Monday Morning Mold June 21, 2004

June 21, 2004

This morning's picture is of Aspergillus flavus, which grows on peanuts and produces aflatoxins. The picture is from McDaniel College's (Maryland) website.

This week's book review is "The Fifth Kingdom" Third Edition by Bryce Kendrick. This is a serious and very informative mycologic textbook, but I should disclose something important about it. If mold sex and reproduction were considered pornographic, this book would have a XXX Rating and the folks in the San Fernando Valley would be filming it.

The actual title of this article is Mediators of Inflammation in the Early and the Late Phase of Allergic Rhinitis. I've taken the liberty of "translating" the title, although 'nasal' is a bit of a misnomer. This article describes, in great detail, the physiologic reactions someone has during an allergic attack effecting nasal passages and breathing, and what he cellular reactions are. It doesn't descibe other allergic reactions, such as skin problems. This is important in the mold area because the May 25, 2004, "Damp Indoor Spaces and Health" Report by the Institute of Medicine acknowledges a link between mold and allergic reactions.

Summary: Allergic rhinitis is characterized by the clinical symptoms of sneezing, itching, rhinorrhea, and nasal congestion. Frequently, these are accompanied by eye, ear and throat symptoms or postnasal drip. The symptoms arise as a result of inflammation induced by IgE-mediated immune response to a specific allergen. Inflammatory mediators are released and cells are activated and recruited to the mucosa. In this review, early and late phase responses of the allergic type I reaction are described, including the different cell types and mediators involved. Special attention is paid to new inflammatory processes to provide the reader with recent information.

NATICK -- A local family whose home has been ravaged by toxic mold is looking to sell the property, officials said.

The Rabi family home at 123A Bacon St. was targeted by the town for demolition in April, but the work was delayed as the family looked to salvage their belongings, said Jim White, Natick's senior environmental health specialist.

ATLANTA, GA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 06/15/2004 -- Atlanta-based indoor air quality firm, Air Quality Sciences (AQS), announces the development of an exclusive mold detection technology, MoldMAP, designed to assess buildings for the likelihood of impending mold growth. This new method for Mold Measurement And Prevention (MoldMAP) combines visual inspections, moisture readings, temperature and relative humidity monitoring, and use of mold detectors to determine if conditions in a building will support mold growth. These mold sensors, the newest tool in building investigations available exclusively from AQS, are tiny detectors that use viable mold spores to determine whether or not mold will grow in the surrounding environment. When placed strategically throughout a building, the sensors will grow mold if moisture and temperature conditions are right, providing building owners and managers with early warning of potential problems.

"MoldMAP employs precision tools to assess whether or not mold growth is or could become a problem in a building. It offers an extremely simple and cost effective method for making the decision to move forward with additional testing or for prioritizing problem areas in the building. In addition, MoldMAP is one of the least disruptive means of mold detection, and can be provided with minimal disturbance to operations, a great advantage to hotels, schools, and offices where keeping buildings fully operational at all times is critical," noted Tony Worthan, President of AQS.

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.

A group of concerned parents is questioning the qualifications of a doctor brought in to review a mold problem at Orchard Valley and Chestnut Ridge middle schools which has caused dozens of children to go home sick this school year.

The group, called Washington Township Parents Who Care, say Dr. Howard M. Sandler of Woodbury, N.Y., the doctor brought in to analyze the mold problem parents say has made their children sick, is not qualified to do so.

Colorado mold experts said they are familiar with the use of dogs to detect mold but that it remains a fairly uncommon practice.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in San Francisco, has ruled that properly trained and certified detection dogs can be viewed as "scientific instruments."

Until now, scientists didn't know how to classify Stachybotrys chartarum, the black mold that can grow in humid, indoor environments and is often associated with "building sickness." But an Agricultural Research Service scientist recently found that the toxin- producing fungus comprises a brand- new family within the order Hypocreales.

ARS mycologist Lisa A. Castlebury discovered that Stachybotrys' closest relatives are actually members of the genus Myrothecium, fungi that cause serious diseases in crop plants and invasive weeds. To determine this relationship, Castlebury and her colleagues at the ARS Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., sequenced and analyzed five genes of Stachybotrys species and similar fungi.

SURRY -- A court order has indefinitely moved Surry County Circuit Court cases to Sussex County because judges said the Surry courthouse poses health and safety risks.

