The old trailer where she forced her daughter to sleep in the bad days takes up most of the driveway. Her home sits at the end of the cul-de-sac of upper-middle-class homes in San Diego’s North County. Odors from two overweight dogs have permeated the house, sinking into the dark-brown rug, and rising from tracks of dirt along the floor. It’s a scene of disorder: The living room couches are much too large, the cabinets are crammed with bric-a-brac and papers brought from the old house after the leak. After the world changed.
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The Ballard home in Texas
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Sharon Kramer in a recent photo.
It is here, in a small room behind drawn wooden shutters, that Sharon Kramer maintains her national, sometimes global crusade against mold. She sits at a desk piled with articles she is working on, journals on indoor air quality and scientific reports. And there is dust everywhere, as if nobody has been in the room in a very long time. “I just don’t understand why this guy is being such a hard-ass,” the 56-year-old says over the phone to a local bureaucrat, her thick fingers nervously tracing on the notepad in front of her.
The skin on her face is loose from age and fluctuations in weight. But she blames it all on the mold. Her lips are pursed in measured anger. “My husband will pay the fine, but he shouldn’t have a misdemeanor. This is a small town and I don’t think this new attorney understands how things work.”
This morning’s battle is with the Escondido City Attorney’s Office. Kramer’s husband, Mike, has illegally parked the maintenance trucks for his parking-lot-cleaning business. He is saddled with a $500 fine and a misdemeanor. “As you can see,” she says, hanging up, “I don’t do well with bullies.”
As a 9-year-old in Ohio, she confronted a schoolyard tough guy. The boy, Danny, was taunting two of her friends. She told him that if he kept it up, he’d never be allowed to eat Apple Jacks, because “Apple Jacks aren’t for bullies.” He beat her up, so she spread rumors about him. “I remember Danny caught all kinds of hell from the boys at school the next week for beating up a girl. Back in the mid-’60s, that was a real social no-no, to fight with a girl, even if you were a bully.”
But Kramer has taken on a much bigger foe than Danny or a small-town assistant city attorney. Her battle is with enigmatic, omnipresent mold. Huge corporations and major law firms know Kramer’s name because of it.
In the late 1990s, the term “toxic mold” found its way into media coverage and a handful of courtrooms. A few victims reported a frightening array of symptoms, from severe memory loss to infections and bleeding gums.
In a country where fear is second only to sex as a hot sales tactic, household mold, which has always been in the environment, soon became, in Kramer’s words, “toxic, dangerous, a killer.” While mold can be dangerous to the infirm, an opportunistic group of plaintiff’s attorneys convinced juries of an exaggerated threat — to the healthy. Awards by juries in Texas, California, Oregon and several other states exploded into massive figures, topped by $32.1 million the Ballard family of Texas was awarded in 2001 when their home was inundated with mold.
Builders and insurance agents feared that they would have “another asbestos” on their hands, an area of litigation that grew so huge, so vague — and so lucrative for lawyers — that some now refer to it as the “Asbestos Blob.” Construction companies, home insurers, health insurers and contractors decided to fight back against claims of health problems and property damage caused by mold, arguing that there is very little scientific or medical proof that household molds make people seriously ill.
But their side didn’t have Sharon Kramer. With Kramer as its Erin Brockovich and her daughter as a starring victim, a mold war exploded, with California at its center. By 2001, water-damage claims in California — driven by the discovery of mold — skyrocketed by a third, to $430 million of all homeowner-insurance claims paid, according to the Insurance Information Network of California. The average claim surged 80 percent from 1998 to 2001, to $4,730, to remove what, mere years earlier, had often been scrubbed away with a little Dutch Cleanser. The Mold Blob had arrived, and by 2002, insurers reported $3 billion in annual losses nationwide — paid as settlements for personal-injury claims and property damage caused by mold.
One of those demanding justice was Kramer, whose sickly teenage daughter was nearly killed by a household fungus that is innocuous to the healthy. A Realtor in exclusive Rancho Santa Fe, Kramer became an outraged gadfly and self-appointed mold researcher. She grew enraged by papers written by mold experts who sided with insurers and contractors in saying household mold isn’t particularly dangerous.
Nicely written.
Well I see people are still reading this horrid, false light article. I was awoken yet again this morning by a hang up call. This started shortly after this horrid article ran. Always instills fear in my heart that one of my daughters have been in a car accident. It is incredible how hateful some people can be, including the authors, editors and publishers of this article. Papa Bear, I am so sorry to hear of the serious health problems your grand child is having. I wish I could say he is the only child I know of this happening to after an excessive exposure to mold and their toxins. Know that the times are changing rapidly. Contrary to Mr. Heimpel's and Ms. Stewart's article, with the issuance of the Federal GAO Report it is now established as current accepted science that these illnesses are biologically plausible to be occurring from mold and company in homes, schools and offices. The Federal government is setting up a system to warn the public. Some State Health Depts have already started. The report is linked below. GAO Report to the Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, U.S. Senate INDOOR MOLD Better Coordination of Research on Health Effects and More Consistent Guidance Would Improve Federal Efforts September 2008 GAO-08-980 http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-980 I wish you and your grandchild the best of success at finding proper medical care that may help to give the child his life back.
I am a grandfather, retired and watching my grandson Ethan go thru over 250 seizures in under 4 yrs. He has been tested for mold by a Dr who has U. S. patents on his testing. Ethan shows high levels of Stachybotris in his system. Ethan has also had genetic testing at U.C.L.A. and is genetically normal. We are losing a lawsuit because real estate companies and the national realtors assoc. have high priced lawyers that are scaring even the likes of a so-called law firm like brian witzers. It is not about the money so much as how can you look at a 4 yr old for Christmas 2008, and know that he will never understand what it stands for. Good will good fortune and caring. Not on your LIFE. Ask the realtors of Remax, or Prudential what a breach of contract is. How could your realtor offer to pay for your home to be inspected at their cost as a gift to you for Christmas 2004 , and then have you sign a paper which states if you do not get an inspection by a mold expert which they were supposed to pay for it is against their better judgement. I retired in 2006 and withdrew 240,000 dolars from my California Field Ironworkers Annuity after 28 yrs of investing. That money is gone but my Miracle Boy is still alive. When you watch Ethan in a grand-mal seizure and realize that the effects are on his central nervous system because his body is told to convulse, stop breathing, and vomit all at the same time until he turns blue and stops breathing, ITS REAL. For you who do not believe, I pray to god this never effects you or your loved ones. Also Ethans original diagnosis was primary epilepsy which in lay terms means EPILEPSY WITHOUT A CAUSE, or in real terms that no DOCTORS DO NOT STUDY MOLD IN THEIR 4 TO 8 YRS OF EDUCATION. How ironic that veteranarions DO. I would like to finish by saying that buyers beware, realtors are greedy S.O.B.s who will stop at nothing for a sale, EVEN YOUR HEALTH. Check out Susan on rip off report, under realtors. I will now turn to new tactics Susan. I will win @ any cost. Those who breach contracts or fiduciary duties, you know who you are. BEWARE. Keep up your battle as Mold does kill. Just ask Ty Pennington of ABC for extreme home makeovers on the program when the fireman died from a toxicmold seizure. He acknowledged the seizure on national TV and they even reenacted the seizure, go figure a man sized Ethan having a toxic mold seizure that could KILL HIM read it again, it KILLED HIM.
What happened to the "National Public Health Emergency" related to toxic mold exposure?? Has Obama announced a Toxic Mold Eradication Czar?? Is the economy failing because the Toxic Mold Scare/"remediation" companies are really hurting?? Why has everybody stopped posting here?? When is the NEXT LA Weekly expose of the Toxic Mold scam going to be released? Is Santa going to risk coming down a chimney laced with Stachyboytris?? Has whateverhernameis quit smoking?? Lots and lots of unanswered questions..........
Nice try Bobby, but your anonymous posting and freeforall aliasing is falling on deaf ears. People can do their own research on you after the information in the initial post in this thread.. Hey, why don't you try this tactic on the NPR website linked above, and see how far you get? Or even get contacted by a real reporter who gets access to your email? Sharon Kramer NEVER posts under an alias -- this is why she got targeted iSLAPP suit in the first place!
Well, we now know that Sharon and Zorneswatch are the same poster. Hilarious really. Obviously, what little actual credibility existed before the legal battle is now gone with Kelman prevailing against the shrill accusations of an obsessed female. Pretty powerful legal ruling. And we await more signs of the TOXIC MOLD "national public health emergency" that is sure to become more manifest after all the flooding post-Gustav. Ought to see headlines in about 2-3 weeks as the deadly miasma works it's dirty deed on the unsuspecting after the storm. Katrina was just the tip of the mold colonies. Tens of thousands may be effected now that everyone in America is aware of the creeping danger of mold spores. Hopefully, the medical system in LA and TX won't be overwhelmed by the insidious threat. Still waiting for the Surgeon General to declare a toxic mold emergency in the nation. Isn't it amazing that the Surgeon General says that SMOKING has been PROVEN injurious to your health but Sharon/Zorne'swatch still smokes?? But the Surgeon General doesn't say anything about the dangers of "mycofantasytoxins?" What a joke...............
Yesterday, Sept 1, National Public Radio discussed the deceit of the ACOEM Mold Statement, even mentioning the authors by name. The paper was called a "phoney" on the WNYC Leonard Lopate Show And THAT is what this whole Yel-Low Weekly effort was really all about. Sorry, Yel-Low Weekly. You were too late to shoot the messenger. The word is out. WNYC Leonard Lopate Show, Podcast http://www.wnyc.org/player.html#/play//stream/xspf/107561"
Yesterday, Sept 1, National Public Radio discussed the deceit of the ACOEM Mold Statement, even mentioning the authors by name. The paper was called a "phoney" on the WNYC Leonard Lopate Show And THAT is what this whole LA Weekly yellow journalistic effort was really all about. Sorry, La Weekly. You were too late to shoot the messenger. The word is out. WNYC Leonard Lopate Show, Podcast http://www.wnyc.org/player.html#/play//stream/xspf/107561
Yesterday, Sept 1, 2008, the ACOEM Mold Statement and its authors were discussed on National Public Radio. The ACOEM paper was called a "phoney" on the Leonard Lopate Show....and that's what this whole LA Weekly article is really all about. Sorry, LA Weekly. Too late to shoot the messenger. The word is out. WNYC Leonard Lopate Show, Podcast http://www.wnyc.org/player.html#/play//stream/xspf/107561
I am very ill from indoor mold and have been for ten years. It was a very difficult time because I had never heard of this illness. I had lived in a home for many years and was perfectly healthy. One summer I become very weak and sick with head pain, etc. so my doctor gave me an antibiotic. I was fine for the winter but then again in the warm months I became very weak and had sinus and chest pain again. Every time I turned on the ac I would feel worse and noticed I was feeling pretty good when I was away from my house. I decided to have the health department come and see if something was wrong. They found indoor mold behind the paneling in the basement. Apparently the foundation was cracking from tree roots and mold was growing between the walls. There was no water anywhere. I had to have sinus surgery several months later, developed reactive airways disease, had to be rushed to the hospital because of a serious penicillin reaction, and now live with yeast/candida albicans in my body. I now have such a difficult time when near fragrances of any kind. Turns out many of our cosmetics are made with chemicals that are not safe. There are many articles, even our government knows of it (read the REACH PROJECT) by Henry Waxman. One time Senator Kennedy wrote about our cosmetics and said they are more dangerous than tobacco. Many that get ill from mold have reactions to irritants such as fragrances, etc. It is sad to read such a harsh story about someone who is just trying to help people that are ill. I know I have read of court houses where people are sick, even a judge died in one court house that had indoor mold. Senator Nelson wrote about that courthouse and the people that are ill. More recently a man that worked in a Health Department has died. I have read of schools where children and teachers are ill, hospitals, old homes and new, apartments, condos, police stations, fire stations, the list goes on and on. Why would someone write such a cruel article. And why is it so hard to believe that healthy people can become ill from indoor mold. My husband didn't get ill right away from indoor mold but after we moved into another apartment with a roof leak he developed seizures and now has difficulty near fragrances, soaps, detergents, etc. which is common with irritant induced asthma. It is difficult enough to have this illness but to read things like this is out right wrong. Remember when people with aids were treated so poorly even some having their homes burned. I believe at one time people with cancer were treated wrong. When states decided to have non smoking in buildings, etc. the non smokers were treated bad. Even people that tried to prove the global warming problem were and still are treated unfairly. Most newspapers write an article and try to be neutral but this paper went out on a witch hunt. Most stories aren't even this long. Mothers with children with autism do what they can to educate others and get someone to do something and they should not have to be put in that position. Unfortunately our government is slow to do anything when they will have to spend money. That is what has happened here, many governor's mansions have been promptly remediated when mold was discovered and spent millions in clean up. Why must people have to beg and go through all this negative treatment just because they have an illness that others don't understand. Shame on you, would you light up a cigarette next to someone with lung cancer. I have never read such a mean article in a local paper. Linda
Congratulations Dr. Kelman! These FREAKS need to understand that they must live by the rules of society. They can no longer excuse their insane behavior in the name of their 'beliefs'. Congratulations!
How true this woman story is. My MOM has been fighting a battle for 3 years over MOLD in her NEW manufacture home, she paid cash for to live out her last days in dignity.( and have her family as caregivers ) She is 77, with dementia/alzheimers and this is actually criminal for people to cash in on her suffering in her last days. Mold, is so toxic. Why do people refuse to believe the danger of it all?
Ruh-roh! Looks like this issue continues to be treated to the literary stylings of the obsessive Blog Troll, ROBERT ZORNES. ROBERT ZORNES has been banned from other online discussion groups for stalking and abusive behavior. Even though ROBERT ZORNES has been blocked from moderated groups, he seems to continue to stalk unsupervised boards like this, launching an obsessive campaign against Sharon Kramer on the legal board Toxlaw.com, where he posted for months under the handle "BB". The handle was short for his own website, Biddlesbank.com, now Nowheresville. http://toxlaw.com/chatboards/blackmold/ ZORNES harassment of Sharon Kramer on Toxlaw.com seems to finally have been put to an end when a poster from a coin collectors discussion group outed his activities with other groups. Anybody should be able to see a pretty clear link with writing "style" in anonymous posts here and on Toxlaw if they take the time to check out the logs on that site from last year. Pretty ironic. Sharon Kramer gets slandered as an obsessive, when she seems to continue to get stalked here by the Blog Troll, ROBERT ZORNES.
"National public health emergency??" Mr Wright, but may be wrong, certainly loves hyperbole. Can you describe the "national emergency" in more detail please?? Why hasn't it been in our local, regional or statewide news? Certainly feel a "national public health emergency" would supplant the Olympics or the DNC from a "national" priority point-of-view. That's why so few people pay any attention to these shrill but empty claims. BTW, saw that Conyers didn't expedite the FRC request , it was a "staff" member. Big difference..... I got a staff member from Liddy Dole's office to "expedite" a travel document in no time at all. My request for tax=exempt staus for a foundation I set up went through in 3 days. Big deal. Oh...did I forget the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology?? THE MOST prestigious medical group of all that diagnoses and treats "mold victims?" Their position statement, a CONSENSUS of the greatest minds of their vast organization, CLEARLY refutes the wild claims fueling the even more bizarre claim of a "national public health emergency." Haven't heard a peep out of the Surgeon General about any new mold -related "national public health emergency." Have you?? Wonder why????????? He's supposed to to be THE NATIONAL leader of the public health system. Could it just be that...OH! My God!!....there ISN'T any "emergency?" There certainly isn't any in my city, county or state. And I read the papers, listen to the radio and watch the news on TV twice every day. Don't count on any contribution to the FRC from me. "Non-profit" simply means that the debits and credits are usually equal at the end of the year and contributions are tax deductible. No more, no less. "National public health emergency??"" It's like crying fire in a crowded movie theater except that there's NO fire...and the theater is EMPTY. That's why I'm Mr. Skeptical
What is immediately disturbing about this article is the "value judgment" one could readily infer via the title of the article, "Toxic Mold Rush." The inference is that there is a rush to "jump on the bandwagon" to "pan for gold." It is also troubling that posters who are certainly free to opine, lodge personal attacks on "lifestyle" issues. Often, when an argument is failing badly, an attack on the persona looks to attack the credibility of the issue at hand. There are serious opposing and credentialized viewpoints, coming from respected authorities. Blasting the mental status of Ted Kennedy who has a glioma is interesting, as some molds are "gliotoxic" and who knows, perhaps, a mycotoxin caused his brain cancer to develop. Because a "special interest" professional organization generates a position paper, does not render it truthful or accurate. It merely represents the "position"of the organization. One can inquire as to whether there might be "bias" one way or another. It is the first thing that the court inquires. Is there money changing hands or are there "favors" or "advantages being conferred upon the members of the board who are charged with drafting such a position. The only "risk" is that those with a direct or indirect financial benefit will lose money. Western Medicine in this country laughed at acupuncture for years because they could not make money at it. Now, it is becoming integrated into Western medicine, because people demand it, and Western Medicine had to "hold its nose" and recognize it . This mycotic disease issue is coming whether the "good ole boys"' like it or not. Long gone are the days that people look at doctors as above board, if there has been a taint. There are doctors who have left surgeries to go to the bank, or who have left instruments inside people, or who have caused harm, because they don't wash always their hands between patients. The days of Dr. Kildare and Ben Casey are over as well as Marcus Welby. Sadly, many self-serving individuals have gone into medicine because it is a "lucrative" field. There has been an almost complete disregard of the Oath of Hippocrates, which has been replaced by the business aspect and monetary interest. If Mrs. Kramer is helping to pry open the door and flush out the bottom of the food chain in the medical field, she will be doing the greatest service of all. Her daughter will be the direct beneficiary and those voiceless others will benefit indirectly because she had the courage of her convictions to do so. Only bullies attack personally, because they have no where else to go. Those doctors who would love to treat their patients consistently across the board, regardless of origin of toxic exposure,whether chemical or biological, will be finally free to do so, because, not unlike everything else" the truth will set you free."
In response to commentary being made here as followup to posts from the Fungal Disease Resource Center: The Fungal Disease Resource Center, Inc, (FDRC) is an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, given expedited approval based on public statements from senior congressional staff members saying that mold related illnesses now comprise a "national public health emergency". The FDRC was founded at the direct request of staff of the current Chairman of the US House Judiciary Committee, the Honorable John Conyers of Michigan. Sharon Kramer's very public advocacy and ensuing legal battles are being scrutinized nationally, and have major implications for federal and state health policy. While providing no monetary support, FDRC endorses her efforts fully. Readers should give the anonymous commentary being made here appropriate consideration. Sincerely, Jonathan Lee Wright Director Fungal Disease Resource Center, Inc http://www.fdrcinc.org
Dr. RAS, The existing body of scientific evidence DOES support adverse health effects in humans. In fact the very references on the ACOEM position paper support that claim. I've read them. That the authors of the position statement could read these studies and come up with the conclusion they did would be laughable if it wasn't so dangerous. Read the study for reference #47 (available on PubMed for free) and the interpretation of that reference in the ACOEM position paper. If you're a defense doctor, however, (seeing lots of patients who are convinced mold is their problem, I believe you said) you don't care what the studies say any more than the authors. You should listen to your patients for a change. If you REALLY want this stuff out of the court systems (which I doubt, as you are probably making a good living as a result), then doctors need the information in those ACOEM references and much more, not the CONCLUSION drawn in the position statement. The cost of treatment of mold could be VERY VERY MINIMAL (there goes all that liability) if it is properly diagnosed and treated. The expense comes from YEARS of misdiagnosis and treatment by doctors such as yourself.
Dr. RAS, The existing body of scientific evidence DOES support adverse health effects in humans. In fact the very references on the ACOEM position paper support that claim. I've read them. That the authors of the position statement could read these studies and come up with the conclusion they did would be laughable if it wasn't so dangerous. Read the study for reference #47 (available on PubMed for free) and the interpretation of that reference in the ACOEM position paper. If you're a defense doctor, however, (seeing lots of patients who are convinced mold is their problem, I believe you said) you don't care what the studies say any more than the authors. You should listen to your patients for a change. If you REALLY want this stuff out of the court systems (which I doubt, as you are probably making a good living as a result), then doctors need the information in those ACOEM references and much more, not the CONCLUSION drawn in the position statement. The cost of treatment of mold could be VERY VERY MINIMAL (there goes all that liability) if it is properly diagnosed and treated. The expense comes from YEARS of misdiagnosis and treatment by doctors such as yourself.
Dear reader, Please don't ever confuse the American Academy of Environmental Medicine , a little known association of previous ecology watchdogs and promoters of alternative medicine , with the highly recognized and HIGHLY ESTEEMED American COLLEGE of Occupational and Environmental Medicine The AAEM, previously known as the Society for Clinical Ecology, changed their name to make their organization look more "academic" and promote an air of acceptance by the public. They would like to be considered in the same class as organizations like the American Academy of Emergency Medicine.....and note that the initials identifying the two organizations are the same. No co-incidence in my view. A search for the Emergency Medicine site always turns up the site for the Environmental docs. Nationwide, there are relatively few members. Some states have less than 5. Many of these same members advertise services that include fringe therapies such as "chelation," a widely discredited and sometimes dangerous approach to patient care. The ACOEM, on the other hand, is WIDELY recognized WORLD WIDE and identified as a very prestigiopus organization that has a much, much higher and much more highly regarded membership. So choose your source of reliable information and recommendations with care. I choose the ACEOM and BELIEVE their POSITION statement on mold: "Current scientific evidence does not support the proposition that human health has been adversely affected by inhaled mycotoxins in the home, school, or office environment." Now, why would the ACEOM promote and publish a lie?? It isn't. But the anti-ACEOM forces just can't accept that harsh TRUTH.
