANS discrepancies at one- and two-year intervals in communitydwellings
older adults. Clin Neuropsychol 2005; 19(1): 27-44.
6. Baldo JV, Ahmad L, Ruff R. Neuropsychological performance of patients
following mold exposure. Appl Neuropsychol 2002; 9(4): 193-202.
7. Kilburn KH. Indoor mold exposure associated with neurobehavioral and
pulmonary impairment: a preliminary report. Arch Environ Health 2003; 58(7):
390-398.
8. Rea WJ, Didriksen N, Simon TR, Pan Y, Fenyves EJ, Griffiths B. Effects of toxic
exposure to molds and mycotoxins in building-related illnesses. Arch Environ
Health 2003; 58(7): 399-405.
9. Gordon WA, Cantor JB, Johanning E, Charatz H, Ashman TA, Breeze JL,
Haddad L, Abramowitz S. Cognitive impairment associated with toxigenic fungal
exposure: a replication and extension of previous findings. Applied
Neuropsychology 2004; 11(2): 65-74.
10. Sava V, Velasquez A, Reunova O, Sanchez-Ramos J. Acute ochratoxin-A
neurotoxicity: kinetics of distribution of the toxin, indices of oxidative stress and
DNA repair activities in mouse brain. Accepted Abstract for Platform
Presentation Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting Washington DC,
November 2005.
11. Sanchez-Ramos J, Sava V. Mycotoxins: can low level, non-lethal exposure result
in Parkinsonism? Abstract of invited lecture presented at Worlds Federation of
Neurology, Symposium on Neurotoxicology, Sydney, Australia 11/2005.
12. Bergmann F, Yagen B, Jarvis BB. The toxicity of macrocyclic trichothecenes
administered directly into the rat brain. Toxicons 1992; 30(10): 1291-1294.
13. Crago BR, Gray MR, Nelson LA, Davis M, Arnold L, Thrasher JD.
Psychological, neuropsychological, and electrocortical effects of mixed mold
exposure. Archives of Environmental Health 2004; 452-462.
14. Kilburn KH. Indoor mold exposure associated with neurobehavioral and
pulmonary impairment: a preliminary report. PubMed 2004.
15. Gordon KE, Masotti RE, Waddell WR. Tremorgenic encephalopathy: a role of
mycotoxins in the production of CNS disease in humans? Can J Neurol Sci 1993;
20: 237-239.
16. Fung F, Clark R, Williams S. Stachybotrys, a mycotoxin-producing fungus of
increasing toxicologic importance. Clinical Toxicology 1998; 36(1&2): 76-86.
17. Cooley JD, Wong WC, Jumper CA, Straus DC. Correlation between the
prevalence of certain fungi and sick building syndrome. Occup Environ Med
1998; 55: 579-584.
Gene Expression
1. Nielsen KF, Huttunen K, Hyvarinen A, Andersen B, Jarvis BB, Hirvonen MR.
Metabolite profiles of Stachybotrys isolates from water-damaged buildings and
their induction of inflammatory mediators and cytotoxicity in macrophages.
Mycopathologia 2002; 154(4): 201-205.
2. Trinchieri G, Sher A. Cooperation of Toll-like receptor signals in innate immune
defence. Nature Reviews Immunology 2007; 7: 179-190.
3. Romani L. Immunity to fungal infections. Nature Reviews Immunology 2004; 4:
1-13.
4. Hudson B, Flemming J, Sun G, Rand TG. Comparison of immunomodulator
mRNA and protein expression in the lungs of Stachybotrys chartarum sporeexposed
mice. J Toxicol Environ Health A 2005; 68(15): 1321-1335.
5. Yike I, Rand T, Dearborn DG. The role of fungal proteinases in pathophysiology
of Stachybotrys chartarum. Mycopathologia 2007; July 3 PMID 17610048
6. Rao KMK, Ma JYC, Meighan T, Barger MW, Pack D, Vallyathan V. Time
course of gene expression of inflammatory mediators in rat lung after diesel
exhaust particle exposure. Environmental Health Perspectives 2005; 113(5): 612-
617.
7. Flach CF, Qudri F, Bhuiyan TR, Alam NH, Jennische E, Lonnroth I, Holmgren J.
Broad up-regulation of innate defense factors during acute cholera. Infection and
