Mold Only Harms Politicians

study finds mold may only be hazardous to government officials and their families posted by susan lillard-roberts tuesday, 11 october 2005 by sharon kramer

as if government officials did not have enough to worry about in these days of allegations of rampant corruption, a new study finds they may be more susceptible to ?toxic mold? exposure than their constituents.

while the average citizens of new orleans are being encouraged to return to the city with little warning of potential health hazards from breathing mold and the toxins they produce, governor kathleen blanco has been residing outside of the governor?s mansion. the mansion has been undergoing an $800,000 renovation, $500,000 of which is for mold removal.

in 2003, bryan brown, who leads the consumer protection division for kansas state atty. gen. phill kline, sued kansas republican party chairman tim shallenburger over the home brown purchased from shallenburger, which was reported to have mold. brown said things started falling apart in the house and that his children became ill because of mold.

mr. brown has not taken any known stance in the state of kansas to assist numerous average citizens claiming difficulty from mold. this would support the current scientific evidence frequently used in mold litigation. mold is only dangerous for government officials and their families. as further evidence of this phenomenon and according to a survey conducted by the national insurance affiliation, 99.9% of average citizens complaining of mold illnesses are reported to be liars and whiners.

after a $5.6 million dollar renovation of the south carolina governors mansion three years earlier, first lady jenny sanford said stachybotrys was causing health problems with her family. stachybotrys is a known toxin producing mold. according to mike sponhour, spokesman for the south carolina state budget and control board which oversees maintenance on the building, ?we understand the concern the first lady has for the health of her family and children. we take that very seriously. we?re committed to doing everything we can to fix the problem and make sure it doesn?t happen again.? like numerous other 'government officials? families from across the us, governor sanford?s family is apparently highly susceptible to mold induced illnesses.

another government official who may suffer from susceptibility that the average citizen does not, is north carolina governor mike easley. in august of this year,

he and his family were forced to move from the governor?s mansion because of mold. this is the second time in four years that the 114 year old mansion has been invaded by mold. according to secretary of administration gwynn swinson, the governor and his family needed to clear out for health reasons.

a study done earlier this year was able to establish average citizens as those who may not suffer from the same mold illness susceptibility as analyzed in the government officials? study. dr. emil bardana, president of the american college of asthma, allergy and immunology and prolific expert witness in mold litigation, examined 50 mold cases that ended up court. the study by allergist bardana concluded that no credible medical evidence has emerged to link mold exposure to the wide range of serious medical conditions associated with toxic mold syndrome which is a poisoning, not an allergy.

although memory and immunological complications have been reported by many americans who have been exposed to mold in prior flooded buildings, a webmd health alert regarding toxic mold syndrome and issued to the public in september of this year quoted allergist dr bardana as saying, ?we know that mold can make people sick if they end up in the foods they eat. but there is little evidence that inhaled environmental mold exposure can cause the serious illnesses that are attributed to it.?

this is a sentiment echoed by dr. stephen redd of the cdc. redd indicates there is little evidence of toxic mold causing illnesses, except when eaten or touched. he said, ?they won't produce these toxins at all times but under certain circumstances, like the nutrient supply is getting short or some environmental issue, they may start producing toxins and those can be dangerous if they're eaten or if they're touched. there's up to now not been evidence that airborne mold toxins have produced disease.? it is unclear if the health advisory by the cdc spokesman regarding no known ill health from inhaling mold toxins, applies to government officials and their families or only the public at large.

after the implication of safety from these health alerts, sales of hasmat suits that are typically worn to protect from inhaling mold during remediation are anticipated to decline. ?gosh, who knew we could breathe that stuff in all day long and it wouldn?t hurt us one bit besides a runny nose. i?m just buyin? me some gloves,? said bubba smith, owner of a brand new remediation company that provides expert advice to the citizens of new orleans regarding mold clean up. mr smith was unable to remember the name of his new company.

through the university of mississippi, additional research is underway to determine if stress from katrina plays any role in increasing the impact of mold on the average citizen. it is unclear if the focus of this research is the stress from katrina itself, or the stress of having the medical community and government health agencies not acknowledge and treat the physiological impacts of mold and mold toxin exposure in the public at large. either way, precriptions of antidepressant medications for average citizens are anticipated to rise. antifungals are thought to remain stable.

although the government officials study was massive in the number observed to have required extensive mold remediation for the protection of their families that average citizens did not, including george w. bush and the governor of mississippi, it was inconclusive in establishing if these government positions made officials more susceptible to mold illnesses than their constituents, or if their positions might actually have served to benefit the health of they and their families.