I looked over the "Fungal Resource Center" site and found only evidence of the spread of fear, uncertainty and doubt. Classic "Fudster" approach. On the home page it says: ".... and discrediting the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Americans." HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of Americans?? Suffering from what?? The nebulous miasma of "toxic vapors" or "mycotoxins?" HUndreds of thousands? What a bunch a crap. Just that E-X-A-G-G-E-R-A-T-I-O-N of the numbers proves how little the mold-mongers know. Man, why aren't the doctors offices jammed with mold sufferers? Why aren't our hospitals over crowded with the PERIL of mold caused illness?? Why, OH WHY???? 'Cause there ain't no public health menace. Hundreds of thousands of "suffering" Americans?? Complete and utter non-sense. Fear, uncertainty and doubt. The staple of the crusading obsessive compulsive. HR whatever ain't going anywhere either. The last thing the American citizen needs is more REGULATION and then more REGULATION. Conyers is a D'crat, of course so he doesn't mind taking money from the working folks and giving it to the people who don't give a damn. The net result would be more Governmental intereference in our lives. Not to mention the huge increases in taxes or insurance premiums for those who don't have, and ain't ever going to have a "toxic mold" problem. Jeezus! Where does it end?? "Toxic mold" threateneing "hundreds of thousands of Americans" is a bunch of crap. At least the LAWeekly has the guts to tell America The Truth. They ought ton get a Pulitzer Prize. Give the Mold Mongers an Acadaemy Award for Science FICTION!! No way am I ever going to give a hard earned dime to the FRC or any other bogus "toxic mold" FUDSTERS. If and when I EVER run into a poor soul who has suffered from PROVEN mold problems I'll be happy to extend a helping hand. Been waitin' a long, long time so far and nobody in sight. What a bunch of crap
To reiterate, in consideration of Sharon Kramer's current trial with Veritox, Inc principal Bruce Kelman: Sharon Kramer's research into this issue was used as the primary basis for a year long, front page investigative report in the Wall Street Journal, the most impeccably credentialed news organization in this country. I doubt that paper would put it's reputation on the line for someone who had not done her homework - completely. The conflicts of interest in this issue are blatant, and are as easily perceived as the agenda that this piece of Yellow Journalism is attempting to promote. Not only has a GAO report on this issue now been requested by a senior member of Congress, there are now scheduled hearings on this subject after the delivery of the GAO report with the Congressional Oversight Committee, chaired by California's own Honorable Henry Waxman. In the interest of fairness, however, I would suggest that both Mr. Heimpel and his managing editor be invited to provide the countering viewpoints that are published here before a Congressional investigation. Sincerely Jonathan Lee Wright Director Fungal Disease Resource Center, Inc http://www.fdrcinc.org
Just read the article and see all replies..... Nuts galore!! Best piece of journalism by the LA Weekly in a long, long time. Author should get a Pulitzer Prize for accurate reporting. The doc posting abaove hits the nail on the head. All credibility lost when person admits to smoking but attributes all other probelms to "toxic" mold. Yeah, right..... Person smokes and has a poor child afflicted with CF. Are you kidding me?? Person denies ever smoking around sick child. Yeah, right...... Ever heard of "passive" smoke effects?? Duhhhhhhhhh??????????? Child with CF has serious respiratory issues like all CF persons. Unfortunately gets aspergillous infection. Aspergillus is everywhere and even in "normal" outdoor air but it MUST be from home mold. Yeah, right..... Tell us about the "bungled" remediation.... Why aren't you crusading for CF and do your daughter some REAL good?? Probably because they would find out your a smoker and would laugh you out of the organization. Does your daughte ever come home to visit?? You think that the products of all your smoking don't get into her lungs?? You ought to be ashamed of your self. Oh, of course you are. That's why your on the mold crusade. And not the anti-smoking let's help children with CF crusade. Whatever little good may have done in the begiinning is all gone now. The ranting and raving has fired up all the sleezy plaintiffs attys like John Edwards. The few "victims" who got big checks have cost MILLIONS of other TRUE vicitms insurance coverage. MOst companies will NEVER write mold covyerage again and even personal liability policies like "umbrellas" exclude mold. The Congress ain't going to suddenly pass legislation enabling everyone to sue for easy money. Kennedy has his own problems now and mold isn't going to be on his mind. In fact his mind is already partly gone from Cancer. The avreage American wants to have decent homeowner's insurance and the ranting and raving about dangerous "mold is everywhere" is bullsh*t. Congress ain't going to ram it down the already stressed taxpayer. No way. You talk abotut docs needing "more education" like they're all stupid. All the docs I know are pretty damn smart. Sure, they aren;t all testifying that mold is everywhere hurting people but I think THEY WOULD if they felt there was a shred of truth. Ever think about that?? Well, I see more damage than good with all this noinsense about mold "toxins" being aired in all the media . The drivel just makes the lawyers more money, the insurance comapnies more cautious and the public gets screwed, as usual. Did I read that you get free legal help now from a law "professor?" What about all the poor souls who don't have your "high" profile?? Is there a pool of lawyer "advocates" willing to give then free help?? I kinda doubt it. Why don't you take two weeks off...and then quit? Get out of your little cob web hovel and start a new life. Quit smoking and get some psychotherapy. Move 200 miles, at least, away and start fresh. Get in shape and run a marathon in honor of your daughter and raise funds for CF. Take some belly dancing or pole dancing lessons. Who knows, the world might start looking a little different to you. Sometimes "get a life" can be good advice.
Dear Anonymous Dr. RAS, While I would never promote smoking and is something I really should quit, you are interpreting my life without foundation, but so did this entire article. I do NOT smoke in my home or around my daughter who has Cystic Fibrosis. Your theory that the smoking is what caused my personal illness from our home is also without merit. I smoked before the botched remediation as was healthy. I smoked during the botched remediation and was sick. I still smoke several years later and am well. This blows your theory of smoking being the cause of mine and many others who are exposed to excessive mold as the cause of their illnesses. The total spin or gist of this article was two fold: 1. Prior healthy people do not become ill from mold. 2. Mrs. Kramer is crazy. Don't listen to her as she advocates to remove the conflicts of interest from the mold issue. Both of the above two points are dead wrong. LA Weekly knows it and does the reporter who wrote the article. I find it quite concerning that a media company with outlets all over the country would knowingly portray me and many people who were healthy before, but are now sick from mold in false light. And I can't help but think this article was timed to be made available for the jury in my case with old tobacco scientist, Bruce Kelman. The underlying implications of this article are quite disturbing and I do intend to get to the botton of the matter. We all know, I am quite good at doing that. Sincerely, Sharon Noonan Kramer
I came across the article and all the replies while doing some research for one of my patients. My credentials include a Board Certified MD/ with 35 years of clinical practice in ENT/ ALLERGY. It is astounding that someone admits to being a smoker, totally disregarding her health and the health of those around her. Especially her very own daughter, who by her own admission is afflicted with Cystic Fibrosis. One must question the altruism of someone who would have ever exposed her OWN daughter to the ills of the products of combustion, especially knowing that her daughter's own respiratory system was already genetically severely weakened by CF. Why would someone expose her own daughter and other friends and family to PROVEN "toxic" substances in cigarette smoke?? And evidently continues to do so. Amazing. The "rules" always apply to everyone else...but ME. That's the usual mantra of the crusader who justifies the cause in obsessive/compulsive behavior. Over the years, I have been called upon many times to investigate the claims of patients referred to me with health issues relating to possible mold/mildew exposure. I have always had a genuine interest in allergy and immunology and did some of the original research work that led to the delineation of the reaginic immunoglobulin, IgE, that was found to mediate the "allergic" reaction in both children and adults. In NEARLY EVERY CASE, there were MORE OBVIOUS etiologies identified that could EASILY account for the patients' medical problems. The #1 etiology was SMOKING!! Nonetheless, most of the "victims" were already single-mindedly convinced that mold was the problem and that was THAT!! Many folks relished litigation, blinded to the immense costs of all involved, and despite the flimsiest of factual "evidence," fulfilled their own destiny by stressfully ruining their health and bankrupting their families, enriching only the attorneys who have virtually no incentive to ever see a case end. The legal system, of course, is perfectly suited to mold/mildew disputes. Years of arguments are allowed, ensuring that the patients financial reserves are severely depleted, with an occasional, and WELL PUBLICIZED generous verdict to the "victim " that always fosters HOPE for the next hapless litigant. Ed McMahon's case perfectly demonstrates my point The American Academy of Allergy and Asthma, arguably THE MOST prestigious organization to weigh in on the potential health issues related to mold, makes things VERY clear: to date, the body of scientific and clinical evidence fails to support any claim of mold producing mycotoxins as a credible cause of human illness. The new cottage industries of "environmental mold evaluations" and mold "remediation" teams, fueled by a media always looking for a "feel sorry story," have become remarkably effective at fleecing the public by instilling fear, uncertainty and doubt. Note well that the first line of any "environmental" report usually states that, with regards to mold...."there are NO federal or state standards for air quality." And at the end of the "remediation" recommendations, there is a statement that always says...."even if you do everything we recommend to alleviate the mold issues," there is NO GAURANTEE that the mold won't be back soon." (My emphasis.) A convenient disclaimer, don't you think?? An endless, but lucrative tail-chasing effort that only ends when the money runs out. Finally, there is definitely an association between mold allergy and allergic symptoms in human children and adults. These can be treated and almost always have a favorable result. Rarely, however, do folks have an isolated mold allergy. Rather, they have multiple allergies and it's EXTREMELY difficult to determine an individual allergen as THE main cause of clinical symptoms. In over 30 years of active practice, and after having tested and treated THOUSANDS of allergy patients, I have yet to encounter a single case of true mold induced disability, with the various wild claims of injury so loudly touted in the media. However, I am willing to still keep an OPEN mind and await CLEAR and CONVINCING PROOF that "toxic" molds, whatever that means, are a common cause of severe human illness. I personally believe that human exposure to a background of mold spores is extremely healthy for our immune systems. Ultimately, it may be that exposure that helps keeps us "well." I'll take "wellness" instead of "illness" every day for the rest of my life.
quoted from American Academy of Environmental Medicine Molds and Mycotoxins (Toxic Molds) in Human Health It is commonly recognized that a large body of medical literature and extensive clinical experience indicates that sufficiently high exposures to indoor airborne mold can lead to disease in otherwise healthy individuals. Since environmental health has not been a focus of medical education, many physicians are not fully aware of the scope of mold related health problems and are inadequately equipped to investigate and manage possible cases of mold exposure in a timely fashion. Exposure to significant levels of indoor mold can cause acute or chronic dysfunction or injury to all organ systems including the respiratory, neurological, cardiovascular, genitourinary, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, immune (through both immediate and non-IgE mechanisms) and hematological systems. In addition to the resulting more commonly considered respiratory conditions such as asthma and rhinosinusitis, exposure to mold proteins and mycotoxins has been associated with fatigue, reduced concentration, imbalance, poor memory and hemorrhagic disorders. Mold contaminated buildings may well require prompt, serious remediation since avoiding further exposure is the first step in treatment as well as a major part of disease prevention. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) recommends continuing research regarding mold related health problems and suggests that experienced health authorities disseminate knowledge about this public health issue in order to achieve widespread clinical competence among health professionals in the investigation and management of actual or alleged mold exposure. Supporting medical and scientific literature on this issue, along with opportunities for formal training in environmental health, are available through the AAEM. Approved by the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine on March 1, 2008. American Academy of Environmental Medicine Immediate Past President Gerald D. Natzke, D.O, FAAEM Advisor James F. Coy, M.D. William J. Rea, M.D., FAAEM Board of Directors A.L. Barrier, M.D. Robin Bernhoft, M.D. Mary Ann Block, D.O. Charles L. Crist, M.D. Stephen Genuis, M.D. Gary R. Oberg, M.D., FAAEM Diego Saporta, M.D. Martha Stark, M.D. Robert E. Taylor, M.D. W.A. Shrader, Jr., M.D., FAAEM http://www.aaemonline.org/images/MoldStatement.pdf This ONE reference ALONE far out-qualifies and outnumbers LA weekly's sources. LA Weekly has made NO attempt to justify their references or their invalid denialist theories on indoor fungi, or retract their yellow journalistic opinion. Why?
Hi my name is Patrice I went threw the same HELL. My home had to be torn down due to toxic mold. I was in every news cast and paper but no one cared or understood what mold did you our bodies. I lost my my 6 month old son Ryan and my girls were sick for a very long time. My husband is still on medication because it attack a nerve in his brain. We tried to fight to have the insurane company's help us pay but instead they cancelled our insurance. We rebuild on our own with the help of good friends. I tried to speak to congress and any one who would care but I felt it was usless. I went on with my life and thank God my girls are in a safe and healthy home. If you would like to read our story put my name in or write Abington mold .
William, You would be incorrect on your interpretation of the EPA/Berkeley Lab findings. Their research was specifically about asthma caused by Dampness INDOORS and Mold....... "BERKELEY, CA — A pair of studies to be published in the journal Indoor Air have quantified the considerable public health risks and economic consequences in the United States from building dampness and mold"......In the future, it may behove you to read the findings of research before you comment...http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/EETD-mold-risk.html
Obvious - You got my back! Way to go! Why is there a debate? The amount of mold that is allowed on a corn crop is "strictly regulated" - When a farmer gets sick in his own barn from aspergillus fumigatus, he/she gets his or her lungs washed and biopsied. Guess what? OSHA covers the "agrarian" context but not any other that I know of. Employers have "thrown up" buildings made like cardboard, and then expects people to spend 40 years breathing in or "re-breathing" a limited amount of "fresh air" and then wonders and fights when the employeee gets sick. He or she calls the worker a "malingerer" or worse. Then has a system "built in" to excuse the shoddy building, the employer who owns the building, and hands the doctor a "script" from which to "write a prescription for steroids, which turn your bones into bone-meal, and tranquilizers" to ease your mental anguish over a lost career and "advancement" which will never happen because of an impaired immune system. That four letter word M-O-L-D in a "supersized" amount has been "weaponized" by our own government before WWII - or as Archie Bunker would say, the "Big One." Weaponized mycotoxins are "calculated" to kill or cause serious bodily injury to humans and animals. It is foolish to continue the debate. Large amounts in a "closed" environment, with regurgitated air, are likely to do the same.
Hint for William: the answers are all yes. The government strictly regulates mold in our food supply -- why? Mycotoxins are listed as a weapon in the US Military handbook -- why? Sir Alexander Fleming is credited with discovering that mold kills bacteria in self-defense -- how could that be if it is harmless? Mushrooms can be very poisonous as any school kids know. Mushrooms are a type of fungus. Mayo clinic says that 95% to 100% of all sinusitis cases are mold, which would seem to indicate that mold can cause internal infections, wouldn't it? The last two answers are yes and yes. (All yes answers William in case you lost track.) Why the hell are we debating if mold can be dangerous? Let's debate if bacteria can be dangerous. Let's debate if falling off a 100 foot cliff is dangerous. Science -- not slander, William my dear ignorant one.
ginloi, my apologies, that was for William, but I'd like your answers too!
Give me a break ginloi. Answer each of these yes or no: Does government heavily regulate ingestion of mold? Can mycotoxins be weaponized? Did penicillin originate from mold? Are certain mushrooms very poisonous? Is there such as a thing as fungal sinusitis? Is asthma often caused by mold? Is there such a thing as Aspergillus pneumonia? Can people be allergic to mold? Your answers please???
William - "Spin" is exactly the operative word. "Spin" is exactly what "commercial medicine" has done, at the behest of the insurance industry and in some measure the government who continue to espouse a policy of "Don't do as I do, do as I say." That refers to the umbrella of "sovereign immunity" (the King can do no wrong) that is invoked as a defense when a worker is in a government building. It does not apply to private industry. This is not fair. Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. "Research" as you say has been "bought and paid for." It is "checkbook science and checkbook medicine" which has become the order of the day. Look at the FDA headlines only yesterday, where the "Conflict of Interest" issue has become so overwhelming with salmonella of "unknown origin" throughout the fresh vegetable industry and ending on the grocer shelves. Say it isn't so. The waters have been tainted by a public who has vested trust where "trust should be vested" only to find that the trust has been "misplaced." Doctors go on "junkets" paid for by the drug industry. Is that OK? Lawyers "sanitize" medical reports. Is that OK? We have two glaring environmental disasters. WTC and Katrina. The Katrina victims were placed in substandard "trailers." No matter they needed to be mass produced. Someone got big bucks for these mold traps. "Toxic" in the four letter MOLD word, may need to be "reformed" to reflect another semantic. This is all that it is - a game of "semantics" and diagnoses that are not in line with the symptoms. More than one doctor has told me exactly that.
I don’t know how you can characterize virtually every medical association in the United States as a “select group”, however, I suppose you can spin the facts any way you wish. And there in lies the problem. Environmental and medical research conducted over the past decade simply does not support the notion of indoor “toxic mold” yet many still want to believe in conspiracy theories, and black helicopters, and UFOs, and ghosts, and the sheer climatological brilliance of Al Gore - the “creator” of the Internet.
William - The information that Ms. Kramer has as support is listed above. Only a "select" group chooses to deny this information. And "propagate" another "point of view" that deviates from the Geneva Convention of 1924, the U.S. Army Military Medical Manual, the shameful "Yellow Rain" and "Agent Orange" scenario, from the Vietnam Era. It is like denying the Holocaust ever happened, in the "revisionist historical context." This is another an "inconvenient truth."
Sharon, approximately one third of all asthma cases is attributed to mold exposure. Of course Fisk made no destination between indoor and outdoor sources of mold. We are exposed to mold every day. It accounts for almost 25% of the planet’s biomass. The pathways associated with mold illness and fungal infection are clearly understood. Fungal proteins are responsible for the immunosuppressive assault. However, what has not been substantiated is the danger of the nebulous “toxic mold” that you speak of. Inhalation of “mold toxins” has not been substantiated by any national health organization and you know it. This is why there are NO position papers issued by a national health organization supporting your argument. Spreading hysteria and conjecture is a disservice to the public and you should be ashamed of yourself for doing so.
Dear William, Odd that you would think only I understand the health impact of this issue and the cost to society. But then that was the malicious and false spin of the article, wasn't it?...Are the EPA and Berkeley Labs good enough for you to understand just how false this article really is?....May 24, 2007.... BERKELEL LAB, EPA STUDIES CONFIRM LARGE PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DAMPNESS AND MOLD: THEY ESTIMATE THAT NUMBER OF ASTHMA CASES ATTRIBUTABLE TO EXPOSURE IN HOME IS 4.6 MILLION, AT $3.5 BILLION ANNUAL COST...Gee, I guess they must have just come up with is info from an "obsessive" mom blogger somewhere.
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Sharon Kramer and her ilk have done more to damage the dissimilation of accurate information regarding the dangers of mold exposure. The hype and hysteria they preach is nothing short of UFO lore. Further, promoting the notion that there is collusion among researchers, scientists, and government agencies to hide the “true” dangers of mold exposure is baseless and naive at best. The mold crazies like to trot out the ACOEM statement as the cornerstone of their argument, however, every other national medical association agrees that indoor mold exposure does not pose the dangers that Sharon and her minions pontificate. When asked to show the data of those who have been sickened by mold, you only get vague generalizations of “thousands” or “no one really knows” or the “data has been hidden from us”. The fact is, there is no data to support their argument in over 10 years of extensive research into the health consequences of indoor mold exposure. I applaud the LA Weekly for attempting to shed some light on this issue and expose the man (or woman in this case) behind the curtain.
Better link to the radio program. For the record, Mr. Heimpel was told in great detail what is occurring at the Downey Studio Brown Field. http://archive.wbai.org/files/mp3/080805_170001taim.MP3
They call it "The Downey Syndrome" Sick workers from mold at Downey Studios. Brown Field Site. Radio program: 080805_170001taim.mp "Lo and behold, nobody would cover the story"
I forgot to mention that California does know about the mold problem, check out California's Landlord Tenant Law, concerning what should be done if Mold is found in your apartment. I threw away both mattresses, left my lovely living room suite and various other items; when I do obtain another apartment it will have to be wood, brass & glass, nothing porous because whether people realize it or not, our skin is porous, and you carry the spores with you, so you need fresh air; I keep exhaust fans going, so the toxic air goes out, also look up the health benefits of white vinegar. If you are a diciplined person, take a double shot of whisky, either in the morning or before retiring. It helps kill bacteria. There also is an acidity that comes from drywall that is toxic, it isn't always something you ate, test your walls. I did, and I continue to research.
At this point; I have lost at least 10 friends and asscoiates in zip code 90008 alone. I have never seen so many people on crutches, walkers and wheel chairs, electric and manual. This is all within a mile radius. The SanFranciscoChronicle.com wrote a 4 piece article in on October 3, 2004, with input from a Seton Hall professor concerning zip code 90008. I say I'm really tired of crying; I cannot visit ( for long) without becoming sick to my stomach, so I hardly see my friend who lives on Palmwood Dr. This is not a myth; it's also very scary. There is a scripture that says Ecclesiastes 1:18. In much wisdom, is much grief and he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. It is very painful to attend funerals, of your friends and neighbors espcially a child.
I'm glad to see the show of support towards Sharon. LA Weekly appears to be a modern example of yellow journalism and their unprofessional and disorganized organization can cannot defend their position on even the most basic scientific or journalistic level. Readers may not immediately know the motivations that prompted this hate but support from scientific, research, legal, victims, and public groups is very encouraging. God Bless.
Sean - Ms. Kramer is looking to raise the "standard of care" of doctors in this country, and who could ever argue with that? If you have "low expectations" then you are satisfied with the way business as usual in medicine is practiced. I am not satisfied with this standard. It Sean Velour - What Ms. Kramer is fighting is the "perception" that is being created about these toxins. Clearly people do not understand. A perception is being "created" to allow people to infer that there is no harm with mycotoxins. This is incorrect. Mycotoxins have been noted since Leviticus, in the Old Testament. They were banned for use as an "agent of warfare" since the Geneva Convention of 1924. Yes, mold can be "formulated" to cause human illness and death. Would you drink "Drano?" Of course not. That is a chemical that is "formulated" to strip grease and debris from drains. Mold, "aspergillus fumigatus" as an example is considered a "biological warfare agent" alongside ricin, anthrax and others. It grows on its own, in water damaged buildings, or after floods, etc. Mold is just not a raw "element" - it can be damaging in it's life and "dead" cycle. Spores which become airborne can be deadly, and some produce tricothecenes which have been weaponized and used (Yellow Rain) in the Vietnam War. All of that is easily available to the public. We are at war over "biological (chemical) warfare" and have over 4,000 dead Americans to prove it. People who have something to lose, or are hired by people who have "something to lose" have employed people to do "spin control" the effects of mold toxins to the human body. Do you think that if mold products, are used for warfare, they are harmless. It is easy to call someone a nutjob, that you don't know. I have been called one myself, but as time went on, and people saw my colleagues die of cancer and get auto immune disease, they shut right up. In fact, now people come to me for help. I understand what Ms. Kramer is going through. Believe me, she does not care, like myself, what people think, because she knows she is right, she knows people get sick from this and that is the "correct" side of the argument. Take a look at the website I provided above. If it doesn't scare you, it should. When doctors allow or encourage people to "look the other way" because they are under the influence of industry, something is very wrong. Asbestos took years to get "out of the closet." It took years to get the truth about cigarettes out. I remember John Wayne in commercials, smoking, making it look glamourous. Yul Brynner did the same. Both dead, but before death encouraged people not to smoke. People laughed at AIDS, early on. This is no different. And for AIDS and cancer patients, Aspergillus can be deadly. What the point of view of these docs supports is that "normal" non-immune suppressed people don't get sick. I beg to differ. I have no cancer, etc. but have Aspergillosis. I am not alone. There are plenty of people who are sick and undiagnosed because of the system that wants to send them home with an "asthma puffer and antidepressants." They won't do a bronchoscopy, when you have symptoms indicating you need one, but will do a colonoscopy when you have no symptoms. There is money in this. My view is that care is being withheld, deliberately, and that medicine is being controlled from the top-down, by insurance companies, who pay the big bucks, to control docs who are doing what they love, and these docs have a responsibility to their patients, to find out what is wrong with them. Ms. Kramer may not care what you think, but it is hurtful to be called a nutjob when you are an "activist." I have met some people who are "not right" in the head, in this fight, but they were like that before their exposures. They cannot blame the mold. And, responsible people who have used their illness, to help and instruct others. That is called "taking the high road" and that is what Ms.Kramer is doing. Those on the "low road" never want to deal with the Ms. Kramers of this world, until it (danger and trouble) knocks on their door. Look a little, Sean, and you will find out who is paying for policy in this country. Look up Agent Orange and find out how long it took the government to pay the Veterans for their cancer and other illnesses. Look up "blown in formaldehyde foam insulation." All this stuff has a history of coverup, and reports written to trivialize the sickness to keep people in businsess, selling a dangerous product. It is no different with mold. Mold is not gold. She is fighting a standard that is "under-inclusive."