Immunity 2007; 75(5): 2343-2350.
8. Ryan JC, Dechraoui MYB, Morey JS, Rezvani A, Levin ED, Gordon CJ,
Ramsdell JS, van Dolah FM. Genomic and proteomic analysis of whole blood in
mice exposed to the marine neurotoxin Pacific ciguatoxin-1.
9. Kim JM, Kim JS, Lee JY, Kim YJ, Youn NJ, Lim IY, Chee YJ, Oh YK, Kim N,
Jung HC, Song IS. Vacuolating cytotoxin Helicobacter pylori water-soluble
protein upregulates chemokine expression in human eosinophils via Ca2+ influx,
mitochondrial reactive oxygen intermediates, and NF-kB activation. Infection and
Immunity 2007; 75(7): 3373-3381.
10. Pestka JJ, Yan D, King LE. Flow cytometric analysis of the effects of in vitro
exposure to vomitoxin (deoxynivalenol) on apoptosis in murine T, B and IgA+
cells. Food Chem Toxicol 1994; 32(12): 1125-1136.
11. Poapolathep A, Ohtsuka R, Kiaptipattanasakul W, Ishigami N, Nakayana H, Doi
K. Nivalenol-induced apoptosis in thymus, spleen and Peyer’s patches of mice.
Exp Toxicol Pathol 2002; 53(6): 441-446.
12. Islam Z, Gray JS, Pestka JJ. P38 Mitogen-activated protein kinase mediates IL-8
induction by the ribotoxin deoxynivalenol in human monocytes. Toxicol Appl
Pharmacol 2006; 213(3): 235-244.
13. Leino M, Makela M, Reijula K, Haahtela T, Mussalo-Rauhamaa H, Tuomi T,
Hintikka EL, Alenius H. Intranasal exposure to a damp building mould,
Stachybotrys chartarum, induces lung inflammation in mice by satratoxinindependent
mechanisms. Clin Exp Allergy 2003; 33(11): 1603-1610.
14. Huttunen K, Hyvarinen A, Nevalainen A, Komulainen H, Hirvonen MR.
Production of proinflammatory mediators by indoor air bacteria and fungal spores
in mouse and human cell lines. Environ Health Perspect 2003; 111(1): 85-92.
15. Dong W, Azcona-Olivera JI, Brooks KH, Linz JE, Pestka JJ. Elevated gene
expression and production of interleukins 2, 4, 5, and 6 during exposure to
vomitoxin (deoxynivalenol) and cycloheximide in the EL-4 thymoma. Toxicol
Appl Pharmacol 1994; 127(2): 282-290.
16. Ouyang YL, Azcona-Olivera JI, Murtha J, Pestka JJ. Vomitoxin-mediated IL-2,
IL-4, and IL-5 superinduction in murine CD4+ T cells stimulated with phorbol
ester calcium ionophore: relation to kinetics of proliferation. Toxicol Appl
Pharmacol 1996; 138(2): 324-334.
17. Zhou HR, Harkema JR, Yan D, Pestka JJ. Amplified proinflammatory cytokine
expression and toxicity in mice co-exposed to lipopolysaccharide and the
trichothecene vomitoxin (deoxynivalenol). J Toxicol Environ Health A 1999;
57(2): 115-136.
18. Wong SS, Zhou HR, Marin-Martinez ML, Brooks K, Pestka JJ. Modulation of
IL1-beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha secretion and mRNA expression by the
trichothecene vomitoxin in the RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cell line. Food
Chem Toxicol 1998; 36(5): 409-419.
19. Chung YJ, Jarvis B, Pestka J. Modulation of lipopolysaccharide-induced
proinflammatory cytokine production by satratoxins and other macrocyclic
trichothecenes in the murine macrophage. J Toxicol Environ Health A 2003;
66(4): 379-391.
20. Sugita-Konishi Y, Pestka JJ. Differential upregulation of TNF-alpha. IL-6, and
IL-8 production by deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin) and other 8-ketotrichothecenes in
a human macrophage model. J Toxicol Environ Health A 2001; 64(8): 619-636.
21. Chung YJ, Jarvis B, Pestka J. Modulation of lipopolysaccharide-induced
proinflammatory cytokine production by satratoxins and other macrocyclic
trichothecenes in the murine macrophage. J Toxicol Environ Health A 2003;
66(4): 379-391.
22. Islam Z, Pestka JJ. LPS priming potentiates and prolongs proinflammatory