Judges Robert G. O'Hara Jr. and Sam Campbell wrote in the order that the "Circuit Court of Surry County is insecure, out of repair, poses a danger to health, welfare and safety."

The original building contractor will repair 37 windows at Rumsey Station Elementary School after school officials found evidence of faulty installation.

A portion of the Papillion-La Vista school will close for the summer for repairs. Officials became aware of the problem after finding cracks in interior drywall and deteriorating mortar joints around the window sills, said Dave Harrill, maintenance supervisor for the Papillion-La Vista Public Schools.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Homeowners insurance rates are not decreasing as quickly as they should, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said Wednesday. He placed the blame on State Farm and Farmers Insurance, which are appealing rate cuts ordered by the state.

Dewhurst said any company has the right to appeal but added "it has not escaped me ... that 35 of the 37 largest homeowners insurance companies have already settled with the Texas Department of Insurance."

As I mentioned above, a lot of this book is about fungi reproduction, and therefore, fungi sex -- although a lot of reproduction is anamorphic (asexual). Currently, there are over 100,000 fungi described scientifically (over 10,000 species of mushrooms), but Dr. Kendrik estimates that this is less than one tenth of the Earth's mycota (fungi). This book, of course, does not discuss all 100,000 fungi. It discusses fungi classifications, and some of the most important fungi.

Fungi is omnipresent and includes mushrooms, yeasts, lichens (a combination of fungus and alga) - but it does not include slime moulds, which are basically amoeboid (without a cell wall) and do not produce hyphae. Some fungi can grow almost any place, withstanding great temperature extremes. Other fungi is so specialized it grows parasitically on the exoskeletons of certain insects. The first half of this book talks about where fungi live; what they eat; what they look like to the naked eye, and microscopically; their genetic make-up, down to DNA and RNA sequencing, and how those genes are passed on - from sex to airborne sporulation.

The second half of the book is much easier to understand, but as Dr. Kendrick points out, it helps to read the first part to understand the second part. There is a section on fungi that attack plants and fugicides used in agriculture. Don't think all fungi are bad - there is also a section on how fungi can be used as a biocontrol against insects and weeds. The last chapter talks about the commercial use of fungi, with the obvious important nod to Penicillium notatum. Cyclosporine is another important drug developed from fungi. Aspergillus niger is used to manufacture citric acid.

The relationship between man and fungi is sometimes deadly, and sometimes life saving. One thing I took away from this book is to never, ever eat mushrooms from the wild unless I am absolutely certain what those are. Some deadly mushrooms look almost identical to very delicious mushrooms. Dr. Kendrick sets forth treatments for several types of mushroom poisoning. It's important to note that most of the time, mushroom poisoning doesn't show up for some time - 24 hours or more.

Dr. Kendrick also discusses an issue that I was confused about after reading the Institute of Medicine's "Damp Indoor Spaces and Mold" (May 25, 2004). The IOM did not find a correlation between mold exposure and cancer, but I was having trouble reconciling that with what I knew - that certain molds produce aflatoxins that are toxinogenic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic. It turns out that these are not conflicting views at all, since Dr. Kendrick describes these effects from eating molds that produce aflatoxins. For example, in the 1930's in the Ukraine, horses developed deadly stachybotryotoxicosis from eating contaminated hay. Of course, why would people eat contaminated food? Sometimes, it has been unwittingly, such as medieval peasants eating rye contaminated with the ergot fungus, causing St. Anthony's Fire. Other times, food shortages left people with no other choice. In some cases, such as happened with the people in Lin Xian, China, moldy bread tasted good (not so odd when you think about eating Roquefort cheese).

I don't usually editorialize in this newsletter, but there's an important issue Dr. Kendrick discussed that we all need to consider. First, the majority of the world's molds haven't been categorized, much less studied. Second, many molds are becoming endangered or extinct. What are we loosing?

You can grow your own Shitake, Pom Pom Blanc, Blue Oyster, Morel and Sonoma Brown mushrooms at your home. Kits start at $14.95 plus shipping and handling. The maker promises that these can be grown sitting on a desk or coffee table, and most only take a half a square foot of space.

You can also order dried mushrooms, books about mushrooms, and mushroom t-shirts.