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Mold and Mycotoxins
Fungus is all around us. It's a wonderful addition to our creation. It naturally recycles plant and animal life. It's a gift.
Until it's found indoors. In high concentrations. Or in foods. In high concentrations. It helps to learn the basics of fungus in order to understand the dangers. Fungi are not plants. They are not animals. They are their own kingdom. A rather daunting realization. There are more than 1.5 million fungal species. In other words, we have a lot to learn about this kingdom. The fungus kingdom includes yeasts, molds, smuts, and mushrooms.
Video: Dangers of Toxic Mold
The following video is less than two minutes long and is an excellent summary of the hazards of toxic mold.
Interview with a Toxicologist
The following is an interview conducted with leading mold toxicologist, the late Dr. Jack Thrasher.
Before beginning the interview, Dr. Thrasher emphasized that even slamming a door can dislodge mold spores:
Let us keep in mind that air sampling does not detect hidden mold growth. Mold growth is hidden in places we do not see: attic, wall cavities, crawlspace, back side of carpeting and wall board. The attic wall cavities and crawl spaces are in communication with the interior of the home/building. Pressure shocks dislodge mold spores from these areas into the interior of the home. The pressure shocks include wind and opening and closing of doors.
More Than Meets the Eye
A study released in 2008 validates the reality that mold (or mould, as it's spelled internationally) is hazardous to our health. According to this ScienceDaily article:
Mould toxins in buildings damaged by moisture are considerably more prevalent than was previously thought, according to new international research. Erica Bloom from the Division of Medical Microbiology at Lund University in Sweden has contributed to research in this field by analyzing dust and materials samples from buildings damaged by mould. Virtually all of the samples contained toxins from mould.
“Previously it was claimed that the occurrence of mould does not necessarily mean that there are toxins present. But they are! On the contrary, we can assume that wherever there is visible mould, there are also mould toxins,” says Erica Bloom.
Fungal Illness: Dr. Marinkovich
The following is an excerpt from a paper published by Dr. Vincent Marinkovich, an immunologist from San Pedro, California, who died in 2007 of gall bladder cancer. Dr. Marinkovich was known as Dr. Mold up until his death at the age of 74. This article is titled Fungal Hypersensitivity: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Therapy and represents one of numerous peer-reviewed scientific explanations of the health hazards associated with mold exposure.