cytokine response to the trichothecene deoxynivalenol in the mouse. Toxicology
and Applied Pharmacology 2006; 211: 53-63.
23. Chung YJ, Yang GH, Islam Z, Pestka JJ. Up-regulation of macrophage
inflammatory protein-2 and complement 3A receptor by the trichothecenes
deoxynivalenol and satratoxin G. Toxicology 2003; 186: 51-65.
24. Wang H, Yadav JS. Global gene expression changes underlying Stachybotrys
chartarum toxin-induced apoptosis in murine alveolar macrophages: evidence of
multiple signal transduction pathways. Apoptosis 2007; 12(3): 535-548.
25. Pestka J, Zhou HR. Toll-like receptor priming sensitizes macrophages to
proinflammatory cytokine gene induction by deoxynivalenol and other toxicants.
Toxicol Sci 2006; 92(2): 445-455.
26. Zhou HR, Islam Z, Pestka JJ. Induction of competing apoptotic and survival
signaling pathways in the macrophage by the ribotoxic trichothecene
deoxynivalenol. Toxicol Sci 2005; 87(1): 113-122
27. Zhou HR, Jia Q, Pestka JJ. Ribotoxic stress response to the trichothecene
deoxynivalenol in the macrophage involves the SRC family kinase Hck. Toxicol
Sci 2005; 85(2): 916-926.
28. Kinser S, Li M, Jia Q, Pestka JJ. Truncated deoxynivalenol-induced splenic
immediate early gene response in mice consuming (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty
acids. J Nutr Biochem 2005; 16(2): 88-95.
29. Pestka JJ, Uzarski RL, Islam Z. Induction of apoptosis and cytokine production in
the Jurkat human T cells by deoxynivalenol: role of mitogen-activated protein
kinases and comparison to other 8-ketotrichothecenes. Toxicology 2005; 206(2):
207-219.
30. Nusuetrong P, Yoshida M, Tanitsu MA, Kikuchi H, Mizugaki M, Shimazu K,
Pengsuparp T, Meksuriyen D, Oshima Y, Nakahata N. Involvement of reactive
oxygen species and stress-activated MAPKs in satratoxin H-induced apoptosis.
Eur J Pharmacol 2005; 507(1-3): 239-246.
31. Jia Q, Zhuo HR, Bennink M, Pestka JJ. Docosahexaenoic acid attenuates
mycotoxin-induced immunoglobulin A nephropathy, interleukin-6 transcription,
and mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation in mice. J Nutr 2004;
134(12): 3343-3349.
32. Moon Y, Pestka JJ. Deoxynivalenol-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase
phosphorylation and IL-6 expression in mice suppressed by fish oil. J Nutr
Biochem 2003; 14(12): 717-726.
33. Chung YZ, Zhou HR, Pestka JJ. Transcriptional and posttranscriptional roles for
p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in upregulation of TNF-alpha expression by
deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin). Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2003; 193(2): 188-201
34. Deva R, Shankaranarayanan P, Ciccoli R, Nigam S. Candida albicans induces
selectively transcriptional activation of cyclooxygenase-2 in HeLa cells: pivotal
roles of Toll-like receptors, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and NF-kappa
B. J Immunol 2003; 171(16): 3047-3055.
35. Zhou HR, Lau AS, Pestka JJ. Role of double-stranded RNA-activated protein
kinase R (PKR) in deoxynivalenol-induced ribotoxic stress response. Toxicol Sci
2003; 74(2): 335-344.
36. Moon Y, Pestka JJ. Vomitoxin-induced cyclooxygenases 2 gene expression in
macrophages mediated by activation of ERK and p38 but not JNK mitogenactivated
protein kinases. Toxicol Sci 2002; 69(2): 373-382.
37. Moon Y, Uzarski R, Pestka JJ. Relationship of trichothecene structure to COX-2
induction in the macrophage: selective action of type B (8-keto) trichothecenes. J
Toxicol Environ Health A2003; 66(20): 1967-1983.
38. Yang GH, Jarvis BB, Chung YJ, Pestka JJ. Apoptosis induction by the satratoxins