Short and sweet: Nice try "sean". So will we be seeing you next week, or are you still out of the country?
Just trying to follow Sharon Kramers comments shows me what a nutjob she is. The mold issue really seems like a magnet for people that like to blame others for their problems. People get sick... there's not always a reason.
I suspect that the individuals name-calling on this blog are junior-high aged and should be ignored. Perhaps they are the same person. As a former teacher, I recognize the same writing style in each one. Ignore him/her and get on with the productive discussion. People like that just want attention. It shows what an undesirable weekly this is, as they obviously have no controls on this blog, have not seen that before.
Did I upset your manhood Freakwatcher; I really didn't mean to hit so low (no pun intended) what I know for sure is; inhaling toxins effect every part of your body, why do you think viagra is on the rise. Have you ever tried detoxing. As I hope most people know , since mold covers most of the earth, there is a difference between good, and harmful mold, the mold that grows on foods in the refrigerator is used to make penicilin; what makes the mold that has completely changed my life is because of the combination of lead based paint, contamination in the air, and carpet, carpet is dangerous because you can not clean it, for the simple reason everything that is floating in the air goes into your carpet; I discovered that in the 70's, why do you think there are so many air cleaners on the market, and we make more money today, we live in better houses, we drive fine cars, but we are sicker then we have ever been, why are they constantly building more hospitals? Didn't the doctors get it right the first time, think people, use your "God given" common sense. I'm now allergic to carpet,never had allergies before, and by the way, the low to none sex drive does not only affect men; it affects women also. The drywall makes me sick also, so therefore as I stated in my earlier blog, paneling, tile or hardwood floors for me; I have never been so sick in my life; I was taught to pay attention to my body and I do. A contractor told me that they are instructed to wash their hands with white vinegar before putting on their gloves to plaster, drywall is cheaper but a leak makes it toxic. That's what happened to St.John's hospital in Oxnard, it was built in 2002,why does it have mold? Now, where do you think the so called mold removers placed the contaminated mold; they did not take it to a legtimate dump site; they placed it in an illegal dump site (didn't pay) so guess who inhales that air?
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Jayne Noonan Abernathy, I apologize. My remark should have been directed to Francine Hill. It must have been the brain fog, or maybe Arseholes terrible movie.
Freakwatcher, Spend a lot of time in front of the mirror, eh? Anyhoo, you make for good comedic relief about a very serious subject.
Remember this Jayne Nooooooonan Apathy: You are wrong. I suspect you are always wrong. Let's see some of your science related to erections. Sounds to me like just another example of mental illness from the world of mold freaks.
Not knowing that much about the mold issue, I cannot address comments in this article concerning mold. Before I would ever attempt to write about the science of mold, I would educate myself far better than Mr. Heimpel. Having known Sharon Kramer for all of her life as an older sister, I can attest to the fact that the bitter, caustic personal/character assassignation of Sharon and her family is the nastiest piece of inaccurate journalism I have ever read. Daniel Heimpel, the author, is very good with adjectives and in painting a picture, but he fails in the area of presenting facts and basic human goodness. The unfair portrayal of Sharon concerning her physical appearance, homemaking skills, and mental state come from the mind of an individual who obviously was working from an agenda. Not being a regular reader of the LosAngeles Weekly, I don't know of this type of unprofessionalism is common or strictly Mr. Heimpel's expertise. Having just retired from 35 years as a high school teacher, I have seen my share of cattiness and "girl fights", but nothing from teenage girls dealing with hormones and immaturity ever reached the level of Daniel Heimpel's cruel and inaccurate barbs. Hey, Daniel, if there is a sequel to the movie "Mean Girls", it would be an easy career move for you.
I am in agreeance with Richard Arsenault; I also read about Leviticus, and mold isn't new, but at least it wasn't used as a cash cow back in the day and the one who keeps disputing you must be a Mold Infested Property Owner, so remember this Freakwatcher; the winds blow four ways, the spores , you also could be inhaling. It really messes with a man's ability to have a normal erection.
ACOEM IS WRECKLESS, they need to do a simple blinded study that exposes subjects (ones with acute CFS, NOT random subjects) and controls to highly contrasting mold no mold situations and try to establish weather their is a correlation in the subjects but not the controls. 21st century medicine has a vast array of diagnostic tests, blood assays, hormone, MRI, SPECT, etc. These test's MUST where ever possible be done also in moldy home or living conditions as well as away from them in order to measure the contrast between the two. Many symptoms can appear/disappear rather rapidly when a subject is exposed/removed from such. Mold exposure in sensitized individuals causes diarrhea that does not let up until the subject is removed from exposure. The place where the subject spends most of his/her time is usually where they are the most acutely sensitized because symptoms or sensitization compounds over time or are directly related to dose, duration, types of fungi, individuals sensitivity level). So while a few hours or even days of expousure may not evoke a response 4 weeks will. Conversly symptoms disapear quite rapidly when removed from a chronic situation. Send air quality experts out to the homes of those that were one time HIGHLY productive but now haven't been able to work for years and look for a pattern of water damage and or high mold concentrations associated with CFS, specifically to it's intensity. Don't fall into the trap that billions of people live in these same conditions with no apparent adverse effects, it does not mean for some unexplained reason CFS suffers are not affected adversely by common every day mold exposure. We have hurricane shelters, battered wife shelters, we need if nothing else for experiments sake on some small scale shelters those with this condition can go to to escape their moldy environments. If people had the opportunity to spend a week or two in a shelter and than go back home they could see the stark contrast or profound difference it makes to the degree of their symptoms. . This would of course give researchers a valuable opportunity to observe first hand this overwhelming undeniable correlation between mold exposure and those who react to it. The media sites thousands studies researchers and academics do every week , why would it be so difficult to do at least on some small scale the above studies/test's where so many lives hang in the balance? Last time I looked, CDC had CFS statistics at 4 million, that's 16,000 737's full of people mostly middle aged women. I believe some percentage maybe a large one is mold related illness. Please understand that I am not saying mold CAUSES this illness just the symptoms. Correlation doesn't NESSASARLY mean causation. We only need to look at the correlation between chemo, radiation, immunosuppressant's, aids virus, and the role they play in aspergillosis infections to see that mold isn't necessarily the CUASE but simply a testable symptom of a more complicated condition. (acute reactivity to mold, dose, duration, species, INDIVIDUAL SENSITIVITY LEVEL) I moved out west and live in a home built truck camper made out of metal drywall studs, Styrofoam sheathing, and waterproofed with bisqueen. (no mold) I have been able to alleviate a lot of these symptoms because of this. Avoiding mold is expensive and difficult, but NECASSARY, I have tried many things over an 11 year period (many times ignoring mold and it's relationship to my illness) and seen first hand a PAINFULLY unmistakable reproducible TESTABLE pattern over and over and over. Most of all what I want to emphasize is this illness is very treatable though avoidance, I hope one day all who suffer from this horrible condition can get the treatment they so desperately need. Those in positions of authority who are touting and shouting this condition does not exist, avoiding the steps outlined above and instead using pseudoscience, confounding misrepresenting the facts, proof through verbosity, plausible denial, straw men, and the argument from ignorance to bolster their claim are doing immeasurable harm to thousands, maybe millions of people who suffer from this condition. Unfourtunally the unscientific public doesn't insist on a reasonable amount of evidence for the unfounded claims being . Denounce ACOEM'S position paper based on the lack of evidence. Tell them specifically to retract the part of their paper that says symptoms in the context of CFS are extremely unlikely even in the most susceptible subgroups of the population. At least until they have taken some of the measures described above and documented the results. It's wrong and it's doing immeasurable harm to those that suffer from this condition. I don't agree with a lot of Sharron's activism specifically to the personal injury claims but I greatly appreciate her sacrifices and her giving us something we never had in the past. A VOICE. She is being attacked more than anything because of this and it is wrong. I hope what these people are doing to her blows up in their faces. Robert Christ
I don't know a lot about the mold, but after reading Mrs. Kramer's rebuttal and some of the facts Mr.Heimpel left out of his article, it makes one question who paid the author and LA Weekly to write this story.
The CDC also said children were eating paint chips off the walls, my son was 2,months old when he was rushed to the hospital for lead based paint. He still has problems today at 52. I had 2, miscarriges; I did not eat paint chips; I promise. So, now mold is our imagination because if you leave everything, furniture, mattresses, etc. you might be lucky enough to live your life, but don't forget to Detox on a continous basis, no carpet, only tile, hardwood floors and paneling will do for me, after my hair turned purple 3, times. The property owners should live in their own contaminated properties. I still have fungus in my finger and toe nails. I wrote and still do write about my experience with Lead Based Paint and Mold Spores. I have alerted the City Attorney, Herb Wesson and Bernard Parks; to no avail. I lost my beautiful head of hair and I am a healthy person, naturally. I had no allergies until being infected with the above. When I'm traveling; I have to place plastic garbage bags all around the floor, plus I place the pillow in one, and the air conditioner is on cold. I never had to do this until being infected by LBP and Mold. My hair came out in my hand. I've sent many pictures of the results of the air in my former apartment and the actual mold in my former neighbors apartment. They do nothing, the ploticians, but I'm not done yet.
I guess you could call it an obsession but it is not unusual for people to try and understand why they or their family members are sick and try and do something to get them back to good health if possible. I am disappointed that a few of the posters at this site don't seem to understand that. Would you call a woman obsessed who finds out she has breast cancer and tries to learn everything she can so she understands what is happening to her and to try and seek the correct medical path to follow to try and get well? In every respect this is no different except finding appropriate medical treatment and advise is immensely more difficult. Many people are sick from mold exposure and are just trying to find out what they can do to get better. NO ONE WISHES THIS ON THEMSELVES. If you were a parent, would you leave no stone unturned to help your children if they were sick? There may be much more we have to learn about mold illness but you certainly cannot fault people for trying to get help, to get the right information. I don't blame Sharon for fighting back when this paper basically attempted to kick her in the head. She has the right to fight for what she believes in and many of us are doing the same thing. It's too bad this paper did not accord her the respect she and any other human being deserves. If this story had been written with a modicum of professionalism, an understanding of what an investigative reporter's responsibilities are and a true desire to get to the truth or to at least to show both sides of an issue we would be having totally different conversations about this article and the issue.
This article ignores an invaluable source from the U.S. Govt. it is http://au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/medaspec/Ch-34electrv699.pdf This document was prepared for those medical personnel of the U.S. Armed Forces, citing South East Asia (yellow rain) and the Middle East, in the biological warfare context. It is unfathomable that an American Medical group would ignore a text that is inconsistent with an accepted form of guidance used by our country by all branches of military service. Doubtless, some doctors have used the military as a "scholarship" for medical school. Only "revisionist historians" would attempt to marginalize such an important document to draft policy which would be "ratified" for general "Commercial" medical use. This document cites on page 11, "dead animals" among other indicia to decide if biowarfare agents have been employed and strategies to be followed to protect soldiers and citizens. On page 12, the agrarian context as well as the laborary context for dermal(skin) ocular(eye) and respiratory(lung) exposure to toxins which are identical to mycotoxins produced by mold. These toxins were "weaponized" for combat, yet occur in the civilian context in schools, homes and offices. To suggest that the same "weaponized" biologicals to not cause the same human response is ridiculous and foolish as the "Bible" used by the Military is one capable of "general application." "Commercial Medicine" does not differ from "Military Medicine." The Editor of this publication should download and print this Chapter 34 from Fort Detrick, Maryland and disseminate it to the Editorial staff as well as place one copy in the hands of the author of this article. "Balanced" Journalism is a protected Constitutional privilege in this country, at war over these same biohazards, which are referred to as "obsessional" in terms of assailing an activist. Strong and established U.S. Govt. Publication and Research by the Armed Forces of this country are hard to dispute. To enter into dispute to defend "Commercial" Medicine versus "Military" Medicine is done at the peril of those espousing that position.
Look at the last posting by Sharon Kramer then look to the title of this article. If that is not an unhealthy obsession I don't know what is. Heimpel obviously hit the nail right on the head. Sharon's own actions & writings have proven the article's thesis.
Sent to LA Weekly Editor, Laurie Ochoa, via email 7/30/2008 10:14:43 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time. CC'd on email, MANY. (May be a little hard to follow. But, IT IS ALL THERE!!!) Dear Laurie, Why do I have a feeling you all are going to again present me in a horrid light with the edits tomorrow to the LAWeekly article ? Am I right? Could be wrong. If I am, I'm sorry for being overly cautious. But this email is just an insurance policy to show that LAWeekly has been told of what has been going on over the mold issue. LA Weekly - News - The Toxic Mold Rush: California Mom Helps Fuel an Obsession - Daniel Heimpel - The Essential Online Resour. ec: Bob Burton, PRWatch Merrill Goozner, Center for Science in the Public Interest Bill Walker, Environmental Working Group Sandy Schubert, Environmental Working Group Meredith McCarthy, Union of Concerned Scientist Michael Lacey, New Times Jennifer Sass, National Resourses Defense Council David Armstrong, The Wall Street Journal Jim Okerblum, The San Diego Union Tribune Ames Alexander, The Charlotte Observer Robin Appleberry, Congressional Oversight and Government Reform David Bowen, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension (Andrea Harris) Ben How, Federal Government Accountability Office Betina Porier, General Council, Senator Barbara Boxer Lisa Bero, UCSF Tobacco Legacy Library Lincoln Bandlow, Spillane, Shaeffer, Aronoff and Bandlow, LLP Raphael Cung, Spillane, Shaeffer, Aronoff and Bandlow, LLP Mary Mulvey Jacobson Melinda Ballard Carl Grimes Rene Haynes Judy O'Reilly Varios attorneys: Karen Kahn Cheryl Bossio Richard Langerman Guy Keith Van Dodd Fishers Jeff LaFave Court Purdy Brian Witzer Michael Duffy Stephen Crick Kelly Vance This is what you need to know of what is REALLY going on here and why they want me to shut up: In 2002, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (worker's comp trade association). Brought in 3 people to author their position statement on mold: 1.Kelman, PhD- no background in mycotoxin research, MUCH background in setting public policy while using inhalation studies. Some of it, for the tobacco industry. Kelman will tell you he has been a member of ACOEM since 1998. However his testimony in the Kilian case 2004, Arizona, indicates he had only been a member since 2002 and that ACOEM opened up the membership to Phd's, specifically so he and Hardin could join. Kelman jumped into the mold game in 2000 when he authored a review paper with a Dr. Ronald Gots. Gots also has a long history in Big Tobacco. You can find his name about 180 times (I think) in the UCSF tobacco legacy library. He was also the subject of an NBC Dateline expose' for wrongful denial of insurance claims by State Farm. From the mid 70's to the late 90's,Kelman was a "white coat" involved in inhalation research for Big Tobacco, Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs. From PRWatch:One of the forerunners of TASSC at Philip Morris was a 1988 "Proposal for the Whitecoat Project," named after the white laboratory coats that scientists sometimes wear. The project had four goals: "Resist and roll back smoking restrictions. Restore smoker confidence. Reverse scientific and popular misconception that ETS is harmful. Restore social acceptability of smoking." To achieve these goals, the plan was to first "generate a body of scientific and technical knowledge" through research "undertaken by whitecoats, contract laboratories and commercial organizations"; then "disseminate and exploit such knowledge through specific communication programs." Covington & Burling, PM's law firm, would function as the executive arm of the Whitecoat Project, acting as a "legal buffer . . . the interface with the operating units (whitecoats, laboratories, etc.)." Just one example of Kelman's White Coat history for Big Tobacco http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/ati84d00/pdf 2. Bryan Hardin, PhD. Hardin had just retired as Assistant Deputy Director NIOSH and was starting a new career as an expert defense witness in mold litigation. He had been doing some work with Kelman's company. He, too, had no background in mycotoxin research. Says he started reading up on it in the summer of 2001..a mere 6 or 7 months before ACOEM brought him in to author the ACOEM mold statement. Hardin had a long history of setting public policy. Was an overseer to the CDC reversal regarding the pulmonary hemorrhaging in infants from mold, aka "the Cleveland Babies". He also says one of the reasons he agreed to do the ACOEM paper was because you can't get business sitting on your front porch in South Carolina. The Hudson case, Dec 2006. 3. Andrew Saxon, immunologist from UCLA. Saxon had been a prolific expert defense witness since 1999. Very well connected man, not just in the US but across the globe. Has had some major input into AIDS funding. Based on Hardin and Kelman's math extrapolations from a single study involving rats, they concluded it was highly unlikely at best that humans could ever inhale enough mycotoxins to cause human illness in an indoor environment. Problem is: the look at one mold. They hypothesized how many mycotoxins in that mold. They only look at one route of exposure (inhalation) And they did not take into account dose rate considerations or interspecies differences. The study they chose to apply their extrapolations to, was done by Harriet Burge..another old tobacco scientist and Dr. Carol Rao of the CDC. The study ends with the sentence: We provide evidence that there is a dose-related association between an acute exposure to toxin-containing S. chartarum spores and measurable pulmonary responses. The consequences of low-level chronic exposure remain to be investigated, as does the relevance of the rodent data to human exposure. Reduction of Pulmonary Toxicity of Stachybotrys chartarum Spores by Methanol Extraction of Mycotoxins -- Rao et al. 66 (7): 2. With the acceptance of this as a position paper the concept was off and running that it had been scientifically proven mold was not toxic and all these people claiming they were sick, were liars out scam insurers and employers. Position papers by medical associations are extremely important to further a concept as they carry more weight than research papers. They are projected to be the opinion of thousands of physicians. Again, from PRWatch, "In one memo to Philip Morris CEO Michael A. Miles, vice president Craig L. Fuller noted that he was "working with many third party allies to develop position papers, op-eds and letters to the editor detailing how tobacco is already one of the most heavily regulated products in the marketplace, and derailing arguments against proposed bans on tobacco advertising" On to the marketing of the new concept: In 2003, The Manhattan Institute paid Veritox (then GlobalTox) to spin the finding even further. The US Chamber of Commerce promoted it in a fanfare presentation on July 17, 2003. The new concept of this lay translation now being promoted was " “Thus the notion that ‘toxic mold’ is an insidious secret ‘killer’ as so many media reports and trial lawyers would claim is ‘Junk Science’ unsupported by actual scientific study.” The paper cites false authorship. While it is made to look like an immunologist from UCLA also wrote this paper, Saxon, he DID NOT. Only three principals of VeriTox did. Kelman, Hardin, and Robbins. Robbins used to work for Gots before joining Kelman. Doesn't look too good to have only a company that does litigation defense work writing the policy paper for the US Chamber that was supposedly based on legit science. But Saxon wasn't paid for it. The billing hours have no record of him being involved. And he says under oath he did not even know his name was on it. 11 Now, in the ACOEM paper in 2002, as of 2002, 12 you were serving as a defense witness in mold cases from 13 time to time? 14 A. True. 15 Q. And when that paper was published by ACOEM, 16 there is no conflict-of-interest advisory regarding you 17 in that paper, is there? 18 A. I think it had been filed, but they didn't 19 publish it. I think it says something to the effect 20 they're on file. We provided them for sure. 21 Q. But it's not within the printed version of the 22 paper? 23 A. No, they didn't do it. 24 Q. Did you do anything to change that 25 circumstance? 175 1 A. No. I mean -- no, I did not. I made them 2 aware of it, and then when they publish it, I mean, they 3 published it. 4 Q. When the lay version of the ACOEM paper was 5 printed by the Institute For Legal Reform, the ACOEM 6 again did not have any conflict-of-interest waiver on 7 your part, did it? 8 A. I have no idea. I've never seen that version. 9 I'll call it the nonscientific piece that has my name on 10 it. 11 Q. From your view, did you make any efforts, 12 despite anyone calling you or anything else, to make 13 sure that a conflict-of-interest waiver was included 14 with the lay version put out by the Institute For Legal 15 Reform? 16 A. No, because I didn't even know my name was on 17 it. 18 Q. The ACOEM paper was also given an iteration in 19 the Manhattan Institute document. You were aware of 20 that? 21 A. I think I'm getting confused. I'm sorry. I 22 thought we were just talking about the same. What was 23 the one you were just talking about? 24 Q. The lay version was by the Institute For Legal 25 Reform, and then the Manhattan Institute reprinted it. 1 A. I didn't know that. I thought they were the 2 same thing. I haven't seen it, but I didn't realize 3 there were two versions. From there, other position papers were estabilished. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology and the Amercian College of Medical Toxicology. But, when one looks in detail, ALL of these position papers are authored by Veritox and or Andrew Saxon. They don't fit with ANY OTHER position or research papers, including the World Health Org, the American Industrial Hygiene Association, The Health Canada, The American Academy of Pediatrics. So what. As position papers of esteemed medical associations, they carry much weight in court. So, what you have is an old tobacco scientist and company making unscientific findings based on data from one inhalation study. Then the US Chamber of Commerce and a think-tank marketing it. The entire purpose of this endeavor what to save stakeholders of moldy building from financial liabililty from the illnesses caused by exposure to microbial contaminants in indoor environments. Why increase for these illnesses? Because of the change in construction standards and building materials that easily wick water in the late 80's. Our buildings now act like giant petri dishes when they get wet. And that's why Dr. Kelman was "altering his under oath statements" when forced to discuss the relationship of the ACOEM paper and the US Chamber paper in front of a jury. He was trying to distance them, while having to acknowledge they were connected. The jury got it. They awarded the Haynes family nearly half a million dollars. Testimony in question: http://moldwarriors.com/SK/TestimonyBruceKelmanHaynesCase0305.pdf Doubt is their product. Only the missed a sale with me!!! Please share this email with the legal counsel for LAWeekly. My apologies if I am wrong about your future intent with this matter. Sincerely, Sharon Kramer A video of the current accepted science, which is a far cry from proven "not plausible" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3VnYqangDs A video of my position on the matter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isKvVN8MXC8
Is-this-a-novel-about-mold-because-it's-not-the-truth...The-truth-is-devastating..peoples-lives-have-been-destroyed-and-lost-because-of-toxic-mold...
