Photo Credit: Department of Labor; US Department of Labor
Sandy, Toxic Mold, and (at last) a theory potentially
explaining 'Sick Building Syndrome'
Introduction by Ritt Goldstein
Theory by Dr. Bernt Danielsson and Ritt Goldstein
As many still struggle to address the devastation of Superstorm Sandy, another
facet of this epic battle is underway, though many remain unaware of it. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many
of the people of New Orleans found themselves faced with unusual health
symptoms, respiratory problems being the most common and obvious among
these. They coined a name for such
airways issues - Katrina Cough.
According to Wikipedia, "Katrina cough is a putative
respiratory illness thought to be linked to exposure to mold and
dust". And a new 'illness' has
emerged in New York, Fox NY (and I
never thought I'd cite Fox News) headlining "Far Rockaway Cough", mold thought to play a role in it as well. But beyond coughing there are other symptoms
that mold can cause, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) even having an advisory site for storm
victims.
The CDC warns those affected by flooding that mold can be hazardous, so when
deciding what belongings can be salvaged, they urge, "When in doubt, take it
out!" As to how hazardous mold can be, the
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that some molds can produce
mycotoxins, the EPA observing: "Many symptoms and human health
effects attributed to inhalation of mycotoxins have been reported including:
mucous membrane irritation, skin rash, nausea, immune-system suppression, acute
or chronic liver damage, acute or chronic central nervous-system damage,
endocrine effects, and cancer. More studies are needed to get a clear picture
of the health effects related to most mycotoxins. However, it is clearly
prudent to avoid exposure to molds and mycotoxins."
Severe mold exposure can have significant and long-lasting health effects, some
terming these effects 'Sick Building Syndrome'.
Several years ago, I and a colleague developed a theory on the physical
mechanism through which such sufferers were affected, a theory we were invited
to present at a Mold Symposium in Sweden's parliament organized by the Swedish
Green Party. The following is an article
on the theory Dr. Bernt Danielsson and I developed, the below piece
approximating the one we distributed at our Parliamentary presentation.
The theory is one that leans heavily upon Professor Beatrice Golomb's work on
Gulf War Illness, my readings of Golomb -- done quite by coincidence in combination with readings on the natural occurrence of chemical compounds called acetylcholinesterase
inhibitors in some varieties of mold -- leading me to contact Danielsson,
spawning the work we did. However,
Golomb's theory provoked considerable controversy and debate, and today the
actual causes of Gulf War Illnesses are yet debated. As for the mold theory Danielsson and I
derived, while some medical scientists applauded it, it was never published in
any journal, it remains untested. There
is one certainty, however, and that is the severity of illness that some of those having
significant mold exposures are known to have endured.
In view of Superstorm Sandy's impact, it seemed time for the following to be
made public.
SICK BUILDING SYNDROME AND GULF WAR ILLNESS -- A COMMON CAUSE?
By Bernt Danielsson, MD, and Ritt Goldstein, UJ
A
study linking the multisymptom problems of so-called Gulf War Illness
(GWI) to acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEis) was recently
published: Professor Beatrice Golomb's 'Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
and Gulf War illnesses'. In our following paper we hypothesize that
AChEis are also connected to another, strikingly similar malady, but one
vastly more widespread and affecting far larger numbers globally,
particularly in The West - Sick Building Syndrome (SBS).
Since
the 1970s, debate has existed regarding the nature of so-called Sick
Building Syndrome (SBS). More recently, similarities between SBS and
GWI have fueled speculation as to the basis for such a commonality, a
commonality that may now well be explained.
Spring 2008 saw the publication of Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and Gulf War illnesses,
Gulf War Illness (GWI) being the condition termed to describe the
chronic symptoms endured by many veterans of the Gulf War (1990-91).
Expanding upon the study's conclusions of AChEi linkage to GWI, one
might theorize that exposures to comparable levels of AChEis, in
non-Gulf War settings, could potentially yield symptoms resembling those
of GWI. Indeed, the study specifically states that its findings "may
be relevant to a subset of civilians with chronic multisymptom
complaints",(1) opening a passageway to argue that AChEi-rich
mycotoxins, emanating from particular strains of indoor molds, may well
be an unrealized cause of SBS. Having said this, we also believe AChEi
linkage suggests that non-biological, chemical contaminants containing
sufficient AChEi levels, could also yield SBS symptoms; though, we focus
our attention upon mold.
Soma or Psyche?
Again,
since the 1970s debate has existed regarding the nature of SBS. As the
pathophysiologic mechanism of SBS's puzzling combination of symptoms
has been hard to understand, the question of psychosomatic reaction has
often been raised.
Paralleling the SBS experience, findings have
shown that about 25 to 30 percent of Gulf War veterans suffer a set of
chronic and equally puzzling symptoms.(1) As a result of these
veteran's symptoms, a very substantive amount of epidemiological,
toxicological, and psychological research has sought both GWI's cause
and best treatment. Posttraumatic stress,
burning oil wells, burnt-out uranium, nerve agents, and more have all
been proposed as explanations of GWI's cause.(1)
Given the
lengthy GWI debate, the conclusions presented by Professor Golomb --
that GWI resulted from AChEi exposure generally, and the use of
pyridostigmine bromide as a nerve-agent pretreatment particularly(1) -
may be termed 'somewhat unexpected' by some. However, beyond her
study's publication in one of America's most respected scientific
journals,(1) Golomb's findings were confirmed by the US Department of
Veterans Affairs' Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veteran's
Illnesses - a body in which the vast majority of members hold substantive
scientific stature.
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