and other trichothecene mycotoxins: relationship to ERK, p38 MAPK, and
SAPK/JNK activation. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2000; 164(2): 149-160.
39. Shifrin VI, Anderson P. Trichothecene mycotoxins trigger a ribotoxic stress
response that activates c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein
kinase and induces apoptosis. J Biol Chem 1999; 274(20): 13985-13992.
Beta Glucans
1. Young SH, Roberts JR, Antonini JM. Pulmonary exposure to 1, 3-beta-glucan
alters adaptive immune responses in rats. Inhal Toxicol 2006; 18(11): 865-874.
2. Thorn J, Rylander R. Airways inflammation and glucan in a rowhouse area. Am J
Respir Crit Care Med 1998; 157: 1798-1803.
3. Young SH, Roberts JR, Antonini JM. Pulmonary exposure to 1, 3-B-glucan alters
adaptive immune responses in rats. Inhalation Toxicology 2006; 18: 865-874.
4. Brown GD. Dectin-1: a signaling non-TLR pattern-recognition receptor. Nature
Reviews Immunology 2006; 6: 33-43.
5. Robinson MJ, Sancho D, Slack EC, LeibundGut-Landmann S, Sousa CR.
Myeloid C-type lectins in innate immunity. Nature Immunology 2006; 7(12):
1258-1264.
6. McCann F, Carmona E, Puri V, Pagano RE, Limper AH. Macrophage
internalization of fungal-B-glucans is not necessary for initiation of related
inflammatory responses. Infection and Immunity 2005; 73(10): 6340-6349.
7. Kataoka K, Muta T, Yamazaki S, Takeshige K. Activation of macrophages by
linear (1,3)-beta-D-glucans. Implications for the recognition of fungi by innate
immunity. J Biol Chem 2002; 277(39): 36825-36831.
8. Palma AS, Feizi T, Zhang Y, Stoll MS, Lawson AM, Diaz-Rodriguez E,
Campanero-Rhodes MA, Costa J, Gordon S, Brown GD, Chai W. Ligands for the
beta-glucan receptor, dectin-1, assigned using “designer” microarrays of
oligosaccharide probes (neoglycolipids) generated from glucan polysaccharides. J
Biol Chem 2006; 281(9): 5771-5779.
9. Herre J, Willment JA, Gordon S, Brown GD. The role of dectin-1 in antifungal
immunity. Crit Rev Immunol 2004; 24(3): 193-203.
10. Taylor PR, Tsoni SV, Willment JA, Dennehy KM, Rosas M, Findon H, Haynes
K, Steele C, Botto M, Gordon S, Brown GD. Dectin-1 is required for beta-glucan
recognition and control of fungal infection. Nat Immunol 2007; 8(1): 31-38.
11. Willment JA, Marshall AS, Reid DM, Williams DL, Wong SY, Gordon S, Brown
GD. The human beta-glucan receptor is widely expressed and functionally
equivalent to murine dectin-1 on primary cells. Eur J Immunol 2005; 35(5): 1539-
1547.
12. Taylor PR, Brown GD, Reid DM, Willment JA, Martinez-Pomares L, Gordon S,
Wong SY. The beta-glucan receptor, dectin-1, is predominantly expressed on the
surface of cells of the monocyte/macrophage and neutrophil lineages. J Immunol
2002; 169(7): 3879-3882.
13. Brown GD, Taylor PR, Reid DM, Willment JA, Williams DL, Martinez-Pomares
L, Wong SY, Gordon S. Dectin-1 is a major beta-glucan receptor on
macrophages. J Exp Med 2002; 196(3): 407-412.
14. Thornton BP, Vetvicka V, Pitman M, Goldman RC, Ross GD. Analysis of the
sugar specificity and molecular location of the beta-glucan-binding lectin site of
complement receptor type 3 (CD11b/CD18). J Immunol 1996; 156(3): 1235-
1246.
15. Ozment-Skelton TR, Goldman MP, Gordon S, Brown GD, Williams DL.
Prolonged reduction of leukocyte membrane-associated dectin-1 levels following
beta-glucan administration. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2006; 318(2): 540-546.
16. Herre J, Gordon S, Brown GD. Dectin-1 and its role in the recognition of betaglucans
by macrophages. Mol Immunol 2004; 40(12): 869-876.
17. Adachi Y, Ishii T, Ikeda Y, Hoshino A, Tamura H, Aketagawa J, Tanaka S, Ohno