No obsession eh sharon? Up at 2:34 posting gibberish. Sitting in the trailer smoking?
I challenge the CDC to bring their pets and children to live in a toxic mold infested home or apartment, for a SOLID 6 months. If they decline - I rest my case.
Dear Dave, You have it backwards. The problem that is driving the litigation is lack of education (and even intentional miseducation)of the physicians. If they were taught to recognize, diagnose and treat these illnesses early, then the resultant illnesses would be less severe, and in most cases nothing at all. Less severe illness = less financial liablity for stakeholders of moldy buildings. But those who are generating substantial income as experts for the defense in litigation are also in key positions to set public policy. They fight just as hard to keep proof of causation out of public policy as they do when they are being paid as experts in litigation. So the way to solve this problem is to remove those who use "courtroom science" from the ability to influence public policy. This would allow the medical science to move forward more freely. This would allow the physicians to be properly trained. This would allow the illnesses and exposures to be detected early. This would curtail these illnesses from becoming severe and debilitating. This would lessen the damages. Less damages, less financial liability for stakeholers of moldy buildings. Less damages and less financial liability, less litigation. What it boils down to is the need to train the doctors. But to do that, you first have to remove those who are generating substantial income as expert witnesses from their ability to keep the game going by unduly influencing physician education and public policy. This mountain of an issue should be nothing more than a mold hill. The key to solving the problem that is costing us billions as a society(lost health, lost work productivity, litigation, increased insurance rates, wrong diagnostic testings, etc)is to train the physicians how to recognize, diagnose and treat mycotic diseases. Regardless if you believe mold can cause severe illness; or if you think industy is taking a hit from frivilous claims, everybody in this mess wants the litigation to stop....except those who are setting public policy while generating income off of the courtroom, that is.
Frivolous complaints and lawsuit abuse cost taxpayers literally hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Yes, some people have strong and allergic reactions to some types of mold, but surely there's a line between remediation and zillion-dollar awards. Between the Scientologists, the road-building interests, and the crazy jury awards, California is being driven to bankruptcy. Hope you're happy.
"Scientific Evidence Key To Mold Verdict" Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly December 2003. "After 8 years, a milestone in battle over mold" The Boston Globe, Tuesday, November 25. 2003 My name is Katrine Stevens and I am in support of Sharon Kramer. I met Sharon in Washington DC in September 2004 during Mycotic Disease Awareness Week and to support the US Toxic Mold Safety and Protection Act also know as the Melina Bill sponsored by Congressman John Conyers, Jr. the current Chair of the House Judiciary Committee. There are so many proven facts about mold and illness that I could spend hours giving you but it is just too long to write. I am shocked that this article was written with so many inaccuracies and falsehoods. There are no frivolous toxic mold lawsuits. There have been a few mold cases that have won proving that mold made the person sick, including my case. I won my case based on facts and the article on Sharon Kramer is not factual. It's outrageous to think that anyone would voluntarily be involved in a mold lawsuit. Thank you Sharon for going up against Goliath.
I'm not sure what sort of rag the LA Weekly is purporting to be, surely not a real journalistic endeavor. You can tell this by the writing of Daniel Heimpel. His article, "The Toxic Mold Rush. California Mom Helps Find an Obsession," (July 23, 2008)was simply outrageous and extremely misogynistic. I am appalled. I have never been confronted by loosing everything because of mold. I really can't imagine how awful that would be. But I can imagine how such a loss and scenario might put one somewhat over the edge. Alot of catastrophes do that to people when they lose everything. I found Heimpel's character assasination of Sharon Kramer absolutely without empathy, taste or human regard. Shame on you. Mr. Heimpel. You found a victim and re-victimized her by not leaving her a shred of privacy, ridiculed the mess she found herself in and made fun of her passion to right the wrong that was dealt her. Pox upon you Mr. Heimpel. I imagine your career will not rise higher. You have found your level of repose. It's at the bottom.
For the record, JLW has his own little empire working, doesn't he. He even attached a link so we could all send him some money. Isn't that just handy? The posters are nameless, Jon, because they live in fear that some lunatic mold nut will threaten them or their children. You've seen the posts, these people are dangerous and should be locked up. The represent a clear danger to society at large.
For the record, regarding the post stating that Sharon Kramer lives in filth and squalor. I have been to Sharon's house, and can attest that it was scrupulously clean (despite having teenagers in the home), well decorated, and that her home office was quite well organized. No surprise, considering the level of detail that her research into this issue has required. The only filth in this story is the dirt that is on the hands of Dan Heimpel and his publisher. As for the anonymous bloggers following up here and elsewhere, your nameless commentary only fuels increasing speculation as to your true identities and motive. Jonathan Lee Wright Director Fungal Disease Resource Center, Inc. http://www.fdrcinc.org
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Hey Guys!! Check this out- On July 12 I saw the amazing singer Holly Rae performing at the Dubb Car Show. I think it's one of the best shows I've seen in a long time. She's so talented!!!! Her upcoming show is in Los Angeles - JULY 30th, 08at Club Opera. Trust me guys, YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS IT!! Visit her blog: http://hollyrae-music.blogspot.com/and check out her new beautiful song "Off The Meter" on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXbPmyugQ5s Have fun…
I think the article was somewhat heavy handed by including irrelevant observations, but successfully illustrated that mold debates are driven by people who are obsessed, and unfamiliar with the realities of science. They cannot be convinced through objective means because 'they know they are right'. Basically these people wish for society to bend to their will, regardless of how extreme and unsupported their position. Kelman has taken the high road, offering to make this go away for an apology. I wouldn't do the same.
I have to say that I was incredibly impressed by Ms. Kramer's dedication to this cause. I think the article showed her in a very good light. It would be very difficult to deal with this issue at all. It is very admirable that Ms. Kramer had the energy and dedication to take it upon herself to draw attention to this issue for the greater good. She also has made huge personal sacrifices to do this.
HAHAHAHA2AHA yda yada, fraekwatchre, and moldisthedvil iz DANIEL HEIMPEL in disguys! LOLOLOLOLOL1L
"It is not really me that is owed the apology. Its all the families who will continue to be treated so badly because misinformation has once again been promoted over the matter." -- Sharon Kramer Sharon, this statement proves you as a concerned mother advocate. You’re not supposed to be perfect or a poster child, you are an advocate under attack from yellow journalism and we must unify to expose this for our collective good. For instance, FOX NEWS, who understandably strongly mistrusts the corporate owner of LA Weekly should cover you and this bitter rant of liable printed in the Weekly. It is a blatant piece of yellow Journalism and you should absolutely demand a retraction. If you want to win against these corporate cowards, you have to shine a bright light on them, and at the same time this movement has to protect the person holding the flashlight from attack. The negative comments are designed to distract and create fear. The only true fear for LA Weekly is that mold research is pouring in from all around the world and their obsolete sex magazine will be discovered for the journalistic sham that it is. US interests may delay the clock of science, but the rest of the world isn’t standing by. It is just a matter of time. This is not about individuals, but "they" want to pick off the leaders. The indoor environmental quality community needs to rally behind advocates, grass roots efforts, and physicians who stick their necks out discussing basic science. The reason this movement has stalled is maybe that legitimate US Ph.D.'s and Md.'s and other respected scientists use legitimate research -- while the opposition simply drops lemons into a wastebasket to prove mold isn’t dangerous. Look what happened to NASA scientists trying to discuss Global Climate Change. They were delayed by denial-science as well. The longer we wait the more innocent lives will be destroyed and the more our nation's crumbling infrastructure will deteriorate. This is no joking matter.
Yada yada yada sharon. Blah blah blah. Your 15 minutes are SO over. Talk about walking in shoes, put yourself in Kelmans. The irony is overwhelming.
Soon, this horrid and false article will be removed from the front page of the LAWeekly. Thank God. The undeserved humiliation I have suffered this week has been tremendous. "Gadfly, fat fingers, hysterical misquotes, saggy skin, stinky dogs, filthy house, trailer in my front yard, red lipstick. Please know that I am not an alarmist "mold queen" who goes around shouting "toxic, dangerous, a killer" as I was FALSELY quoted as saying for this article. I am not single handedly responsible for all the mold litigation across the US. I have worked very hard to help assist move the science in the right direction to get the matter out of the courtroom and into the doctors' offices where it belongs. And we are making tremendous progress. I have been published in medical journals about the conflicts of interest over the mold issue in an effort to try to help cause this to happen. In a nutshell, there are alot of old tobacco scientists running this game. I sincerely feel the LAWeekly and Mr. Daniel Heimpel owe me an apology for this article. Whether they will step up to the plate and do the right thing after a week of communicating with them and documenting for them many of the facts they got wrong, and knew they got wrong, I don't know if they will. It is not really me that is owed the apology. Its all the families who will continue to be treated so badly because misinformation has once again been promoted over the matter. All I can say is, if you have a preconceived idea that disagrees with someone else's and it is a subject you don't know anything about, you should try to walk a mile in that person's shoes before you speak or write. That way even if you are not intending to listen to what they say, at least you will have their shoes and you will be a mile away from them. I am so sorry I ever agreed to discuss this issue with Mr. Heimpel. It's obvious he was not really interested in learning the issue. He got sucked in by the pomp and circumstance of the old tobacco scientists without really delving into the issue. This article has been so hurtful to my daughter for labeling her a "starring victim" of the mold issue. I rarely speak of her situation as I am advocating for change. And probable NEVER will again. She is a great kid who has been thru much but always rolls with punches and keeps a positive attitude. She was horrified last week to return from lunch at her first real job out of college to see her co-workers reading that she is a "starring victim" of the mold issue. The only thing she is a victim of is the LAWeekly for the false portrayal of who she really is and what she really does. I feel terrible that my speaking out on the deceit over the mold issue and giving an interview for a story that was obviously already written in the writer's mind before I spoke the first word has harmed my daughter. In retrospect, I wish I had just given Mr. Heimpel my shoes and ask him to get at least a mile away.
Mr. anonymous, I do not respond to uncreative trolling. E-mail me so we can discuss this one on one: ra@exposurerecovery.com
mold can kill. it should be obvious that the 'establishment' doesn't want the mold issue to get out for what it is, debilitating and potentially deadly.
Hey biohazard aka arsehole. What is with all of the spam about your sucky movie? Did the porn business not work out? Freak.
The mold health debate is over inhalation exposure. Science is locked in on ingestion and mold is regulated in our food supply. (Those who are so keen on mold-denial-science will draw the line at consuming a poisonous mushroom.) Inhalation causation is complex. For instance, most people think scientists proved tobacco causes cancer. Nope. Inhalation is too complex to prove beyond a correlation, but our strong suspicions were enough to eventually tell Big Tobacco their denial science was no longer enough to protect them. Battling rich Big Tobacco was hard enough ... mold impacts dozens of multi-billion dollar sectors of the economy. How to measure the millions of health variables from inhaled mold is an academic (and research funding) shortfall. It does not make mold "safe" and every scientist knows that. We need a scientific debate, not slander and hate.
Medical and peer-reviewed science is beginning to show that the soup of volatile compounds found in water damaged buildings (WDB's) can indeed cause illnesses other than just the commonly accepted IgE mediated allergic response. Mold illness is indeed very real. Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker's work (www.biotoxin.info) has shown that abnormalities can be found in the bloodwork of susceptible individuals, which normalize after treatment (and removal of the person from the WDB). It is a costly problem, but one that cannot be ignored.
I agree with J. Katz. The article is very interesting and provides a very human point of view. Sadly, some people wreck their lives with obsessive behavior. It was easy to imagine the filth and squalor that served as home for Ms. Kramer. Sad.
Very interesting article, well written and, for the most part, objective. I thought the article was quite thoroughly researched by Mr. Heimpel. I never realized mold was such a problematic issue. I hope to see more articles written by Mr. Heimpel. He can certainly captivate an audience.
The GMCP are onto us! Those high priced gov scientists are everywhere. Fight the mold, fight the mold, fight the mold. Don't let the mold win. Mold fighters of the world stay strong!
The name-calling trolls ARE coming out of the woodwork, aren't they? Hmmm... don't let them distract you guys.
Most of the comments attacking Sharon Kramer and/or mold victims in general are anonymous as someone else noted. This is just more sign that these people have no valid points to argue with, and are reduced to name calling and transparent rhetoric. I myself have not had mold but I did have a construction defect case. NONE of the tort refor propaganda has truth to it when you are just a person trying to get a company to pay for the shoddy work they did. We were lucky we didn't have mold. I have seen what it does to people. There's no way anyone would make this stuff up, and the scientific literature to support the theories that mold can in fact harm you is growing. The defense side of this fight is the industry. Insurance, home building, etc. These industries have loads of money to spend on everything from public relations spin, to lobbying, to political campaign contributions to even their own junk science. But the truth will win in the end.
I stubbed my toe the other day--it was the mold's fault. I burned my hand on the iron this morning--it was because of mold. I lost my job to outsourcing last year--it was all part of the govenment mold conspiercy project (GMCP). Pass along the word. Live in an airtight bubble!!!
Richard Arsehole, haven't you finished with the self promoting gibberish yet? No one cares about your stupid video technician movie. It sucks. No one watches it. No one wants to watch it. It sucks.
James Larkin and Executive Editor Michael Lacey: I absolutely question the integrity of the news article "The Mold Rush" from this issue of LA weekly journalistically and scientifically. Biohazard Educational Productions LLC and its parent company True-Film Incorporated challenges the LA Weekly and their parent company, Village Voice Media, to a journalistic and scientific duel. The scientific information contained in Biohazard our 1-hour television program, Toxic Mold Solutions against your article. I have hundreds of world class experts who will stand up and take apart the article piece by piece for the record and prove that this is article is nothing more than slander and a dangerous perversion of current consensus in the science community. This is an abomination of journalism. Unless you have something to hide behind or are not really to be respected as a journalistic source, you will allow the other side (which is the majority opinion by the way) to get equal time.
To those insisting this is a "trailer trash" problem, the Governor's mansions in Louisiana, N. Carolina and S. Carolina have all had mold problems and have been remediated. Also, I'm sure you have heard of Ed McMann and his problem with mold. I doubt if he lived in a trailer. Uneducated statements do as much damage as some of the subjects that are talked about....
Corrections: The New Times Corp. owns this weekly, since 2005, as described herein http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=1971 " The transformation of weeklies from the voice of the anti-war movement and sixties youth culture to corporate vehicles for reaching consumers between 21-35 is now largely complete." Could this be a significant reason for the tone of this article...? Corporate vehicle? If so, the readers are done a disservice. Nearly all media in this country WARN readers about the problems mold causes (even when they have some of the facts incorrect, like liberally using bleach on surfaces of walls, etc.)... Monopolies never benefit truth.
When I moved into an apartment building a few years ago, I watched a neighbor get sicker and sicker in front of me over two years. Mold had been growing up the walls in the closets and the bedroom in his unit (which it would return within days each time they scrubbed them down), but it wasn't until his frayed carpet was pulled up -explosing black wet patches throughout the unit- that any of us suspected that mold might have something to do with our wheezing, burning eyes, loss of mental agility and trouble with balance. After being told again and again that we were crazy when we asked doctors about these strange symptoms, my neighbor was diagnosed with asthma, and we had our first medical confirmation that mold was affecting our health. His family moved at that time, as did mine. His doctors said he'd get better since he'd moved, however, while his breathing improved, he dropped dead three months later. He'd just seen his doctor three days before his death and she didn't see his demise coming. I attribute the lack of information in the medical community to the kind of work done by experts working for insurance defense who set about creating studies to which they could refer in court. My neighbor produced a substantial quantity of foam and blood from his mouth at the time of his death (very similar to the situation with the Cleveland infants in the study mentioned in the article), which is documented in the police report relating the details of when his body was found. While reporting no evidence of infarct or other heart failure, the L.A. Coroner said that he died of heart disease and that there was 'no evidence of mold.' In fact there *was* evidence of a secondary metabolite created by certain molds: he had 128.9 ppb of the mycotoxin, Trichothecene (tree-co-THEE-cene), in his lung tissue, and the material that was in his heart vessels was not plaque (as is generally found in coronary patients) but fibrin, which is part of the process of inflammation in the body's reaction to poisons. There is no controversy about the dangers of Trichothecene - the U.S. Army writes about it's use as a bioweapon (it was known as Yellow Rain when it was dropped on Laos in the 1970s http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/medaspec/Ch-34electrv699.pdf) and if you read Chapter 4 Health Effects of Fungi and Mycotoxins in "Guidance for Clinicians on the Recognition and Management of Health Effects Related to Mold Exposure and Moisture Indoors" http://www.oehc.uchc.edu/clinser/MOLD%20GUIDE.pdf you'll see that in addition to allergies and irritants and infections, that the toxic reactions to mycotoxins is well understood and recognized in American medical science, despite what is purported by so-called experts working as defense experts. Unfortunately, their PR has greatly affected what physicians take to be the truth. My neighbor was not immune compromised at the time onset of his exposure which was the result of a sewer pipe leak that went untended under the building which allowed contaminated water to wick its way up the beams under the building. Three years after my friend's untimely death, molds capable of producing this mycotoxin are still growing on the beams of this building. It takes and amazing amount of dilligence and money to discern that one may be reacting to molds and mycotoxins and to get the testing to identify it and find the very small number of doctors who know how to treat the debilliating -and sometimes life-threatening- consequences of mold exposure. Mr. Heimpel expresses his disdain for Mrs. Kramer's work and what he considers to be her lack of credentialling to reference science about mold and mycotoxin exposure, but he seems to have not read the rat study referred to in the ACOEM position paper. I'd like to remind Mr. Heimpel that at one time, all of the 'experts' of the day insisted that the world is flat. Molds and mycotoxins are, in fact ubiquitous, and they are also more dangerous when they find their way into indoor environments where they do not have the same number of fungal and bacterial competitors they would outdoors, meaning that they can develop their strength for offense as opposed to defense. While many who deny that molds and mycotoxins can harm previously healthy humans may be doing so for monetary reasons, I do not wish anyone ill; I would never with the confusion and profound fatigue my neighbors and I experienced on others. But if they're so entirely sure the rest of us are crazy, I'd like to invite any of self-proclaimed de-bunkers to go ahead and take regular wiffs of Trichothecene as my neighbor did, and see how their health holds up. If they are soooo sure molds and mycotoxins are harmless, they can prove it just by having themselves and their families do this one, small science experiment to show how nutty the rest of us are.
God Bless America and freedom of speech on a blog like this.
Hey Arsehole, I see your street creed includes being a 'video technician' on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles deal. Wow. Now THAT is some kind of high powered science. Does video technician mean you got to flip the tape over, or what? freak.
Hey Richard Arsehole, You seem extraordinarily insecure. Did you not get enough breast milk as a young boy? Tell me, why would a FREAK like you challenge anyone, ANYONE to a youtube debate? What is up with that? Could it be because the SCIENCE is against you? Duh? I bet you never served your country anywhere but as a shopping cart guard, and yet you want to go one on one with me? What a whimp. You are a freak and a pussy. You fear the truth. The truth is your enemy. Freak.
The LA Weekly has just been bought by the NY Times. Could this be related to the tone of this article? Seems like the truth is harder to get out, each year, as Media monopolies take over.
Eric: Good questions about ancients and mold risks. Here are some answers. Going WAY back to B.C: Leviticus 14:45 A house desecrated by mildew, mold, or fungus would be a defiled place to live in, so drastic measures had to be taken. Leviticus 13:47-50 If any clothing is contaminated with mildew---any woolen or linen clothing, any woven or knitted material of linen or wool, any leather or anything made of leather---if the contamination in the clothing or leather, or woven or knitted material, or any leather article, is greenish or reddish, it is a spreading mildew and must be shown to the priest. The priest is to examine the mildew and isolate the affected article for seven days… The very first mention of mold in the history of man is in the Bible: Leviticus 13 and 14. In biblical times, the priest acted in a similar fashion to today's modern home inspector. If someone told the priest they had seen something that looked like mildew, he would order the house to be emptied and then examine the walls. If mildew was found he ordered the contaminated stones to be torn out and the inside walls scraped clean. The old stones were replaced with new ones, the house re-plastered and monitored for re-growth. This mold remediation is not that different than what is done today. Mold-induced food poisoning called ergot may have been responsible for the Salem witch trials in 1692. Ergot, a result of ingesting rye kernels infected by Fusarium and Claviceps, causes individuals to develop hallucinations, seizures, and mental disturbances. The early settlers of Massachusetts planted rye and ate rye bread. Those who consumed infected rye would have experienced similar symptoms, which could have been blamedon witchcraft. Unfortunately, no one understood that the rye bread was probably responsible for these "symptoms". In 1845, Ireland's population totaled 8 million people, four million of which were , enormously dependant on potatoes as a food source, A period of rain, which lasted from May 1845 until March 1846 provided textbook conditions for the reproduction of a fungus called Phyophthora infestans, This fungus grew on the leaves of potato plants causing them to rot and within weeks fields of diseased potatoes turned black and rotted. Hungry farmers turned to their uninfected seed potatoes for food and were unable to plant a new crop for the next year, Starvation quickly spread throughout Ireland consequently wiping out about half of the Irish population. The tombs of ancient Egypt are famous for "curses" that threaten death to anyone who enters and the opening of many tombs have resulted in mysterious sicknesses and often death for the explorers. The most notorious case occurred when the tomb of King Casimir was opened in Poland on April 13, 1973, Within a few days, only 2of the 12 researchers present were still alive. One of the remaining survivors performed microbiological examinations of the tomb. He found traces of 3 species of fungus on the artifact they had taken from the tomb: Aspergillus "avus, Penicillium rubrum, and Penicillium rugulosum. These fungi produce aflatoxins 81 and 82 and are speculated to have caused the deaths of the 10 researchers. It has also been speculated that these fungi may have been responsible for the death of Lord Carnarvon, who died a few months after exploring King Tut's tomb in 1922. While Indoor Air Quality concerns and mold remediation may seem relatively new to the industry, mold and its effects on human life have actually been around since the beginning of man and will continue to do so for years to come. Do we need to educate you all in this blog? Is this information that hard to find?
