A Special Three-Part Series
Black mold and its toxic properties have been a serious health risk for centuries. It surfaces in homes where wet conditions and humidity fester, producing the conditions for its persistent growth.
Insurance companies, landlords, real estate agents, and others have often denied its devastating health effects. As a result, procedures provided to clean or medically identify mold exposure are often inadequate. The health problems vary with the exposure and can lead to long term problems or in some cases death. Black mold presents a quandary of international proportions. However it is not a new problem, as evidenced in a quote from Leviticus 14:39-47:
"On the seventh day the priest shall return to inspect the house. If the
mildew has spread on the walls, he is to order that the contaminated
stones be torn out and thrown into an unclean place outside the town. If
the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out
and the house is scraped and plastered, it is a destructive mildew and
the house is unclean. It must be torn down - its stones, timbers and all
the plaster - and taken out of town."
So the black mold scourge has been known and dealt with since biblical times.
As black mold is a naturally occurring growth in nature the research available to the public is often small and conflicting. The Illinois Department of Health states black mold is Trichothecene mycotoxin (T-2) and is a naturally occurring poison produced by fungi. According to a report from the U.S. Army on "Biowarfare Research and How it Impacts Mold Illness," it states, "Molds produce neurotoxic substances. Most people are familiar with poisons from a black widow spider or scorpion - mold neurotoxins are very similar. The most toxic neurotoxins from mold are called trichothecenes; they are known to be neurotoxic and are produced by more than 60 molds, especially the common indoor molds Stachybotyrs, Fusarium, and Trichoderma."
The Army began its research approximately 30 years ago when "Yellow Rain" was used in Southeast Asia. This resulted in a plethora of Army research into neurotoxins and their effect on humans. This research is now declassified and available from the Surgeon General's office. The research is significant because it involved human subjects. The Russians began their research into black mold in the 1920's. "Yellow Rain" is the name for black mold which was used as a chemical-biological agent by the Russian's in Southeast Asia (Vietnam) in the l970's. Russia also used Yellow Rain against Afghanistan. Yellow Rain can be used to clear out an area of Indigenous people and within 24 hours occupying forces can move in to inhabit the area. Again, "Yellow Rain" is said in this report to lose all toxic effects within 24 hours after being exposed to oxygen.
The United States Military Medicine Manual, Chapter 34, covers T2 mold research definitively stating its toxic capacity (http://www.envirochex.com/Downloads/Chapter34_Military_Medicine.pdf). This manual may be the most comprehensive coverage of the effects of black mold, including generic mycotoxicosis, a systemic poisoning caused by toxins produced by fungal organisms.
More research data was recently released by the U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) that admits the mold is dangerous but is not as comprehensive in its coverage as the military report.
On Sept. 30, 2008, the GAO published a summary of the health effects caused by exposure to indoor mold, and is appropriately titled "Indoor Mold," and subtitled "Better Coordination of Research on Health Effects and More Consistent Guidance Would Improve Federal Efforts." The study was introduced by Senator Edward Kennedy.
Already this year stories related to black mold and its harm have been surfacing in the press. The Epoch Times reported on Jan. 15, 2009, a black mold contamination in a Swedish school and Fox News covered a story on Jan. 11, 2009, of a Loudoun, Virginia family awarded 4.75 million dollars from the contractor of their new million dollar home for negligence which allowed their home and all their belongings to become infested with black mold that created severe health problems.
Taking a serious look at the problem, Part 2 of our coverage will include interviews with people who are being affected by mold, as well as advice from experts in the field on how to avoid and remediate black mold infestations.