N. Characterization of beta-glucan recognition site on C-type lectin, dectin 1.
Infect Immun 2004; 72(7): 4159-4171.
18. McGreal EP, Rosas M, Brown GD, Zamze S, Wong SY, Gordon S, Martinez-
Pomares L, Taylor PR. The carbohydrate-recognition domain of dectin-2 is a Ctype
lectin with specificity for high mannose. Glycobiology 2006; 16(5): 422-430.
Inflammation
1. Netea MG, Van der Meer JWM, Sutmuller RP, Adema GJ, Kullberg BJ. From the
Th1/Th2 paradigm towards a Toll-like receptor/T-helper bias. Antimicrobial
Agents and Chemotherapy 2005; 49(10): 3991-3996.
2. Islam Z, Harkems JR, Pestka JJ. Satratoxin G from the black mold Stachybotrys
chartarum evokes olfactory sensory neuron loss and inflammation in the murine
nose and brain. Envir Health Perpe 2006; 114(7): 1099-1107.
3. Islam Z, Amuzie CJ, Harkema JR, Pestka JJ. Neurotoxicity and inflammation in
the nasal airways of mice exposed to the macrocyclic trichothecene mycotoxins
roridin A: kinetics and potentiation by bacterial lipopolysaccharide co-exposure.
ToxSci Advance Access May 2004.
4. Creasia DA, Thurman JD, Jones LJ, Nealley ML, York CG, Wannemacher RW,
Bunner DL. Acute inhalation toxicity of T-2 mycotoxin in mice. Fundamental and
Applied Toxicology 1987; 8: 230-235.
5. Rand TG, Flemming J, Miller JD, Womiloju TO. Comparison of inflammatory
responses in mouse lungs exposed to atranones A and C from Stachybotrys
chartarum. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health 2006; 69: 1-13.
6. van der Graff CAA, Netea MG, Verschueren I, van der Meer JWM, Kullberg BJ.
Differential cytokine production and Toll-like receptor signaling pathways by
Candida albicans blastoconidia and hyphae. Infection and Immunity 2005; 73(11):
7458-7464.
7. Rivera A, Van Epps HL, Hohl TM, Rizzuto G, Pamer EG. Distinct CD4+-T-cell
responses to live and heat-inactivated Aspergillus fumigatus conidia. Infection
and Immunity 2005; 73(11): 7170-7179.
8. Huttunen K, Hyvarinen A, Nevalainen A, Komulainen H, Hirvonen MR.
Production of proinflammatory mediators by indoor air bacteria and fungal spores
in mouse and human cell lines. Environmental Health Perspectives 2003; 111(1):
85-92.
9. Jiang H, Chess L. Regulation of immune responses by T cells. N Engl J Med
2006; 354: 1166-1176.
10. Kay AB. Natural Killer T cells and asthma. N Engl J Med 354(11): 1186-1188.
11. Akbari O, Faul JL, Hoyte EG, Berry GJ, Wahlstrom J, Kronenberg M, DeKruyff
RH, Umestsu DT. CD4+ invariant T-cell-receptor+ natural killer T cells in
bronchial asthma. N Engl J Med 2006; 354(11): 1117-1129.
12. Flemming J, Hudson B, Rand TG. Comparison of inflammatory and cytotoxic
lung responses in mice after intratracheal exposure to spores of two different
Stachybotrys chartarum strains. Toxicological Sciences 2004; 78: 267-275.
13. Stoeger T, Reinhard C, Takenaka S, Schroeppel A, Karg E, Ritter B, Heyder J,
Schulz H. Instillation of six different ultrafine carbon particles indicates a surface
area threshold dose for acute lung inflammation in mice. Environmental Health
Perspectives 2006; 114(3): 328-333.
14. Veranth JM, Moss TA, Chow JC, Labban R, Nichols WK, Walton JC, Watson
JG, Yost GS. Correlation of in vitro cytokine responses with the chemical
composition of soil-derived particulate matter. Environmental Health Perspectives
2006; 114(3): 341-349.
15. Nurkiewicz TR, Porter DW, Barger M, Millecchia L, Rao MK, Marvar PJ, Hubbs
AF, Castranova V, Boegehold MA. Systemic microvascular dysfunction and
inflammation after pulmonary particulate matter exposure. Environmental Health
Perspectives 2006; 114(3): 412-419.