I understand that certain laymen like Freakwatcher (what is your real name, coward?) are disturbed when pure science confronts their naive hateful view of the world. However, these psychopathic internet trolls are generally impotent teenage boys anyway (or ridiculous uninformed cowards) and can be ignored as having any importance other than to distract. Expect these sophomoric fools to try lame personal attacks that are never backed up or don't unless anonymous. This is all science, not personal so I don't give a shit what you say about me. What is your name anyway fool? You've got mine. I'd love to chat 1 on 1 with you.
Regardless of whether or not mold causes health problems, the insurance companies have made a business decision to exclude or severely limit mold damage from the coverage afforded by their homeowners policies. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Read your policy: it also excludes payment for damage caused by earthquakes, "civil insurrection," and radiation. In exchange, you get a policy at relatively low cost that covers everyday mishaps. Separate policies are available for earthquake and flood coverage. Maybe someday an enterprising insurance company will offer a "mold" policy. But it probably won't be cheap.
toxic molds have always been here. they may be becoming more prevasive, maybe mutating, but they have been around for ever, and the health affects have been reconized over and over again in animals and in humans with ingestion anyway and I garentee that if your smelling something your also eating it and visa-versa unless your mouth is directly attached to your behind like some who are posting seem to be. Hey freak watcher, I bet you spend a lot of time looking in the mirror. even my sweet dear old dad made the conection of what some oldtimer's refered to as blackdamp. the term came from the coalminers but people used it to discribe why it wasn't wise to build your homes un lowland area's. this black damp invaded the air and the homes and took your breath away and made you very ill. that's how they discribed it.
"I challenged Deborah to prove her intimations about mold having something to do with Native Americans disappearing, the Salem Witch Trials or the point about mold spores being found in the pyramids. If you really want to start a constructive dialogue with someone I suggest you pay attention to what they are saying, not what you want to say. Posted on Saturday, July 26, at 3:39 pm by Eric READ THE RESEARCH - Many researchers refer to these events when discussing their papers!!
This article and the comments clearly show the degree of anger that is directed at those who tell the scientifically proven truth - that mold and damp buildings harm health, and how political this truth has become. The article and comments show the degree of animosity from those with a conflict of interest in covering up this truth and, perhaps, from those ignorant of the established fact that 1/2 of American homes, 1/3 of commercial buildings in developed nations worldwide, and 1/2 (or more) of our schools have dampness and/or mold problems. Further, that these conditions are associated with respiratory and other illness in previously healthy individuals by thousands of studies and major reviews of the literature, not counting industry-driven reviews. There is nothing left to argue about on that score. So rather than arguing with a one or two frustrated industry insiders with an archaic perspective who may be baiting the readers, I recommend ignoring clearly off-the-wall commentators and writing the newspaper for retractions as well as an investigation on how this article came to be published. Further, posting of any undocumented or personal attacks on this blog should be disallowed, as should attempts to intimidate - isn't there a code of conduct for this newspaper's blog (or articles)? That seems to be what is missing, and indeed, was missing with the screening of the article.
Wouldn't it be much better in these discourses - and in the treatment of Sharon Kramer, in particular, if the writer of this article, Mr Heimple and the Editors of this paper who approved it - hopefully by omission - did two things: (1)embrace the word "civility" as a value in reporting the news and (2) take to heart Randy Pausch's Last lecture "Childhood Dreams" at http://www.cmu.edu/homepage/multimedia/randy-pausch-lecture.shtml --as so many others around the world are doing ?
From Sharon Kramer Dear All, While I am still reeling from the shock of being chacterized as trailer trash (when I don’t even own a trailer), redneck woman with two big ole dawgs, bright red lips, a cigarette hanging from my foul mouth while my fat fingers obsessively blog lies from the dark, dirty hovel my fat, saggy ass has been holed up in for past four years, I have to look at the bright side of the matter. Out of adversity comes change. I am right about the deceit in science that has caused so many sick people to be unable to obtain proper medical care. And the reason for this is that a medical association - with a long, dubious history of publishing industry friendly science – and a think tank, along with the most powerful industry lobbying group in the world, the US Chamber of Commerce, have legitimized the science penned by an old Tobacco scientist, and then mass promoted his feat of scientific magic that has harmed the lives of many. Mr. Langerman’s comment says it all: “Mr. Heimpel states: 'Kramer still claims that Kelman and his two co-authors base their conclusion on mathematical extrapolations from a single rat study. In fact, they base their findings on numerous studies of rates and mice performed by other scientists.' This statement is inaccurate. Ms. Kramer is correct that the threshold limit for toxic effects which is the basis for Dr. Kelman’s conclusion that indoor exposures to mold pose no meaningful risk to healthy individuals was based on an extrapolation from a single study involving rats.” As such, I refuse to sign any piece of paper that states, “To my knowledge, their (VeriTox) testimony and advice are based on their expertise and objective understanding of the underlying scientific data.” This statement is directly contradictory to what I have told the Congress, the Senate and the Federal GAO about the deceit in science over the mold issue that harms us all as a society. So, thank all of you for your kind words over the past few trying days and in the words of Tom Petty: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isKvVN8MXC8
Clearly, the author of this screed did not bother to actually read any of the supporting documents or depositions involved. If he had, he might have gotten at least some of his facts straight. And, had he bothered with the facts, he might have been able to represent a different viewpoint without having had to rely so heavily on poorly-constructed character assassination in order to deliver a personal opinion on the topic. He seems to have taken it upon himself to qualify or disqualify various parties in whimsical fashion without having bothered to qualify himself in the least, beyond an ability to deliver a fair payload of snarky blather. I am highly surprised the publisher was willing to go along with such shoddy practices, even from a rookie editorialist with an apparent obsession of his very own. It certainly does nothing to enhance either the publication's credibility or my desire to ever read any of it again.
This just gets better and better. The freaks are really coming out of the tree tops now, aren't they? What is with this NUT JOB Richard Arsehole? What a nut. I swear, this is the best article ever written. It has exposed these smoking trailer trash freaks for what they really are. Extremely well done LA Weekly! Well done!
Nick H - Have YOU gone off the deep end? I am not the one in court, however you may find this interesting. The bible HAS been used in court and the jury has listened. Associating health consequences due to mold exposure by a civilization that existed 2000 years ago was surely a conclusion based on common sense reasoning and simple logic. Mold has a pungent, “unclean” odor and those exposed to mold two millennia ago would have displayed symptoms just as persons do today. Leviticus 14:45 A house desecrated by mildew, mold, or fungus would be a defiled place to live in, so drastic measures had to be taken. Leviticus 13:47-50 If any clothing is contaminated with mildew---any woolen or linen clothing, any woven or knitted material of linen or wool, any leather or anything made of leather---if the contamination in the clothing or leather, or woven or knitted material, or any leather article, is greenish or reddish, it is a spreading mildew and must be shown to the priest. The priest is to examine the mildew and isolate the affected article for seven days… Leviticus 11:47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean… Source: http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible Supported by the findings of modern scientific studies we better know and understand why a house desecrated by mold is not a place to live. If you care to read the verses, then you will find more reference to mold. My question to you is why on earth are you even interested in commenting on this article. Do you have a family member who is sick, possibly by mold exposure? Have YOU ever experienced first hand the effects of mold?
I have absolutely NOTHING to do with the mold issue and don't have a dog in the hunt. But, I gotta say, after reading this article, the reporter sounds more like Mrs. Kraner's scorned or jilted lover than a journalist. I am disappointed by the tone and unprofessional nature of the entire piece. SHAME ON YOU, LA WEEKLY!
Eric, I will spell it out: You sarcastically said "How long has mold been around? How long has humanity been around? How in the world has humanity survived this long with the deadly killer mold out there, waiting to put its toxins into each and every one of us?? How did our ancestors fight this creeping mass of death without so much as a Hepa filter and some cleanser in their arsenal? Who did the ancients turn to when this wave of toxins invaded their own mud/wood/adobe/stone homes? How many ancient home builders when out of business because they kept quiet about the existence of this sneaking scenario of sickness? It must be a conspiracy older than Ancient Egypt!" I gave you scientific evidence (which you demand in yet another posting) that we are NOT dealing with the same molds. They have mutated. And to validate my choice of studies, I used those chosen by Kelman and his associates in the article to which you are responding. Later you say, "If you really want to start a constructive dialogue with someone I suggest you pay attention to what they are saying, not what you want to say." Someone isn't paying attention here, but it isn't ME. Oh, and my last name is Haynes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3VnYqangDs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3VnYqangDs I challenge the LA Weekly News magazine to disprove my experts and I will go head to head Toxic Mold Solutions up against their experts any day of the week. LA weekly published an article this week slanted against a mold activist who is battling multi-billion dollar corporations to prove mold is a potential health threat. The science of denial has been rampant on mold because there is almost no money to be made from mold. It is a money-losing proposition economically in the short run. That is why all of the money is behind denying mold. But, exactly like tobacco, mold will become a major health concern whether or not big money pays for the bullshit that was published in LA weekly this week. Okay, "journalists" at the "liberal" L.A. Weekly / sex magazine -- I challenge you to a scientific duel. I have 44 experts with specialities in building science and health, including the EPA. What do you got? I got mold. You got lies, assholes. Copyright © 2008 True-Film Incorporated Shown for demo purposes only. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3VnYqangDs This video clearly presents a very conservative unbiased scientific view of scientific community's views on the health effects of mold in indoor environments. Some feel the effects are worse, some don't think mold is dangerous at all. This video represents the general consensus opinion of those who are qualified in the subject. Can anyone in the midwest distribute some VHS tapes for free? I am giving away tapes to any recognized charities working in the region.
Oh no Laura, gone off the deep end haven't we? I won't resort to your level of eloquently saying to people, "bite me," but will suggest that you compose your postings with a little more respect for others. As for the biblical reference, see how that one holds up in court.
Eric - You are right, mold has been around forever. It is spoken about in the bible. And it is noted how dangerous it is. States items infested should be burned. Tired of Nuts - Bite me. Maybe you have been living in mold infested quarters? Are you experiencing brain fog? Have you had your home inspected for mold? Do you know anything about the subject? Personally, I find it very frustrating when people post on subjects they have no knowledge about.
To Renee Hayes, the evidence you point out to seemingly counter and argument I hadn't even made only really supports the fact that mold is ubiquitous and has been around forever. I never mentioned an opinion about neither Sharon nor the ACOEM statement. This is really not discourse nor dialogue in which you engage. It seems to be a monologue that you don't want interrupted at all.
On Saturday, July 26th at 12:26pm WS wrote: "ERIC! Go back & read posts: Thursday, July 24, at 5:05 pm by NoMoreMold (http://www.schoolmoldhelp.org/content/view/225/187/ and Friday, July 25, at 2:18 pm by Richard These people have posted tons of peer reviewed scientific research citations to support that mold/mycotoxins can be harmful to humans. Go even further & read the research - the proof is there & has been for decades! All Sharon is doing is trying to get drs to recognize mold/mycotoxin injury in their patients. Do YOUR HOMEWORK! Read & research before speaking nonsense!" I didn't mention Sharon at all. I didn't mention that I thought mold wasn't somehow toxic. I didn't mention anything at all about debunking mycotoxins. I challenged Deborah to prove her intimations about mold having something to do with Native Americans disappearing, the Salem Witch Trials or the point about mold spores being found in the pyramids. If you really want to start a constructive dialogue with someone I suggest you pay attention to what they are saying, not what you want to say.
Laura Semco, you really are dense. What 'right' does Nick have to post? Are you kidding? How about the same right you have. I also noticed in your other post you talk about 'silencing' Dr. Kelman. You are are weird scary person. Why don't you post your address so we can have you arrested.
Nick H - What right do you have to post such an opinion. Where has your research come from that would begin to prove that this is a bogus claim in any way? Do you have family? Kids? Do you know that Toxic mold has been linked to the DEATH of small children? Until you have done research to prove what Ms. Kramer is saying is bogus, then you should keep your opinion to yourself. Or, yet again, maybe a "bogus" suit should be filed against you. Of course, it would only drive your insurance rates up.... Idiots are born everyday, unfortunately, some last until they are adults.....
An illuminating and well-researched article. America is a country where people want things without having to work for them, so stories exposing bogus claims that raise everyone's insurance premiums are always welcome.
ERIC! Go back & read posts: Thursday, July 24, at 5:05 pm by NoMoreMold (http://www.schoolmoldhelp.org/content/view/225/187/ and Friday, July 25, at 2:18 pm by Richard These people have posted tons of peer reviewed scientific research citations to support that mold/mycotoxins can be harmful to humans. Go even further & read the research - the proof is there & has been for decades! All Sharon is doing is trying to get drs to recognize mold/mycotoxin injury in their patients. Do YOUR HOMEWORK! Read & research before speaking nonsense!
Eric, The scientific journal Chest printed an article by Emanuel which says "More fungi that produce toxic metabolites are discovered every day. Brook and White estimated that 19 species of fungi are known to producing natural poisoning of animals, and 68 other species contain substances that are toxic when fed experimentally. It has also been estimated that there are at least 97 toxic metabolites from the genus Penicillium alone and 64 toxic metabolites from the genus Aspergillus. Thus, there is a tremendous potential for these toxic substances to affect man." Clinical Infectious Diseases printed a study by Singh which says, "In the past decade, the frequency of opportunistic fungal infections as increased, and the spectrum of fungal pathogens has changed. The increasing number of susceptible hosts, the introduction of new modalities for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the evolution of organ transplantation practices, the use of novel immunosuppressive agents, and current antimicrobial prophylactic strategies have likely contributed to the changing epidemiology of invasive mycoses." Eric, that means there's a lot of mold and its accompanying toxicity out there AND it has MUTATED, so you can let go of the "ubiquitous" and "around forever" argument. These studies are both available in their entirety, free, from PubMed. BTW, you may be interested to know that they are numbers 47 and 24, respectively, in the ACOEM position statement. How the authors could read those studies and come to the conclusion they did is unconscionable. READ THEM. I have. They don't say what's attributed to them. They provide the "valid scientific data" you request. And again, THEY chose these studies, not Sharon.
Deborah Daniels Davitt, on Saturday, July 26th, at 11:14am, wrote "Eric, surely you have read about viable asperigillus spores being found in the pyramids, the Salem Witch trials, and other assorted plagues that beleagued the world at assorted times throughout history? There is even a school of thought that some of the ancient Indians (American) who disappeared suddenly may have suffered from grain contaminants." Prove it. Show me your valid, scientific data to prove these "facts" above you so readily point out, because to me it reads like so much conjecture. What does mold have to do with the Salem Witch trials or "schools of thought" about Native American disappearances or "other assorted plagues that beleagued[sic] the world at assorted times throughout history"?
Those who prefer not to think can enjoy taking ‘sides’ between Kramer and Kelman. This article misses the mark if it hoped to cover that issue as the author obviously hasn’t bothered to read the original material himself. No, it is about one of many types of environmentally induced illnesses that the legal (defense) profession has declared to be ‘idiopathic’. That means the cause is unknown. Until it is known, at which point it receives a new name accordingly which might involved fungal disease related to mold exposure. No court is going to hand out money unless a compelling medical argument is offered with suitable proofs. It doesn’t matter if there is one victim or a million - the legal system and ignorant bystanders who do not understand the purposes of the legal system for legitimate grievances - may not determine that ‘idiopathic illness’ is a category unto itself, with the sole members in that class being litigants. The objective in referring to proven ailments as idiopathic is money. The objective in referring to idiopathic ailments as worth monetary awards is money. Either side can be at fault but only a stupid lawyer goes to court on a bad case (unless being paid by the hour). Look at the evidence, not at personalities and malicious gossip under the guise of journalism. Journalism does not editorialize to the extent of this ‘article’ and it is unworthy of this paper. If there were legitimate points to be made, the evidence would have been offered without the distractions of innuendo and petty references to appearances. Yes, mold has been around since the beginning of time but not in the airtight, unventilated buildings introduced in the 70’s. Mold, concentrated in tight places will behave differently on human systems than in a forest. Fire has been around a long time as well but the World Health Organization (WHO) will tell you that wood burning fuels have been a significant cause of mortality and injury in the third world because smoke is harmful to your lungs. Period. If it is coming out of a faulty wood stove, most of the people writing here would be calling their lawyers when they develop pneumonitis as a result. Research and learn. Make any opinions you reach ‘informed’ opinions. Bickering is pointless. Let’s not pretend this is about any particular individual.
It is very telling that those belittling Sharon and the rest of mold victims hide behind the cloak of anonymity and offer no scientific data other than the position statement originated by a for hire researcher w/ no experience in clinical medicine or mold? Who will they attempt to throw under the bus next? I'll bet the above mentioned folk checked their homes, HVACs, and told their loved ones about this issue and took steps to remedy it if it was found. Eric, surely you have read about viable asperigillus spores being found in the pyramids, the Salem Witch trials, and other assorted plagues that beleagued the world at assorted times throughout history? There is even a school of thought that some of the ancient Indians (American) who disappeared suddenly may have suffered from grain contaminants. This reminds me of that ol' saying/prayer, I kept silent when they came for the Jews because I was not a Jew, I kept silent when they came for the Christians because I was not a Christian, etc... No, the hecklers aren't remaining silent, they are tossing out anonymous, irrelevant ad hominem attacks. NOT ONE HAS OFFERED AND VALID SCIENTIFIC DATA TO DISPUTE THE FACTS THAT SHARON, AND MANY OTHERS, HAVE PUT FORWARD. The facts are based on documented, peer-reviewed scientific literature backed by hard data and science. They show their contempt for the "public" by expecting that those nameless, faceless subscribers and readers of this paper will summarily buy into their biased, unsubstantiated innuendos. Others have already posted the relevant point here, I hope those who read the article take the time to read the comments. Can anyone post the contact info for the editor of this publication so we can ask for a comprehensive article about the subject?
How long has mold been around? How long has humanity been around? How in the world has humanity survived this long with the deadly killer mold out there, waiting to put its toxins into each and every one of us?? How did our ancestors fight this creeping mass of death without so much as a Hepa filter and some cleanser in their arsenal? Who did the ancients turn to when this wave of toxins invaded their own mud/wood/adobe/stone homes? How many ancient home builders when out of business because they kept quiet about the existence of this sneaking scenario of sickness? It must be a conspiracy older than Ancient Egypt!
If mold is not harmful, why does the Dept of Defense use it for biological warfare? Our medical bills are over $3 million for our family due to long-term exposure from hidden mold. We have medical proof that demylinating polyneuropathies, cancer, sleep apnea, etc was directly connected to our mold exposure To all you naysayers, go to the link below. This is what mold does to the human body - http://www.ktnv.com/global/story.asp?s=8695699
How does it feel to be on the receiving end of a less than flattering story? For someone who professes that if it appears in the paper it must be true you sure seem upset when confronted with the facts. And the truth. Give it up. Your fifteen minutes were up 20 minutes ago.
Patti, if you don't like the US move! If you don't pay your mortgage, why would you be surprised to have the bank take it back? No one is 'forced' to sign anything. They agree to it in exchange for money. If they don't like the deal, don't take it, and GO TO TRIAL! What the hell is so hard to understand about that? If your own attorney walks away, maybe it was a bs case to start with! Duh.
Sharon: as much as it obviously hurts to read these falsehood in the paper, there are untold numbers of people who can read through the bunk and see the article for what it is: a personal attack of you and not an truly well-research investigative article bringing facts to the table. From what I gather, the reporter is not a full time employee of the paper but wrote this as a special to the paper. I have no idea how long he actually "investigated" the issue but from what I can gather, it was at least 6 months. It's amazing that David Armstrong from the Wall Street Journal can use six months to come up with one set of facts and the reporter from the LA Weekly comes up with another set of "facts." Who would any person with common sense believe, especially with the tone of the article? What also is disturbing about the article is the fact that the reporter clearly had an agenda to attempt to destroy Sharon's reputation, which he did not as far as those who seek the truth are concerned. It was so very clear that he was attempting to do that. Here is a woman who has dedicated so much of her life to bring facts to the table as we all deal with indoor air quality problems and he chose to use his backpack of verbage to insult and demonize her. He apparently wasn't all that observant on so many levels because he made so many mistakes on facts, including seeing things that weren't there, such as a dirty rug on her floor when she has tile, a trailer in the front of her house and red lipstick, not to mention misquoting people or making it appear he had actually interviewed people when he didn't. It goes without saying that the very worst thing that he did was the potential harm he may have caused to so many who are battling mold illnesses. The reporter has done a lot of writing on problems in the foster care system in California, strongly advocating for these children. It's too bad that he seemed to have had blinders on with so many cries for help coming from children who are sick in their homes and schools from biological contamination. All he had to do during his fact finding was go to www.schoolmoldhelp.org right in his state to get reality information on the subject.....right in his own state! No one is perfect and some really good reporters usually have a couple of stories under their belts that they wish they could retract because they found out after the story was published that they didn't give the right information to their readership because of not thoroughly checking facts or being snookered.....and boy oh boy was he snookered! I can't believe that he just totally bought into the "facts" he was presented by those who wish to stop Sharon Kramer and others from bringing truth and balance to the medicine and science of mold illnesses. I am having a hard time believing and I truly don't believe that the reporter would do something intentionally that would harm children but what the heck was he thinking and for that matter, what was the LA Weekly thinking? I am still in a state of shock that a story like this could have been written in this day and age. This story could be used to define the word "ignorance."
I am so sad that Sharon Kramer has been re-victimized by the toxic mold issue that she is trying so hard to expose. This is a clear case of "shooting the messenger!" Your article made her and other victims of defective dwellings look like the villains responsible for "the great mold scare." Your article states: "Despite public hysteria that continues even now, science today finds no direct link between mold and serious illness in people with normal immune systems" and quotes the CDC web site that says "a causal link between the presence of toxigenic mold and these conditions has not been proven." What your article failed to reveal is the fact that because of the powerful lobby influences of the housing and insurance industries, no research is being funded and no public agencies, including the CDC, are tracking cases of indoor exposures. In fact, most victims of defective dwellings and mold exposure are forced to settle behind closed doors and sign "gag orders" in order to recoup their losses. We were told to leave our moldy home in May, 2006. 4 out of 7 of us suffered serious health problems, and three of us continue to take antifungal meds for hypersensitivity pneumonitis and ABPA. We have lost our health, our dream home, most of our personal belongings, and our life savings. Over two years later, we are no closer to settling and now our attorney wants to abandon the case because we have run out of money. Apparently, when we finally lost the home to foreclosure in Jan 2008, we lost our claim against the builder for breach of warranty, construction defects, and fraud. The builder walks away unscathed! Now the home is for sale "as is" by the mortgage company that refused to extend us a forbearance. We have come to the sad realization that we cannot afford to have our day in court and that "he who has the most money wins." We have turned to our state and federal legislators, to public health agencies, and to the media looking for help, to no avail. We have had sympathizers from the CA Dept Environmental Services and HUD tell us that to take the side of victims would result in budget cuts and job losses. This is because of the tremendous power of housing and insurance lobby pressure on public policy and consumer protection legislation. I commend your publication for having the courage to publish an article about the murky world of toxic mold. Your comparison of this issue to the asbestos issue was quite accurate. Indoor mold exposure is also very similar to the tobacco issue insofar as big business interests are keen on keeping the truth from the public. In fact, far more research has been done in Europe and the UK than here in the USA. Of everything I have lost, my loss of faith in the American dream has definitely been my most painful loss. I have been shocked and disheartened by the greed, corruption, and by the elaborate network of white collar crime we have encountered as a result of our misfortune. Sadly, so long as a profit can be made off the backs of victims like us, there is little hope for change. And when someone like Sharon Kramer can be sued and publicly humiliated for trying to tell the truth, it is a sad picture of what will happen if one tries to take a stand. Meantime, the real villains continue to victimize others. Who will be next? Pray that it will not be you or someone you love.