16. Rand TG, Giles S, Flemming J, Miller JD, Puniani E. Inflammatory and cytotoxic
responses in mouse lungs exposed to purified toxins from building isolated
Penicillium brevicompactum dierckx and p. chrysogenum thom. Toxicological
Sciences 2005; 87(1): 213-222.
17. Donohue M, Wei W, Wu J, Zawia NH, Hud N, De Jesus V, Schmechel D, Hettick
JM, Beezhold DH, Vesper S. Characterization of nigerlysin c, hemolysin
produced by Aspergillus niger, and effect on mouse neuronal cells in vitro.
Toxicology 2006; 219: 150-155.
18. Rao CY, Burge HA, Brain JD. The time course of responses to intratracheally
instilled toxic Stachybotrys chartarum spores in rats. Mycopathologia 2000; 149:
27-34.
19. Marc MM, Korosec P, Kosnick M, Kern I, Flezar M, Suskovic S, Sorli J.
Complement factors C3a, C4a, and C5a in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
and asthma. American J of Respir Cell and Molecular Biology 2004; 31: 31-33.
20. Arason GJ, Kolka R, Hreidarsson AB, Gudjonsson H, Schneider PM, Fry L,
Arnason A. Defective prevention of immune precipitation in autoimmune diseases
is independent of C4a*Q0. British Society for Immunology, Clinical and
Experimental Immunology 2005; 140: 572-579.
21. Kelk P, Claesson R, Hanstrom L, Lerner UH, Kalfas S, Johansson A. Abundant
secretion of bioactive interleukin-1b by human macrophages induced by
Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxins. Infection and Immunity
2005; 73(1): 453-458.
22. Romani L. Immunity to fungal infections. Nature Reviews Immunology 2004; 4:
11-23.
23. Kohl J, Baelder R, Lewkowich IP, Pandey MK, Hawlisch H, Wang L, Best J,
Herman NS, Sproles AA, Zwirner J, Whirsett JA, Gerard C, Sfyroera G, Lambris
JD, Wills-Karp M. A regulatory role for the C5a anaphylatoxins in type 2
immunity in asthma. Journal of Clinical Investigation 2006; 116(3): 783-796.
24. Desjardins AE. Trichothecenes: from yellow rain to green wheat. ASM News
2003; 69(4): 182-185.
25. McCrae KC, Rand T, Shaw RA, Mason C, Oulton MR, Hastigns C, Cherlet T,
Thliveris JA, Mantsch HH, MacDonald J, Scott JE. Analysis of pulmonary
surfactant by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy following exposure to
Stachybotrys chartarum (atra) spores. Chemistry and Physics of Lipids 2001; 110:
1-10.
26. Donohue M, Wei W, Wu J, Zawia NH, Hud N, De Jesus V, Schmechel D, Hettick
JM, Beezhold DH, Vesper S. Nigerlysin, hemolysin produced by Aspergillus
niger, causes lethality of primary rat cortical neuronal cells in vitro. 09/02/05; 1-
27. Vesper SJ, Vesper MJ. Possible role of fungal hemolysins in sick building
syndrome. Advances in Applied Microbiology 2004; 55: 191-213.
28. Jussila JJ. Inflammatory responses in mice after intratracheal instillation of
microbes isolated from moldy buildings. PhD dissertation 01/24/03 National
Public Health Institute, Finland.
29. Vesper SJ, Vesper MJ. Stachylysin may be a cause of hemorrhaging in humans
exposed to Stachybotrys chartarum. Infection and Immunity 2002; 70(4): 2065-
2069.
30. Mason CD, Rand TG, Oulton M, MacDonald JM, Scott JE. Effects of
Stachybotrys chartarum (atra) conidia and isolated toxin on lung surfactant
production and homeostasis. Natural Toxins 1998; 6: 27-33.
31. Nikulin M, Reijula K, Jarvis BB, Veijalainen P, Hintikka EL. Effects of intranasal
exposure to spores of Stachybotrys atra in mice. Fundamental and Applied
Toxicology 1997; 35: 182-188.
32. Wilkins CK, Larsen ST, Hammer M, Poulsen OM, Wolkoff P, Nielsen GD.
Respiratory effects in mice exposed to airborne emissions from Stachybotrys
chartarum and implications for risk assessment. Pharmacology & Toxicology
1998; 83: 112-119.