I'm scared to learn that people as crazy and dangerous as this are walking around our cities. These people need help for there mental illness. Scary. Can't they be arrested or something?
This is simply absurd and despicable. Just more sickening insurance industry propaganda to try to convince the public that indoor mold poisoning is no big deal, simply because insurers are TERRIFIED of its dangers and the medical and structural damage that indoor molds can and do cause. Ask any Defense attorney who happens to be your friend- and they'll tell you the truth- they ALL know, and insurers are absolutely terrrified, hence, the campaign to save the insurers money, with no regard whatsoever for the health of the general public, or the TRUTH of the SCIENCE of MOLD. The negative posters are simply industry insiders with NO actual knowledge of the individual case specifics-period. Heimpel had no business writing this article - and LA Weekly was irresponsible for allowing it. From what I was told by LA Weekly, the article was not vetted, and they don't know anything about Heimpel, since he is free-lance. How VERY convenient- it was likely a set-up. And I would not be surprised if Kelman was behind it. Sharon is brave and was willing to trust this alleged "reporter." Sharon was NOT allowed to review the article for accuracy after it was written, which is how most credible publications and journalists conduct business. This is libelous against Sharon Kramer, and there is no doubt in my mind that it was planned- LA Weekly, shame on you for not vetting your stories- you were an easy target. Heimpel even refers to mold as "bacteria" - he obviously was not even qualified to write this story, let alone write. If the insurance industry was not so terrified of the billions they stand to lose over indoor mold contamination, why are they continuing their crusade or propaganda? Mold has been written out of most policies for years now - however, they do SELL mold insurance - And WHY do they sell expensive mold insurance if mold is no big deal and not extremely dangerous and destructive? Is the general public actually falling for this propaganda nonsense? It is tragic that the public is being misled- it is criminal. Remember, the quickest way to (TRY) to shut someone up is by calling them crazy- that is a very old legal trick- but it's not working in this case. And yes, there are many more of us out here supporting Sharon Kramer's work than the insurance industry can possibly imagine... MANY of us... This public health crisis, and the insurers' massive fraudulent, systematic cover-up is slowly being revealed. We are NOT giving up this battle. EVER. And fine, if we are ALL sued by "experts" the likes of Kelman, than maybe the truth will FINALLY be revealed to the public.
Dave, Thank you for your concern when asking: "Could Sharon Kramer have borderline personality disorder?" No. I'm fine. You know how I know that? Because when we went thru our mold litigation with our insurer, the remediator, and the lab that falsely cleared our house (note falsely, another error in Mr. Heimpel's writing)..the defense put me thru a neuropsych exam trying to establish that I was crazy for being concerned that a house with an elevated mold spore count was dangerous for my CF daughter's return. I passed with flying colors. It was actually kind of fun. Two days of working puzzles and solving problems. As far as my daughter with CF, we are so fortunate she has had and continues to have great health most of her life, except for some very scary moments. My children are not ashamed to discuss what I do over this issue. That was an additional false statement by the writer. They just don't dwell on the mold issue or illness. Nor should they just because I am trying to help correct a deceit in medicine. As far as my smoking. I have never smoked in my house or around my children. I really need to quit. But have been saying that for years!
The denial game is over, no one credible is left standing - owners of buildings and industry will have to prevent mold, as a sick citizenry isn't what we need or want in America. "There is a rapidly growing body of scientific literature examining the relationship between dampness and mold in buildings and associated health effects. Reviews by expert groups in Europe (Bornehag et al., 2001, 2004) and the United States (IOM, 2004) draw similar conclusions: There is sufficient scientific evidence to conclude that there is an association between dampness and mold in buildings and an increased risk of adverse health effects for building occupants...." (Mudarri & Fisk, 2007) "In the 9 June 2006 report Mold Prevention Strategies and Possible Health Effects in the Aftermath of Hurricanes and Major Floods, the CDC concluded that "excessive exposure to mold-contaminated materials can cause adverse health effects in susceptible persons regardless of the type of mold or the extent of contamination." The CDC based some of its findings on a landmark 2004 report, Damp Indoor Spaces and Health, by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies. Relying on the IOM report, and dozens of studies and reports that have been published since, many organizations and individuals that must deal regularly with mold problems have begun to take steps to reduce the threat."(A Spreading Concern: Inhalational Health Effects of Mold, EHP, 2006) "Health effects (of mold) generally fall into seven categories: 1. Type-1 Allergy or Immediate-Type Hypersensitivity 2. Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity Reaction 3. Infection 4. Mucous Membrane and Trigeminal Nerve Irritation 5. Adverse Reactions to Odor or Pseudoallergy 6. Toxicity or Neurotoxicity by Molds and Mycotoxins 7. Immunotoxicity Induced by Molds and Mycotoxins (Aristo Vojdani, Ph.D., M.T.) "All authorities, including those who question the evidence for health damage from exposure to mold and to water-damaged environments, recommend avoidance of such environments, correction of the causes, and remediation of indoor mold and other microbial growth."(Umbach and Davis, CA Research Bureau, 2006) "Excessive indoor dampness is a public-health problem: ... sufficient evidence of an association exists between signs of dampness and upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, wheeze, and asthma symptoms in sensitized persons; and sufficient evidence of an association exists between signs of mold and upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, wheeze, asthma symptoms in sensitized persons and hypersensitivity pneumonitis in susceptible persons." (IOM: Damp Indoor Spaces and Health, 2004) Over 1290 more articles and research on mold and health may be found on www.schoolmoldhelp.org,where the truth is archived from authoritative sources! Those who remember their history may recall, in the last century, how the uninformed physicians and scientists of the day laughed when microbes were first discovered and it was suggested that surgeons wash their hands. Vehement denials continued for many decades until finally it was understood that invisible bacteria caused infections and disease. Fungi are also microbes. The evidence is enough to warrant extreme caution and those of us who are ill from damp buildings know this first hand, unfortunately. We are relieved that thousands of scientists worldwide are agreeing that mold is to be avoided in the indoor environment, catching up to what it says in Leviticus, in the Bible, known well and with remediation formulas that resemble our best ones, prescribed by the priests of that time, over two thousand years ago. If there was no liability involved, everyone would be agreeing now. That is what fuels the only true controversies - who's liable? Visit www.schoolmoldhelp.org for 1300 articles on mold and health...and more!
Hey Dave, your iggnorance is showing, zip it up.
To me, Ms. Kramer has essentially transferred her anxiety over her daughter's illness and potential early death from cystic fibrosis to a battle against mold in order not to have to deal with the reality of her daughter's medical condition and her mortality - and perhaps her own mortality. It's interesting to me that she smokes, and that her husband has stuck with her, while her daughter doesn't discuss her mom's efforts. Could Sharon Kramer have borderline personality disorder?
LAWeekly I'm disappointed in you. I live in LA and used to enjoy your paper but not anymore. As you can see by the many comments Sharon Kramer has a lot of support and you have messed with the wrong group of people. This only fuels the fire to keep fighting for all those around the world who are suffering from mycotoxic exposure, toxic spores from fungus (mold), toxic chemicals, etc. that are killing people and making people sick. Someday the world will wake up to the truth that we ("Mold Warriors") already know.
To Kramer Hater why don't you show your real name and tell us who you really are or are you being paid off and are too scared to "show" your face? Not only do I put my name, I've also included my email and phone number because I have nothing to hide! What I know to be true of this world there are just those people, no matter how "educated" they are, who are just unwilling and are too afraid to accept the truth! And Dr. Kelman and Daniel Heimpel are two of these kind of people. A piece of paper showing you have a degree does not and can not change a persons character. We will be vindicated!
In his article, Mr. Heimpel makes a number of inaccurate statements. Mr. Heimpel states, “The origins of the [mold] scare lay in an obscure tragedy [in 1994 in Cleveland]. This statement is not true. The modern research into mycotoxicosis (poisoning by mold produced toxins) began in the 1930's following the outbreak in the Ukraine in which tens of thousands of horses were killed and hundreds of people were sickened. See Microbial Toxins edited by S. Kadis, et al. (Academic Press 1972) at pp. 95-97. Soviet researchers later identified the toxic agent in the outbreak as a mycotoxin produced by the mold Stachybotrys. Id. The Soviet researchers reported that in addition to epidemic of fatal horse incidents, there had been frequent incidents of local and systemic effects in workers following inhalation of dust from moldy grains. Id. at pp. 109-110. It should be noted that Dr. Kelman’s paper for ACOEM cited to the 1945 research paper from one of the soviet researchers. Subsequent studies reproduced the disease in calves, sheep, swine, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits and dogs. Id. at p. 96. After reviewing the research of the Soviet scientists, as well as his own research, Forgacs (the leading U.S. mycotoxin researcher in the post war era) commented: “[Mycotoxicosis] affects not only animals, but also human beings exposed to aerosols from Stachybotrys infected substraits. Toxicity in humans is characterized primarily by a systemic effect.” Id. at p. 125. In 1983 (a decade before the Cleveland cluster) the National Research Counsel published a report on the dangers posed by trichothecene mycotoxins. See Protection Against Trichothecene Mycotoxins (National Academy Press 1983). While Dr. Kelman cited to the NRC’s 1983 report in his paper for ACOEM, he failed to note that in the report the government researchers reviewed clinical studies conducted under the auspices of the FDA in which mycotoxins were used as a potential chemotherapy agent. However, the clinical trials had to be discontinued because of the severe toxic side effects of the mycotoxins including central nervous system effects. Id. at p. 7. The 1983 NRC report also noted that similar signs and symptoms had been reported in victims of mycotoxins used as biological warfare agents. Id. at pp. 7, 99. Researchers for the United States military have also confirmed the toxic properties of mold produced poisons. The military researchers noted: “From these data, we can conclude that trichothecene mycotoxins very rapidly cross the pulmonary and intestinal mucosa and enter the systemic circulation to induce the toxin related toxicosis.” See Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare published by the Office of Surgeon General Department of Army (1997) at p. 662. The military researchers reported gastrointestinal, immunological, and neurological effects of mycotoxins. Id. at pp. 464-65. “Early symptoms and signs included severe nausea, vomiting, burning superficial skin discomfort, lethargy, weakness, dizziness, and loss of coordination.” Id. at p. 665. In the article Mr. Heimpel states that Dr. Kelman in his ACOEM paper “Synthesized scores of existing research papers, producing a hefty technical tome.” This editorial comment is somewhat of an exaggeration. Dr. Kelman’s paper for ACOEM, including the footnotes, is 8 pages in length. The toxicity section is only 2 pages long and of the 55 papers referenced in the toxicity section, only 6 of them deal with original toxicological research. In the article Mr. Heimpel states: “Kramer still claims that Kelman and his two co-authors base their conclusion on mathematical extrapolations from a single rat study. In fact, they base their findings on numerous studies of rates and mice performed by other scientists.” This statement is inaccurate. Ms. Kramer is correct that the threshold limit for toxic effects which is the basis for Dr. Kelman’s conclusion that indoor exposures to mold pose no meaningful risk to healthy individuals was based on an extrapolation from a single study involving rats. While there is nothing wrong with performing such extrapolations from animal data, Dr. Kelman failed to follow the accepted methodology for such extrapolations. See Risk Assessment in the Federal Government (National Research Counsel 1983) and Science and Judgment in Risk Assessment (National Research Counsel 1994). In the article, Mr. Heimpel discusses the 2004 report by the National Academies of Science. In the article Mr. Heimpel implies that the NAS report concluded that exposure to moldy environments does not pose any risk of toxicosis. This is inaccurate. In Chapter 4 of the NAS report which deals with toxicological studies, the committee reviewed numerous studies establishing the toxic effects of mycotoxins. In their summary, the committee wrote: “In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated adverse effects including immunotoxic, neurologic, respiratory, and dermal responses after exposure to specific toxins, bacteria, molds, or their products. Such studies have established that exposure to microbial toxins can occur via inhalation and dermal exposure and through ingestion of contaminated food.” Id. at p. 7. The portion of the NAS report to which Mr. Heimpel referred (Chapter 5 dealing with epidemiological studies) did not conclude that mold poses no risk of adverse health effects. Rather, the committee noted in Chapter 5 that for most conditions there is insufficient data to quantify the extent of the risk posed by exposures to mold environments. Indeed, the conclusion of the government researchers is contrary to Dr. Kelman’s conclusion that a threshold limit can be established. The government researchers concluded: “The doses of such toxins required to cause adverse health effects in humans have not been determined.” Id. at p. 7. It is disappointing to me to see a newspaper report based on innuendo, rather than facts. In order to clarify the facts I have quoted from government reports all of which have no connection to any litigation or other potential conflict of interest. The scientific research conducted over the last half century makes clear that a significant risk is posed by the toxins produced by molds. While the extent of the risk has not been quantified, those who suggest that science has established that there is no risk have clearly misstated or ignored the facts.
Aspergillosis is often synonymous w/ Farmer's Lung. Here is what CDC has to say about it, http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d001201-d001300/d001270/d001270.html#l2 In my place, several types of mold were found, including aspergillus in high quantities in the HVAC system. And yes, I diagnosed w/ asthma in middle age w/ no family history of it. The ENT also suggested I seek mental health care due to the extraordinary number of symptoms assailing me since "everyone knew I'd been under a lot of stress". I had knew this ENT personally. When I returned to this diagnosing doctor w/ the pictures of the HVAC and info regarding the contaminants found in my place and a big hello from my remediator who had done mold remediation on the doctor's camp, he "decided" he didn't want to be my doctor anymore. Consider the source, meaning the anonymous posters have nothing constructive to add, only meaningless ad hominem attacks. Please ask them to show something other than the old ACOEM position statement, and those that merely parrot the ACOEM, to back up their point. Thanks again, Sharon.
The comments that were attributed to me in this article are false. I want it to be known that I am not ashamed to discuss what my mother does with my college friends, like the article indicated. I have never said any such thing about my mother. I am very proud of what she is accomplishing. I love my mother very much.
Mr. Hobgood, I couldn't agree with you more. While there are times that mold is a serious problem after a water leak, in most cases it is like you say if caught early. The problem is that there is so much misinformation flying around out here over this issue that sometimes when the health concerns need to be taken seriously, they are not. And other times, when there is little to worry about, the situation is blown out of proportion..by someone who recommends setting up containment and Hasmat suits to clean the mold in your shower. (exaggerated example). But it is the medical misinfo that does the most harm and is most costly to us as a society as whole. We waste so much money on useless inhalers, steroids, CT Scans, MRI's, HIV testing, etc. When many times all it would take is for someone to be told early on to think about if their indoor environment might be causing them a problem. Instead, we let it go until they are very sick and the resultant financial liability is great. Mold itself is not even a problem. Catch it early and clean it up. Misinformation over the mold issue is the problem. Regarding Dr. Michael's new book, Doubt Is Their Product" and his comments of the journal of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine - the JOEM, where VeriTox's original mold statement is published: Pg: 55 "The three new re-analysis had been put into the fast-track (two weeks) peer review and accepted for publication in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM), whose work appears all too frequently in these pages." pg 104 "As it happened, a mortality study of the Castle Hayne workers and another group in Corpus Christi, Texas, was accepted for publication by the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM) in October of 2004, the same month OSHA proposed its rule and asked for all new information. (I introduced JOEM in an earlier chapter as one of the peer-reviewed journals that has published some shoddy papers by product defense specialists.)" pg 108 "There's more. In October 2005 ENVIRON's researchers finally submitted the German component of a study to OSHA, accompanied by a letter stating that the paper had been accepted for publication in JOEM. To our amazement (but not surprise; there's a difference), the finally published German study omitted the key analysis that had yielded the damning results in the four-plant study that the authors had dismembered." pg 134 "The only purpose was to determine whether they could use these various strategies to sow some timely uncertainty and thereby buy some time. In this they succeeded. The industry's big rebuttal to NIOSH was finally published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in March 1997. Now, JOEM is not a prestigious journal, but getting the rebuttal into the peer-reviewed literature was a coup for the industry"
Reading the responses by Kramer, and others, to the article is frightening to me. These people seem really obsessed. How did our society devolve to the point where persons such as these are allowed to force their will and twisted beliefs upon the rest of us? How many dollars have been squandered trying to 'fix' imaginary problems cooked up by a bunch of nuts? At some point, responsible members of society need to say 'enough is enough, we are tired of this stupid nonsense. No more!' The article calmly illustrated the lunacy of these people, but the posts are the true proof. Just read these things. Can't you imagine them? Hunkered down in their dirty little rooms, screaming at their kids, at their neighbors, at elected officials, at their computers. Spittle all over the screen and keyboard? Moldy remnants junk food and cigarette butts spread all over. Just read these diatribes. Get the net. The big one.
While I am not a scientist but rather a Realtor, I can attest that businesses and attorney's are making a killing on fees associated with MOLD, which I can say has been a problem in the Real Estate business and rarely been a serious factor but made to sound like the end of the world. For the most part, the extent of mold found in houses has been under the kitchen sink or in the shower/bathtub, which is extremely common but has been blown out of proportion in such a manner that remeadiation companies are called in and thou$ands of dollars later a negotiation is reached in order to complete a property sales transaction. There are cases of serious black mold due to water damage etc...and even if I were to believe that it would not cause damage to a persons' health, I, as a real estate professional, must warn and recommend that a client get a full inspection due to the discovery and have the property completely remeadiated and attain a certificate of completion in order to proceed, as this becomes a huge disclosure if not handled in a proper way. Now that I know how to handle the mold issue when representing Buyers and Sellers, my only concern is what is next on the list of household liabilities...Asbestos, Mold, now what? Great story!
I have no special knowledge of the subject and can only contribute my impression of the article. My impression -- based on the comments and on the book Mrs. Kramer recommended, "Doubt Is Their Product" by David Michaels -- is that the article was pretty shoddy. Not the LA Weekly's finest hour.
Oh, yeah, for the anonymous posters taking pot shots at Sharon Kramer, my name is Deborah Daniels Davitt @ dddavitt1@gmail.com It pains me to know that such people benefit from all the hard work Sharon and many of us have done, and from Sharon's courage in refusing to back down. Good grief, it really is upside down world. She PROVED that Kelman obfuscated the science for profit at the expense of ALL of US. You shameless, sniveling cowards. How do you look your loved ones in the eyes or yourselves in the mirror.