27. Comment by Waverly J. (waverly) — October 30,2007 @ 9:46AM
Rating: 3 Thumbs Up

Oh. My God. DoDah, are you serious with those comments of yours? Geez. Let me give you a little lesson here. People are born as a small version of a person that we call "babies". These "babies" don't have the same kind of defenses as most adults, can't eat solid food for more reasons than "they don't have teeth". See, their whole system is just building up, that's why we need to care for them and not expose them to certain things. Things that might not cause harm to adults, might cause harm to them. They could get botulism from honey, infections from certain types of amphipians, ill from mold, lead paint, fumes, nuts, seafood, their skin being overexposed. Yes, there are things like honey and mold all around and just because people aren't dying left and right doesn't mean that they can't harm babies. Ok? Should you ever have one of these babies >, try to remember this . . . . They are not the same as adults and need a little more care.

  Rate this comment

28. Comment by Concerned V. (Concerned44) — October 30,2007 @ 9:52AM
Rating: 2 Thumbs Up

Another important paper which has MAJOR implications for mold testing is this one:

Fungal Genet Biol. 2007 Jul;44(7):641-7. Epub 2006 Dec 24.Click here to read Links
Biomechanics of conidial dispersal in the toxic mold Stachybotrys chartarum.
Tucker K, Stolze JL, Kennedy AH, Money NP.