Dear Mr. "Keep talking" and Mr. Furthering Actual Science" I believe I will take you up on your offer to keep talking. This LAWeekly article has scared me about just how bad and what lengths they will go to, to shut me up. Kelman's tobacco history: From his CV: Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs 1979 to 1990 Failure Analysis 1990 to 1993 Golder Associates: 1993 - 1998 2. From the Tobacco Legacy Library Documents - RICO USA vs. Phillip Morris: Entire RICO case: http://www.library.ucsf.edu/tobacco/litigation/usvpm/uspm.pdf Battelle’s relationship with Phillip Morris, RJReynolds, Lillord, and various attorneys of the tobacco companies, discussed on pages: 127, 266, 268, 276, 528, 689, 967, 1023, 1107, 1111, 1147, 1242, 1274, 1248, 1351, 2241, 2437, 2509 Pg 266 “Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds, Brown & Williamson, American, Lorillard, and Liggett also contracted, through the law firm of Covington & Burling, with Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories for inhalation toxicity studies.” Pg 722. In fact, Helmut Gaisch, Director of Philip Morris Europe Science and Technology Division, announced at the meeting with the other companies that their ETS strategy had been established in the United States at a meeting between Philip Morris and Covington and Burling, who were “the lawyers acting for the Tobacco Institute of the USA.” There can be no doubt Gaisch is referring to the "Operation Downunder" conference. David Remes, a Covington & Burling attorney, told the group assembled in London that the lawyers would "act as intermediaries between the consultants and the industry," and "filter" the information from the consultants to "eliminate areas of sensitivity." Pg 774 As ordered, the "Big Chill Strategy" later turned into a "Big Chill Campaign" of media and advertising in an attempt to change public perceptions on passive smoking and stop government intervention. 3. Aug. 1986, Contract between RJReynolds and Battelle http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/bnq84d00/pdf 4. December 1987, Letter to Kelman from RJReynolds Director of Toxicology, Mosberg http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/ati84d00/pdf “As you know, our decision to work with BNW was not predicated so much on cost as on superior performance and reputation in inhalation toxicology.” R .J .Reynolds Tobacco Company December 16, 1987 Dr . Bruce J . Kelman Manager, Biology and Chemistry Department.. Dear Dr . Kelman : ….You have asked me several times in the past to notify you if there were some steps that Battelle-Northwest might take to improve the interactions of our two organizations. Until recently no such involvement seemed necessary. During the past week however, we have been notified that two important deliverables will be delayed by a minimum of six weeks These include manuscripts describing the conduct and results of two subchronic inhalation studies, and more significantly, the draft final report from our most recent subchronic inhalation study, BNW No . 2311212296 . The report was due on 12/1/87, but I understand it will not be available prior to 1/15/88 . I am disturbed by several facets of this news . I am concerned because such information plays an integral role in our business decisions which often cannot accommodate milestone slippage of this magnitude. ..An early notification of milestone slippage would have provided an opportunity to minimize the impact of the late report and to adjust our internal schedules whenever possible. ...Thank you for the time to consider this issue and your effort in making our liaison as pleasant as possible on a program of great importance to our organization Arnold T . Mosberg, Ph .D., D .A .B .T .Senior Staff R and D Toxicologist R .J .R . 5. 1988 Contract proposal from Battelle for inhalation studies to law firm noted above, Covington and Burling in RICO http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/zvp51f00/pdf Pg 90 Flow chart shows Kelman was in charge of inhalation studies for Battelle. Pg 86, TABLE V-2 . SUMMARY OF RECENT AND PAST NOSE-ONLY INHALATION TOXICOLOGY STUDIES [the prior noted tobacco ones are missing from Kelman’s CV, but the others are there. These must be them] Funding source Inhalation Study of Glycerol and Humectaut Confidential Subchronic Inhalation Toxicology Study of Test Article Rate Confidential Subchronic Inhalation Toxicology Study Test Article Rate Confidential Pg 93 D . INHALATION TECHNOLOGY The Biology and Chemistry Department has 15 scientists and engineers, 10 specialists, and 12 technicians involved in the design, construction, maintenance, operation and monitoring of state of the art inhalation exposure systems and exposure generation systems. Much of the equipment and technologies applied in this proposal have been invented, developed or modified by BNW staff ; this includes the test article generation method and the nose-only exposure unit proposed herein. BNW feels we are extremely well qualified to handle the complex nature of nose-only inhalation toxicology studies 6. THE FEBRUARY 1997 FINAL DRAFT Kelman before the Ca EPA on behalf of Phillip Morris NOT LISTED ON CV!!!!!!! HEALTH EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO SMOKE Developmental Toxicity and Reproductive Effects http://oehha.ca.gov/air/pdf/append-b.pdf Pg 3 List of Those Commenting Philip Morris USA, submitted by Richard Carchman, Group Director Scientific Affairs…. Bruce Kelman, Golder Associates… Pg 50 - 62. Bruce Kelman, Golder Associates, for Philip Morris (12 pages of naysaying of the ability to prove reproductive effects from env. smoke) 1. Comment Summary: a) “The agency failed to adequately define the process of evaluation which would be used in the Draft.” b) “The process of determining causality which the Agency did identify is flawed.” c) “The agency failed to follow its own process.” d) “When the Agency made use of scientific literature, they incorrectly quoted results from the literature.” e) “The Agency fails to critically evaluate the literature. At the simplest level, the Agency failed to determine whether the authors’ conclusions are supported by the data. At a more complex level, the Agency failed to evaluate the experimental and statistical design of studies.” 7. Sept 1999 Engle vs RJReynolds Tobacco Company, Depositon of Bruce Kelman for the defendant. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/llz75a00/pdf WON”T ANSWER IF CIGARETTES CAUSE LUNG CANCER Pg 37 Q- Does cigarette smoking cause lung cancer? Pg 38 Q. So in your opinion does cigarette smoking cause lung cancer? Pg 39 Q• You still aren't answering the question. I'm asking you directly, does cigarette smoking, in your opinion, cause lung cancer? Pg 39 Q- So you really can't give an answer whether or not-- straight answer, yes or no, whether, in your opinion, cigarette smoking causes lung cancer; is that correct? Pg 39 Q. Not answering the questions makes the deposition take longer, because it I.need to get answers. Yes or no, Doctor, does cigarette smoking cause lung cancer in your opinion? Pg 40 Q. In your opinion, sir, has it been scientifically proven that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer? Pg 42 Q. Well, the whole question was, given the fact that association doesn't establish causation, in your opinion, I'm not asking you about that. I'm asking you, does cigarette smoking cause lung cancer? Has that been established to your satisfaction, Doctor? Pg 44 Pg Q- So it's established that groups of people that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, Doctor? A. I'm sorry, I wandered. Q. Has it been established that to groups of people that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, at least to groups rather than individuals? I'm asking you in general, as to any individuals in the history of the United States who have smoked cigarettes, in your opinion has there ever been a time when cigarette smoking has resulted in the premature death of at least one human being who has smoked cigarettes in the United States of America? MR. KEMNA: Objection. A. Really, that's such a-mm I'm a scientist, and that's such a non-scientific question…… SAYS HE IS NOT AWARE OF CONFIDENTIAL STUDY TOBACCO DOCS Pg 46 Q. Have you reviewed any internal tobacco industry documents? A. No, I have not. Q. Have you reviewed ahy internal tobacco company documents specific to any tobacco company? A. I don't -- no. Let me try that again; no. Q. Do you know whether or not any tobacco company ever conducted any experiments wherein they induced emphysema in animals that inhaled tobacco smoke? A. I don't recall anything in the published literature to that effect. And all I've seen is the published literature. published literature. Q. So to the extent the tobacco industry has done this kind of research and suppressed it, you are not aware of it; is that correct? MR. KEMNA: Objection. A. I'm not aware of anything I haven't read. (non-answer) Pg 47 HOURLY FEES $275 A. I don't have a precise number, but it's something in the neighborhood of 60, perhaps 65. Q. What are your hourly fees? A. I charge $275 an hour. Pg 48 HOW MANY TOBACCO CASES Q• Let me just back up. I want to know expert reports in the tobacco related case, whether or not, even if you weren't deposed in it, but if you prepared a report of some kind. …..A. Okay. Then the answer is no, other than notes that I've taken, but not a report. Pg 49 Q. How many total hours have you spent as an expert or consultant for any tobacco related issues? A. Well, in the Engle case, as best I can remember it's 60 or 65 hours. In the White listing I haven't spent any time on that. CAN”T REMEMBER THE CA EPA NOTED ABOVE IN #6 Pg 50 Q. Have you ever made any speeches or any public statements, in written or oral form, on tobacco related issues? A. I've been a toxicologist for 25 years, so I really don't know how to answer that. There's nothing I can remember right now in writing or public speaking, but I've given a lot of talks, so I really don't remember. DOESN’T WANT TO DISCUSS PRIOR TOBACCO RELATIONSHIPS or CA EPA Pg 68 Q. Now, the places that you've worked, I'm going to go into this exhibit in a second, but the places that you have worked prior to -- or I'm sorry, after you worked at Battelle, up to the present time, have any of those employers, to your knowledge, done any work that was funded by the tobacco industry or any tobacco company? A. I would be bound by my confidentiality agreements with those institutions, and I' don't know how much has been made public. So I don't think I can answer that. Q. I'll certify the question, Have you done any work that was funded by or -- funded by the tobacco industry or a tobacco company since you worked for Battelle? A. I think I'm bound by my confidentiality agreementwith those institutions, so I don't think I can discuss whatI've done on specific cases, unless there's a public record of them.I'm not asking for the name of any specific case or even the particulars on what you did, I'm just asking youif you did any work that was funded by the tobacco industry or tobacco company since you've worked for Battelle. MR. KEMNA: Let me just state my objection to the question. Dr. Kelman has to respond based upon what his understanding is of the nature of any confidentiality agreement he may have with other entities that he's worked for or consulted with. To the extent there's a yes or no answer, he will have to make a determination of whether he can make that kind of statement in view of those confidentiality arrangements. Q. Given the fact that I'm not asking you for a name of the tobacco company or the nature of the research, can you answer the question? A. Well, okay. Lets me try and give you an answer, at least on the level that is iny understanding I can respond. Since Battelle, well, the other two companies I would have worked with would have been Failure Analysis Associates and Golder Associates. At Failure Analysis Associates I may have been asked some general questions, you know, in terms of basic pathology or basic toxicology, which would have been -- well, it's hard to quantitate it, but would have been a very minor part of my time. I think that's about as close as I could get to an answer. Do any of the companies that you've worked for since Battelle, have any of those companies done any work that's been paid in part by the tobacco industry or any tobacco company? And I'm not asking you for the name of the company or what the work was. MR. KEMNA: Same objection and same instruction with respect to what Dr. Kelman may be able to answer. A. I have to frame the answer in terms of any work I can think of that was publicly available. And I can't think of anything at Failure Analysis that was other than a consulting activity. And z'm not sure what the nature of that was since I was just responding with, like I said, basic science of pathology and toxicology. [BTW..It is my opinion that people who smoke cigarettes have no right to sue anybody for ill health or death from something they have chosen to do. Addicting or not.] 8. IN 2000, KELMAN TEAMS UP WITH RON GOTS TO WRITE A REVIEW PAPER INDICATING MOLD TOXINS DO NOT CAUSE HUMAN ILLNESS. NEITHER ONE HAVE A RESEARCH BACKGROUND IN THIS FIELD, BUT WERE GETTING INTO THE NEW GAME. AIHA PUBLISHES IT. TWO of KELMAN’s BUDDIES THAT SENT EMAILS REGARDING MY PRESS RELEASE –RON GOTS AND PAUL LEES-HALEY 9. WHO IS RON GOTS? He is an old tobacco physician in addition to doing medical reviews for State Farm. He has not seen a patient in 30 years, but makes a lot of money doing expert witness testimony for the defense in mold litigation. About $100K per case. He was the subject of a Dateline Investigation “The Paper Chase”. Name can be found in the UCSF Tobacco Legacy Library approx 180 times. His function in tobacco was to take the heat off of second hand smoke as a cause of illness. Just one example: http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/cnl03c00/pdf?search=%22ronald%20gots%22 He [Dr. Ronald Gots, an occupational physician] estimated that in 70 percent of lAQ cases he's investigated, the indoor air concerns involve either a "non-problem" with the air or "a nonidentifiable problem." "More than half the time,"he said,"psychosocial factors like stress and job satisfaction, as well as ergonomics and work area lighting are at least as important in people's perceptions about the quality of the air as the air itself. " "Consumers and workers," Gots said, "are all too willing to believe that indoor air is a serious problem and that an expensive solution is needed ." Gots estimates that at least 50 percent of the concerns that people associate with indoor air are really the manifestation of psychosocial factors . "ln some cases," he said, "people dissatisfied with their jobs or suffering from stress perceive that there is something wrong with the air. In other cases, one or two people experience a real problem with the air, and when they tell their coworkers, everyone develops problems. ".We believe that one of the most important factors in formulating smoking policy is to get workers involved and make sure that smokers and nonsmokers from all ranks within the company have a say in developing the policy. 10. WHO IS PAUL LEES-HALEY? He too, has been outted on the front page of the Wall Street Journal for conflicts of interest. He is a psychologist who made up a Fake Bad Scale to be used to say the sick are liars. See below, he too worked with Covington & Burling http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/ico30c00/pdf Covington & Burling For professional services rendered during April $3,962 .50 1991 in our efforts to identify and recruit scientific experts. [for Phillip Morris] PAUL R. LEES-HALEY, Ph .D. Analysis $930.00 • Assist in developing list of California epidemiologists
This is hardly an objective piece. May I inquire as to the scientific articles the reporter scrutinized before writing this? Science has proven that ingested and inhaled fungi causes health impacts, from mere allergies to more life-threatening. A good place to start is this web site, http://www.aspergillus.org.uk/, which has been in existence for quite some time. Next, read up on immune suppression and please realize that it impacts more than HIV sufferers, organ transplant recipients, the very old and very young. Then go on to asthma sufferers. Did the reporter happen to read any of the papers that links adult onset asthma to indoor fungal exposure? In any event, this seems more like a hatchet job than objective, investigative reporting. I would hope that the LA Weekly cares more about the truth, its readers, and its reputation than to allow such a one-sided piece to stand unchallenged. Mrs. Kramer had the audacity to speak up for many of us who worked to uncover the facts behind all of this. Many of us lost more than you can imagine due to this matter. If more people exhibited her courage and tenacity, the country would be in better shape than it is currently. The health of our nation's people is the MOST important issue facing us. We must be healthy and sound to face the challenges from within and without our country that threaten ominously.
Smoking trailer girl: keep talking and keep posting. Every word of every sentence validates the article. The truth is out. Your own words condemn you.
When Dr. Kelman wins hi slawsuit against you, the crap you wrote above will be the very thing you will be fined to say. And for the record, maybe you should do the research before further slandering people. Dr. Kelman has NEVER worked for a tobacco company, he has refused dozens of times on principal. YOu will never find evidence supporting that he has nor will you find any evidence supporting that he got paid off to change his science, because there is no such evidence. Are you sure it was the mold that made you and your daughter so sick or could it have anything to do with smoking cigarettes (far more harmful and disgusting) than mold. It's pretty ironic that you are so worried about something that isn't really going to harm you when you are pumping waaaaay more poison into your own body (not to mention second hand smoke to your daughter and others around you). Maybe if you are so enraged about this article, you shouldn't have called this reporter to raise your self-esteem by promoting yourself in a false light once again. Obviously you thought this reporter would be fooled by you like so many other uneducated lemmings or you wouldn't have let him into your home or discussed things with him.
Interesting story and very revealing, my experience is horrible. I upscale housing project in San Luis Obispo, CA Builder RW Hertel & Sons, Inc. sold me a Mold infested leaking defective new home knowing it has Mold and then concealed it. Rancho Obispo was the project the State Investigated and found the home massively defective and the builder sued us to silence us now he lost and the judge told us this week he is out of business, he has built all over Calif so buyer beware of this builder.
In 2002, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) specifically brought in to their organization an old tobacco scientist, a newly retired Assistant Deputy Director of NIOSH, an an immunologist from UCLA - who had been generating income as a litigation defense expert in mold litigation since 1999. Bruce Kelman, Bryan Hardin and Andrew Saxon. Kelman and Hardin are pricipals in the environmental risk management company, VeriTox. The three authored the ACOEM position statement on mold. Based on extrapolations from rodent and cellular model ALONE they set a hypothetical threshold level and a hypothetical dose response level before illness could occur from mold toxins found in water damaged buildings. They concluded "not plausible". The results have never been duplicated, yet these calculations have been given much weight in the courts because they are presented as the position of thousands of learned physicians by being the ACOEM Position Statement. It is not science now, nor was it ever to conclude what they did based solely on animal and cellular models. Less than a year later, the Manhattan Institute - a think tank - spun the finding even futher to conclude that all of these claims of illness were simply a result of trial lawyers, media hype a junk science. This paper, presented in a fanfare presentation by the US Chamber of Commerce was intended for lobbying and to "educate" judges. This paper was authored by Kelman, Hardin and Robbins. It lists Saxon's name, too. But he was not paid like the other three..who all happen to be principals in the environmental risk management company, VeriTox. Saxon says he had nothing to do with this paper and did not even know his name was on it. VeriTox was paid $25K by the Manhattan Institute for this paper. In 2006, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology wrote a rehash of the ACOEM mold statement. Again, the math calculations were used to deny illness. All they needed to do for this one was to cite ACOEM. This paper was co-authored by the UCLA expert defense witness immunologist - Andrew Saxon along with Abba Terr, another prolific expert defense witness in mold litigation. In spring of 2006, a judge got wise in the Harold vs Westmont Construction case, Sacramento. He would not allow the modeling theory to be used to deny illness in the case. Althought they try to present that these position papers are consistant with the Institute of Medicine, Damp Indoor Spaces and Mold paper, they are NOT. The IOM report was the document used to knock out their science from the courts. They needed a new one. About 2 months after the Harold ruling, the American College of Medical Toxicology authored their position statement on mold. It was written by Daniel Sudakin who is an employee of Veritox and also a prolific expert defense witness in mold litigation. They dissed the IOM claiming it did not place enough weight on dose response. They made the conclusion of not plausible from inhaled mycotoxins. But the only papers they could cite to support this finding were the ACOEM Mold Statement, the AAAAI Mold Statement and one other paper also authored by VeriTox. So...what you have are the following position statements that are used extensively in the courts to deny illness all being written by either principals or employees of Veritox or Andrew Saxon of UCLA. And all based on one set of math extrapolations from animal and cellular models. The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Mold Position Statement, Oct 2002, authors Kelman and Hardin (VeriTox) & Andrew Saxon. The US Chamber of Commerce/Manhattan Institute White Paper on Mold, July 2003 Authors Kelman, Hardin, Robbins (Veritox) Saxon is listed as a co-author, but was not one. It looked better to not have the paper authored by only three principals of a risk management company. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Position Statement on Mold, Feb 2006. Saxon and Terr. The American College of Medical Toxicology, Position Statement on Mold June 2006 Sudakin of Veritox. These papers are all consistant with each other. But are consistant with any others such as the WHO, AIHA, AAP, Health Canada and a few others. And that what's this hit piece is all about. They want me to shut up and quit telling Congress and the GAO. Its' racketeering based on a false scientific premise spun to be more than it really is. Thru the lawsuit, they have tried to force me to endorse their science. Heimpel wrote they only wanted an apology. He knows better. He has seen that what they want me to sign is a little piece of paper saying, "To my knowledge their (VeriTox)testimony and advice are based on their expertise and objective understanding of their underlying scientific data." I have refused to sign it because it is not true and is at the very core of a massive deceit in medicine over the mold issue. This deceit has save stakeholders much financial liability thru illness in workers comp and property casualty claims. But it has also caused the physicians of the US to be misinformed...leaving the sick unable to obtain viable medical treatment.
The toxic screeds by these mold freaks are just amazing things to read. These are the same nuts and fruits that said 'if it appears in the paper it must be true' when the WSJ did an article. Well, sit back and enjoy the truth you freaks. This article is absolutely on track. Expose the trailer trash and weirdos for what they are, just a bunch of social misfits looking for another 'cause'.
Wow, what a LONG article. It has been my experience that the media doesn't usually waste any time unless there is some validity in what is being said. Your personal attack on Ms. Kramer is a very poor example of informative reporting. Obviously, Ms. Kramer scares the heck out of you, because it is true. When the general public learns what mold really can do to you and how people like Kelman have "sold out" greed and have put their families and their life in jeopardy, Pandora's Box will open. And open it will! There are hundreds of people in the US trying to get medical care for mold related illnesses, only to be dismissed as, crazy, misdiagnosed with such illnesses as chronic fatigue syndrome, hypochondria and more. On April 30, 2008, the EPA finally changed their website to include this - 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. Shocking isn't it? The truth is now beginning to come out. I can say that thank God Ms. Kramer is out there. My own personal experience. I lived in a house with several types of dangerous mold, including the dreaded black mold. I became sicker and sicker, but no one could help me. I flew to some of the finest medical institutes in the country seeking and begging for medical help. I even went to the MAYO Clinic, (finest in the world??? Not in my opinion). No one believed me when I told them it was something in my house that was making me sick. I was caught in the classic mold patient downfall. Sick, but when you try to rest at home and get better, you only get sicker. In fact, my pet was even ill. After spending an absurd amount of money, including $14,000.00 at the MAYO Clinic alone, I was no closer to receiving help than I was a year and half earlier. The MAYO sent me away with a sedative.. YES, A SEDATIVE. I could barely walk and was in agonizing pain constantly and was given a SEDATIVE and was told they do not treat environmental medicine even after I showed them photos of the mold in my home. But, still, they charged me $14,000.00 for that sedative. I was close to committing suicide. The pain was unbearable, no one would listen, I could barely walk because of the pain, I could not sleep because of the pain and I could not run my business either. I was suffering central nervous system disorders, endocrine problems, had (have) a compromised immune system and sever asthma. As I decided it wasn't time to give up I finally contacted, Jay Portnoy MD, President of the American College of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology, Section Chief, Allergy/Asthma/Immunology, Medical Director, Health Management, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine begging for help. It was because of my contact with Dr. Portnoy that I became to know Sharon Kramer. You try to make this person seem like she is crazy, but high credential physicians refer people to this Ms Kramer when it is obvious they need help. Finally, I am receiving medical care from a physician who treats mold related illnesses. I am now walking, not like I did two years ago, but getting better. Had I not met Ms. Kramer who assured me that I could get better, then I would probably not be here writing this today. Many medical institutions should be ashamed of themselves for the poor treatment they give patients suffering from mold related illnesses. Mr. Kelman should be put in jail for publishing false information then harassing a mold victim for only tell the truth and helping others. Had it not been for destructive and disturbing people like Mr. Kelman, who's greed outweighs any integrity, hundreds of mold and mold related victims could very likely be on the way to putting their life together, not continuing to suffer the hell of mold illness. What will your next publication be about? Drinking posion will not hurt you or whatever "popular and trendy" money making legal suits would put more money in your pocket? Shame on you reporters. Hopefully this horror will never happen to a family member of yours. Then YOU will come running to Ms. Kramer for the information she can provide you. Knowing Ms. Kramer, she will help you because it is the right thing to do. Me, I'm not that nice, after telling you the LONG LONG journey you are beginning, I would just hand up the phone on you. Mold sickness is real, it can and has destroyed many lives and wil continue to do so unless people like Kelman are silenced. Bravo Sharon for continuing your commitment to mold sufferers and I owe my life to your diligence.
Melinda Ballard's "$32 million" award this reporter cited was reduced, appealed, etc, and those were damages on a very expensive property for which the Ballards paid insurance. This was not a profit. Reporters who don't check their facts get no respect from me. It's beyond irresponsible. The alternative is that this reporter deliberately twisted things which is worse. Most people with mold lose money, many lose their house, and many are ill before they realize they have mold. Farmers and veterinarians have no problem admitting that farm animals can become ill from mold, maybe because animals do not have standing to sue. But insurance co’s and homebuilders have worked hard to paint mold victims as nuts. Everyone likes to call such people a "nut" until they need the help of someone like Sharon Kramer.
I'm just wondering, how much does one get paid to write a article like this? that is abviously a pretty sorry attempt to do nothing more than cast dought on what is fastly becoming a reconized toxic indoor health risk, one that in high doses can cause serious health problems and even death in animals and humans alike. it's really a shame that the writer with supposedly so many years of, what was it? biochemical?,medical? knowledge under his belt couldn't find any studies to base his denial of toxic mold illness on and had to resort to slandering people instead. it's really sad to see that major newspapers have sunk to such a new low to publish something like this, I'm sorry that the newspaper industry's are suffering financial problems these days but this is no excuse for this. anyone with a heart that watches someone they love suffer a terriable illness becomes committed to the cause, committed to find answers and anyone in their right mind would try to warn others of a possable danger they were aware of thats others were not aware of. if you knew there was a poisonous snake in the grass would you stand there and watch as someone walked through it and get biten? could you really live with yourself if you stood there and said nothing? and what if they died? it is good to know that no matter how insane the world gets, there will aways be mom's out there to care and look out for the children of the future. I saw nothing in this article that proves that toxic mold's can't hurt you, only a writer with such a poor soul that has lost his way in life. PS I guess the picture of the mold rush is a sex sales kind of thing? well I guess you need all the help you can get with this article, but I desided if you look at it in a different view, as in body/health, and a rush to save lives from toxic mold illness, it's not so bad after all. the words are even placed in a good spot, the lungs. think I will copy it for my loved one's to remind them to be careful of mold exposures. thanks for the picture.
Kramer hater you sure are in the minority here! Denial of truth could bite you and/or your family one day. Think twice before you write with hatred because what happened to so many on this message board may happen to you.