Department of Botany, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA.

Conidial dispersal in Stachybotrys chartarum in response to low-velocity airflow was studied using a microflow apparatus. The maximum rate of spore release occurred during the first 5 min of airflow, followed by a dramatic reduction in dispersal that left more than 99% of the conidia attached to their conidiophores. Micromanipulation of undisturbed colonies showed that micronewton (microN) forces were needed to dislodge spore clusters from their supporting conidiophores. Calculations show that airspeeds that normally prevail in the indoor environment disturb colonies with forces that are 1000-fold lower, in the nanonewton (nN) range. Low-velocity airflow does not, therefore, cause sufficient disturbance to disperse a large proportion of the conidia of S. chartarum.

PMID: 17267247 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

That 99% figure for spores staying attached is a whack on the side of the head to the mold testing industry.

Basically, it shows why spore tests OFTEN don't show stachybotrys when there IS a serious stachybotrys problem in a building. Spore tests should never be used by themselves to show that a building is 'safe' ('post remediation clearance') because stachybotrys just stays where it grows, leaching toxins.

Often in schools, workplaces, apartment buildings, etc. administrators or owners are cheap or lazy and want to save money when sometimes buildings need major repairs. (Some even need to be replaced)

They try to avoid finding out about problems. Often, those walls need to be opened so that the visible mold inside them can be removed.

There is no hidden mold. All mold is visible when the walls and ceilings, floors, etc. are are opened. Walls need to be opened and that visible mold cleaned out.

The measure of whether a building is unhealthy needs to be defined as "IF PEOPLE ARE GETTING SICK THERE"

Because current methods of 'testing' often give false negatives.

29. Comment by Susan B. (NoMoreSchoolMold) — October 30,2007 @ 12:52PM
Rating: 2 Thumbs Up

Toxic mold can cause all of the above and more. It is shocking that the Arizona legal system would take a stance that punishes the victims and their attorney. This is further evidence of a legal system that is failing the citizens of our country. Visit www.schoolmoldhelp.org to learn more about mold and health.

30. Comment by Susan B. (NoMoreSchoolMold) — October 30,2007 @ 12:58PM
Rating: 2 Thumbs Up

This is further evidence of a LEGAL AND MEDICAL system that is failing the citizens of our country. Why is this happening? Special interest/lobby groups for industries with a lot of money to lose if the courts and medical field uphold mold as the disease-producer it is. Visit www.schoolmoldhelp.org to learn more about mold and health.

31. Comment by Becky P. (BeckyPanek) — October 30,2007 @ 2:16PM
Rating: 3 Thumbs Up

If Judge Davis isn't getting paid off, then there is definitely something very wrong with the judicial system in Pima County. But, I'm with Tom, surely he was paid off, or is he just a total idiot!

  Rate this comment

32. Comment by Concerned V. (Concerned44) — October 30,2007 @ 6:10PM
Rating: 0 Thumbs Up

Susan, I am sure you read last january 9th's wall street journal page one story article on the VERY WELL ORGANIZED forces that are trying with all their might to cover up the mold situation.

I don't think we will see any changes on the national level until a new administration is in Washington. Locally, though its up to the communities.

Also, lawyers and judges and juries have to realize that there is fraud going on at the highest level and that is why we have seen this issue become so politicized.

We are abandoning our health and our future to be run by thieves.

Those people are being punished for speaking out - obviously, but what are we all supposed to do, die?

They ignore these problems and let these people die and continue to die or have their health ruined just because they were unlucky (or poor) and rented in the wrong apartment building or went to the wrong school or worked in the wrong workplace? That is so so wrong.

Where is the accountability?

Why are criminal slumlords being protected by the system? Who benefits from that? Nobody.

I am just curious, was this public housing or Section 8, etc? Is that part of this story?

  Rate this comment