These people should actually get a background in science before trying to offer an opinion on whether it's right or wrong. Sharon Kramer's only science background are a few undergrad classes and 2 of what she calls post-graduate classes taken on the internet which anyone can enroll for. Dr. Kelman has over 40 years studying science and doing actual scientific research. Threatening peoples' children and negelecting her own sick child to lead the "crusade" against mold are not exactly characteristics of a virtous person trying to help millions of people. Sharon is just mad because Dr. Kelman testified against her in a case she didn't get the millions of dollars she wanted to remodel a home and live a cushy lifestyle. Talk about biased and racketeering. Kramer has what is a called a displacement disorder where she displaces the anger she feels about her child's illness and a situation she can't control onto others in the "fight to rescue people from mold." I could go on for hours about this unstable lunatic, but I think Mr. Heimpel already did a spot-on job for me. She is creating in other hundreds of peoples' lives the pain and suffering she claims to have experienced so deeply herself. I have little sympathy for such a hypocrite.
A few years ago I laughed at people who brought this up in their own lives, but I recently vacated an apartment due to mold, and I can tell you that as much as I didn't want to believe that my newfound insane headaches, vertigo, and memory loss were connected, I believe now that they were. Thankfully, I've been out of there for about two months now and despite some residual sinus crap, I'm nearly back to my usual self--good memory, fast thinking, etc. Crazy stuff, but after my own experience, I'd say there's a grain of truth in the health claims related to mold.
Perhaps the reporter could do another article just addressing all the citations "NoMoreMold" just listed and see if he comes to the same conclusion. Is there a school in California he could visit to see how a sick school effects children? Perhaps an office building or residence and see what he can find out? A more balanced and better researched story should be written.
I have been researching mold ever since my doctor ORDERED me out of my home after being diagnosed with Leukemia. I DO REALIZE there are no FACTS that the mold was the cause of my leukemia. But mold is a known toxin and being exposed to the mold in my house exasperated my illness. I find it interesting that when mold is found in any Government location that the building is immediately closed down and remediated with our tax dollars. Yet legislators/judges/lawyers expect homeowners to live with the problem. The real problem is NOT the homeowner’s inability to accept personal responsibility. In fact the responsibility is that of local inspectors that look the other way as homebuilders build poorly built homes in communities that see revenue in the form of tax dollars for every new home built/sold. The problem will continue until we as citizens demand homebuilders be held responsible for what they have created. Interestingly, what has finally got the attention of our law makers is the financial irresponsibility of the homebuilders and lenders. My hope is that the scrutiny will continue to shed more light of how this industry has been taking the American public for a ride for a long time.
Quick statistics and facts on dampness and health, mold and health, the extent of school IAQ problems and much more - helpful for media, researchers, and those who want to know the extent of this health threat. The Center for School Mold Help Mold Exposure Research & Statistics 1. Institute of Medicine (IOM) concludes that excessive indoor dampness is a public-health problem: a. Due to new or enhanced growth of fungi and other microbial agents. b. Bacteria and fungi can cause allergic responses, non-allergic, toxic and inflammatory effects. c. Available evidence suggests that classrooms commonly have dampness problems. d. IOM finds an association between dampness and lower respiratory illness in otherwise healthy children. e. IOM finds an association between mold and other agents in damp buildings and lower respiratory illness in otherwise healthy children f. Recommends public health goals: to prevent or reduce the incidence of potentially problematic damp indoor environments…particularly in vulnerable populations. (IOM, Damp Indoor Spaces and Health, 2004) 2. “Mold and other common pollutants are stealth enemies in schools. There’s a documented link between poor indoor air quality and student health and learning, including increased asthma and absenteeism rates. It’s a problem that requires immediate attention.” (NIOSH NY-NJ Education and Research Center Director Molene, AACSE Panel, March 2006) 3. Biological contaminants include bacteria, molds, and mildew, listed as indoor air pollutants. (EPA, An Intro to Indoor Air Quality) (http://www.epa.gov/iaq/biologic.html) 4. EPA Indoor Air Quality / Indoor Pollution / IAQ school facts: a. One-half of our nation’s 115,000 schools have problems linked to indoor air quality (IAQ). EPA Indoor Environments Division, IAQ Tools for Schools: Actions to Improve IAQ (September 1999) (http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schooldesign/introduction.html)). b. Twenty percent of the U.S. population, nearly (60*) million people, spend their days in our elementary and secondary schools. (EPA Indoor Environments Division, Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools: Actions to Improve IAQ (September 1999)* SMH 2006 update). c. Indoor pollution can be 2-5 times higher, and occasionally 100 times higher, than outdoor levels. EPA Indoor Environments Division, Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools: Actions to Improve IAQ (September 1999) d. Indoor pollution consistently ranks among the top five environmental risks to public health. EPA Indoor Environments Division, Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools: Actions to Improve IAQ (September 1999) e. Poor IAQ can cause: i. illness-requiring absence from school ii. acute health symptoms iii. decreased performance in school iv. problems performing specific mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation, or memory. (EPA, Indoor Air Quality, School Design, Impact on Learning) http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schooldesign/impactonlearning.html). 5. Specific Health Implications: a. Asthma Facts: i. Incidence has doubled since 1980 ii. Afflicts about 20 million Americans, including 6.3 million children…, iii. Nearly 2 million emergency room visits and nearly half a million hospitalizations due to asthma, at a cost of almost $2 billion (2000), and iv. causing 14 million school days missed each year. (EPA) http://www.epa.gov/iaq/ v. Childhood asthma deaths have tripled since 1980; asthma is the only chronic disease, besides AIDS and tuberculosis, with an increasing death rate. Asthma has reached epidemic proportions, higher among children than adults, higher among blacks than whites. (The Asthma and Allergy Foundation) vi. Children with asthma make more than 2.7 million physician visits annually. American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology Initiatives. Update on Pediatric Asthma: Promoting Best Practice vii. CDC: Asthma: 1. is a leading cause of childhood illness and disability (CDC, Health, United States, 2005) 2. is now at epidemic proportions worldwide, especially among school-aged children (CDC, Forecasted State-Specific estimates of Self-Reported Asthma Prevalence-1998 Morbidity and Mortality (Dec 4, 1998) 47:1022-1025.47:1022-1025) 3. 1 in 13 school-aged children have asthma. (CDC, 2001) 4. Nearly 1 out of 5 (18.9%) high school students reported lifetime (diagnosis of) asthma (CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Self-Reported Asthma Among High School Sudents,United States, 2003, MMWR, August, 2005) b. Exposure to mixed molds and their associated mycotoxins in water-damaged buildings leads to multiple health problems: i. involving the CNS and ii. the immune system, iii. in addition to pulmonary effects and allergies iv. initiates inflammatory processes ( Mixed mold mycotoxicosis: immunological changes in humans following exposure in water-damaged building.,Arch Environ Health. 2003 Jul;58(7):410-20) c. Contributes to Childhood Obesity / CDC: a. Diet, physical activity, genetic factors, environment, and health conditions all contribute to overweight in children and adults. b. Limitation of activity among school-aged children causes include asthma, learning and attention problems (CDC, Health, United States, Morbidity and Limitation of Activity, Children, 2005) 6. 46% of Classified School Employees rated schools “F” on Mold Plans, with only 6.7% reporting “A” for program to test for and control mold growth. (AACSE’s Healthy High Performing Schools Report Card, March 2006) -------------------- and 1. All minorities (including susceptible groups such as children) have the same rights to protection as the general population. In particular, sensitive groups within the population have the right to adequate means for ensuring them an indoor air quality that meets their specific needs. 2. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is an important determinant of population health and wellbeing. 3. People in modern societies spend most of their time in indoor spaces such as at home, work, school and in vehicles. 4. Commercial interests have often delayed the implementation of indoor air pollution controls in spite of scientific evidence of the harmful impact of such pollution on health. 5. Everyone has a right to healthy indoor air. 6. The right to healthy indoor air applies across the world. (#1-6, from The Right to Healthy Indoor Air, May, 2000,WHO http://www.euro.who.int/document/e69828.pdf) 7. Poor indoor air quality can cause illness requiring absence from school, and can cause acute health symptoms that decrease performance while at school. (EPA, http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schooldesign/impactonlearning.html) 8. Poor IAQ may directly reduce a person's ability to perform specific mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation, or memory. (EPA, http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schooldesign/impactonlearning.html) 9. Twenty percent of the U.S. population, nearly 55 million people, spend their days in our elementary and secondary schools. (EPA Indoor Environments Division, Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools: Actions to Improve IAQ (September 1999)) 10. One-half of our nation’s 115,000 schools have problems linked to indoor air quality. EPA Indoor Environments Division, IAQ Tools for Schools: Actions to Improve IAQ (September 1999) (http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schooldesign/introduction.html)) 11. Up to 30 percent of office buildings worldwide may have significant problems, with 10 to 30 percent of the occupants of the buildings experiencing health effects which are, or are perceived to be, related to poor IAQ. (World Health Organization) 12. Asthma afflicts about 20 million Americans, including 6.3 million children….In 2000 there were nearly 2 million emergency room visits and nearly half a million hospitalizations due to asthma, at a cost of almost $2 billion, and causing 14 million school days missed each year. (EPA) http://www.epa.gov/iaq/ 13. The number of children under age 18 who have asthma has increased every year since 1985. In fact asthma is now at epidemic proportions worldwide, especially among school-aged children. United States Centers for Disease Control. Forecasted State-Specific estimates of Self-Reported Asthma Prevalence-1998 Morbidity and Mortality (Dec 4, 1998) 47:1022-1025.47:1022-1025. 14. Children with asthma make more than 2.7 million physician visits annually. American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology Initiatives. Update on Pediatric Asthma: Promoting Best Practice. 15. An EPA economic analysis of repairs performed at an elementary school showed that if $370 per year over 22 years (a total of $8,140) had been spent on preventive maintenance, $1.5 million in repairs could have been avoided. EPA Indoor Environments Division, Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools: Actions to Improve IAQ (September 1999) 16. Indoor levels of air pollutants can be 2-5 times higher, and occasionally 100 times higher, than outdoor levels. EPA Indoor Environments Division, Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools: Actions to Improve IAQ (September 1999) 17. Indoor air pollution consistently ranks among the top five environmental risks to public health. EPA Indoor Environments Division, Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools: Actions to Improve IAQ (September 1999) 18. Respiratory health problems accounted for one-third of sick leave…Occupancy of the water-damaged building was associated with onset and exacerbation of respiratory conditions, confirmed by objective medical tests. The morbidity and lost work time burdened both employees and employers. (Respiratory Morbidity in Office Workers in a Water-Damaged Building http://www.ehponline.org/members/2005/7559/7559.pdf) -------------------------- NEA Health Information Network site with great links on Indoor Air Quality and Schools: http://www.neahin.org/programs/environmental/iaq.htm IAQ Stats and Facts Source: National Education Assn. www.nea.org Health Information Network Website Statistics 1. An EPA economic analysis of repairs performed at an elementary school showed that if $370 per year over 22 years (a total of $8,140) had been spent on preventive maintenance, $1.5 million in repairs could have been avoided. EPA Indoor Environments Division, Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools: Actions to Improve IAQ (September 1999) 2. Twenty percent of the U.S. population, nearly 55 million people, spend their days in elementary and secondary schools. EPA Indoor Environments Division, Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools: Actions to Improve IAQ (September 1999) 3. One-half of our nation’s 115,000 schools have problems linked to indoor air quality. EPA Indoor Environments Division, IAQ Tools for Schools: Actions to Improve IAQ (September 1999) 4. Indoor levels of air pollutants can be 2-5 times higher, and occasionally 100 times higher, than outdoor levels. EPA Indoor Environments Division, Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools: Actions to Improve IAQ (September 1999) 5. Indoor air pollution consistently ranks among the top five environmental risks to public health. EPA Indoor Environments Division, Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools: Actions to Improve IAQ (September 1999) 6. Poor indoor air quality can cause illness-requiring absence from school, and can cause acute health symptoms that decrease performance while at school. EPA Indoor Environments Division, Indoor Air Quality and Student Performance (August 2000) 7. Indoor air quality can reduce a person's ability to perform specific mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation, or memory. EPA Indoor Environments Division, Indoor Air Quality and Student Performance (August 2000) http://www.schoolmoldhelp.org/content/view/225/187/
Sharon Kramer's research into this issue was used as the primary basis for a year long, front page investigative report in the Wall Street Journal, the most impeccably credentialed news organization in this country. I doubt that paper would put it's reputation on the line for someone who had not done her homework - completely. The conflicts of interest in this issue are blatant, and are as easily perceived to as the agenda that this piece of Yellow Journalism is attempting to promote. Not only has a GAO report on this issue now been requested by a senior member of Congress, there are now scheduled hearings on this subject after the delivery of the GAO report with the Congressional Oversight Committee, chaired by California's own Honorable Henry Waxman. In the interest of fairness, however, I would suggest that both Mr. Heimpel and his managing editor be invited to provide the countering viewpoints that are published here before a Congressional investigation. Sincerely Jonathan Lee Wright Director Fungal Disease Resource Center, Inc http://www.fdrcinc.org
Yes, it's true: mold has been around since the beginning of time. What hasn't been around since the beginning of time however are the newer building materials that, when wet, become a breeding ground for mold growth. Why in heaven's name are building materials manufacturers coming out with new, mold resistant products? Even they know now that the building products manufactured in response to energy conservation in the 1970's were breeding grounds for mold growth. They had to redesign the products. Newer construction is featuring windows that open where practical, not the sealed-shut versions that don't let a building breathe and that so oftentimes leak. Flat roof designs have not always been the best way to keep the elements out of a building and are difficult to maintain and fix, especially in cash-strapped school districts, which when not maintained, allows water to flow into school buildings. Hardly a day goes by that we don't see a commercial for a new "allergy" medicine to help with indoor mold reactions, a new basement conversion system that is mold resistant or a new cleaning product that you can buy to kill mold. I recall in the recent past a drug commercial about a woman who moved to a new house with her husband and all of a sudden had watery eyes, began sneezing and sniffling and clearly looked wiped out. She brought her laundry down to her basement and you could clearly see the water stains on the cellar walls. What does that drug company know and chooses not to share with the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine about mold and health? From the drug industry's perspective, mold harms you health but the ACOEM says it doesn't if you happen to be sickened in your home or place of work due to shoddy construction or failure to maintain a property. Here: take a drug to help with mold exposure but it really isn't necessary to take it because mold doesn't harm health; the studies all agree (or do they?) They are talking out of both sides of their mouths. The major players are making money on mold yet no one is sick from exposure? Does that make any sense to the common person? Come on. You must think we are all stupid. There is no question that on both sides of the mold science and medicine fence, misinformation abounds. But common sense must dictate that when so many adults and children are sick in classrooms, nurses and patients in hospitals, residents in their homes and employees in their places of work something has to be wrong. When all these people across this country who had been healthy before being exposed to indoor mold, common sense would dictate that something has to be wrong. You're not actually saying that they are all lying, are you? Why is this country so concerned about biological weaponry? Why do so many people working in agricultural settings get sick from mold? The dangers of mold exposure are well understood in some circles. What is different now is the proliferation of mold growth indoors and people getting sick. Some people say that the amounts found indoors couldn't possibly harm human health because they haven't (or won't) study it enough to give the countless numbers of people across this country an answer to the question of why they are sick. You will notice in the article that NO EXPLANATION is given for these people's illnesses, just that mold didn't cause it. Under the right circumstances: mold, along with a food source and water infiltration, mold will grow and can very seriously harm human health. These doctors who write the guidelines for mold illness mentioned in this story say that all the existing medical science concludes that mold couldn't harm health when in fact so many studies do not say that at all. Some studies actually conclude that mold harms health. Others state that it is inconclusive but inconclusive does not mean it doesn't harm health; it means that they don't know. Yet, the only reason they offer to explain away the illnesses suffered by so many children and adults is they are, in some fashion, mentally ill. Come on. How would a child when exposed to indoor molds cover him/herself with a rash, have an asthma attack, bloody nose or chronic sinus problems? How could a significant number of teachers in a local school have to have sinus surgeries when they were well before working in a building? How could large numbers of people who were well before exposure all of a sudden have asthma? Like so many issues in our lives, just because the "experts" can't agree on something doesn't mean it isn't happening and just because someone in a position of "authority" says something doesn't mean that they are right. This article does a great disservice to people who are sick from mold exposure and doesn't not fully explore the financial ramifications of actually having to admit that mold harms health, which is why that Manhattan Institute paper on mold is worth its weight a billion times over. It is so very disheartening that, once again, money attempts to trump health and the author of this article served as the water carrier. On a personal note, I take umbrage with the author's derogatory physical description of Mrs. Kramer and am unsure to what purpose it serves to paint such a picture. It read to me like he was trying to portray her as some kind of disheveled, unreliable, unbalanced person with bright red lips. What was the point of describing her skin tone and shape of her fingers? I also happen to know that Mrs. Kramer prefers brown-toned lip stick. Perhaps her lip stick shade wasn't the only thing he wasn't seeing clearly. People who stand up to injustice are often castigated and this article tries to do just that to Mrs. Kramer. What the article doesn't clearly state that she is not the only one making great personal sacrifices to try and bring truth to a controversial health subject. She, along with others, are trying to right a wrong. Many many people are sick from mold exposure all over this country and neither this reporter nor any special interest is going to stop us from trying our hardest to put a stop to it. yhh3v
In the past I respected the LA Weekly and their editorial staff, but after this biased report, I will not be reading this publication again. This misleading article crucifying Mrs. Kramer is yet another attempt to keep the public confused about living and working in sick buildings across this country. After becoming disabled from a sickbuilding in CA and encountering doctors telling me that they could no longer use certain diagnostic codes, couldn't prescribe certain drugs vetoed by insurance companies, and heard about parents being turned into CPS for asking their pediatricians about mold effects in their children, I knew cover up was strategically in place. As I continued to request assistance from those deemed to protect citizens like me, I was told by my OSHA inspector that they couldn't help..."it was political." People in this country are continually harassed for toxic exposures they have no control over, are denied benefits for their injuries, denied appropriate treatment protocols, and their reputations are destroyed because they tell the truth and try to educate others before they too are victimized. I can't speak for others, but when I was diagnosed with chronic infectious sinusitis that wouldn't resolve for years, guess what finally worked? An antifungal! Image that! My burning sore face got some relief. When my eyes wouldn't resolve for three years and an infectious disease doctor called me bipolar and delusional, guess what an immunologist prescribed? A different antifungal! The chronic pain subsided. Fungal infections are alive and well and taking their toll on citizens who don't know what is happening to them and how to get help. Unfortunately the list of my other health compromises are still being worked on by practitioners who have not bought in to the cover up. I am thankful for all the medical practitioners who haven't caved into the current agenda of denying those whose lives have been destroyed from living sick buildings throughout this nation.
Mr. Heimpel has written an excellent article. He has risked his personal safety to challenge the belief system of small but dangerous and vocal group. Read their own words in the feedback, and in the article. Worse, he has dared to challenge the source of income of a growing number of trial lawyers. Congratulations on a fine article Daniel. Most people already know that mold is a 'hyped' issue, and that it represents no meaningful public health threat. However, what most people don't realize is how truly weird and twisted some of these 'believers' are. They are truly dangerous. Just read their words.
Daniel, You are certainly not living up to your name. If you lived with a contaminated home filled with mold spores as I have and watched your then 7 year olds white cell count fall through the floor and then rise after being out of the house 3 months you would believe what we have endured. I watched my cat of 16 lbs go down to 4.1 lbs and die in our toxic mold house. I just bought here in Jersey and there was a 3 page list of the various species of which 5 which were prevalent, were very toxic (black mold). Check out the Text Book of Military Medicine, chapter 13. They discuss the use of the trycothocenes derived from black mold being used in yellow rain in Viet Nam. Or are you too young to remember that? Or too opinionated to have check further into what you were investigating. Shame on you and may you get back what you have put out there. Be ware, your home could be next and then you will know the nightmare others have lived. Carol Jersey Girl
Hmmm! This reporter never spoke to me, but perhaps the only truth in his story is the statement attributed to me. Yes, I admire Sharon Kramer and the personal sacrifices she and her family have made to fight for TRUTH regarding the harmful health effect of toxic mold in the indoor environment. All of us who advocate for ordinary citizens of this country are unpaid volunteers who understand the power of corporate America to keep the truth buried. The Chamber of Commerce, insurance industry, home builders, and others have millions to spend and we have no dollars -- just the TRUTH and total dedication to getting it out. I have worked with thousands of families across the nation whose new homes experienced water intrusion due to substandard construction and the lack of code enforcement. Many have been forced to foreclosure and bankruptcy because homebuilders have insulated themselves from accountability with worthless ten year warranties and predispute binding mandatory arbitration clauses that insulate them from civil court and keep their dirty work secret. Many citizens have been permanently disabled due to the health effects of living in these toxic homes. If you ever listen to C-SPAN you may have heard former government scientists testify about the altering of their scientific papers by our government that appears to exist for the corporations rather than the government that I grew up believing was BY the PEOPLE and FOR the PEOPLE. We all know that Dr. Kellman is an expert witness for the insurance industry -- and you claim his research is not biased?? Give me a break!! I'm shocked that the editor of this rag would allow such biased nonsense to be published. In my humble opinion I feel it is slanderous of Sharon and the good work she has done. Shame on you -- it makes me question every story in your paper.
I can't help but notice Ms. Kramer's inability to accept personal responsibility. What is this crap about a statement she was 'required' to sign? Either agree to it and the matter goes away, or don't agree to it and continue on. No one, NO ONE, REQUIRED her to do anything. She AGREED to it. Accept it! You screwed up! AGAIN
The comment above was written by me, Barbara Rubin, agasaya@yahoo.com
If you wish to manufacture controversy about this issue, you will have to hire a journalist capable of presenting a factual account of this and related issues. Without even referring to the Kramer suit (in which her choice was to end her own persecution or commit perjury by negating her own statements), the author has contradicted himself at every turn. Why refer to mold using the term 'toxic' unless it is known to be harmful? No one has alleged that all molds, in all amounts, qualifies for that adjective. It is admitted that certain molds can be extremely harmful to individuals, but fails to mention the millions at risk. In the USA, there are more than 50 million persons with allergies and some 35 million with lung diseases/conditions. Then there are the fragile systems of the very young and old, along with the rest of the infirmed population. The US census indicated that some 20 percent of the population has a chronic ailment. This article calls for denial and ridicule versus unbiased investigation. It ignores the fact that courts demand a level of proof for claims that far exceeds the ability of most people to obtain. The testing of environments and individuals for enviromentally induced conditions is highly unusual in a medical culture that prefers to treat people for emotional stress instead of looking for the physiological stressors present in modern, complex environments. When the EPA tells us indoor air is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, it is time to begin the systematic assessment of what is in our homes and examine the industries that put it there. If tenant negligence is at fault, that too will be revealed. If the sole concern rests in economics instead of science, the public will continue to shoulder the entire burden of environmental illness through lost productivity and the ever-rising costs of disability and health care. If a few people win in court, then the public wins. Fair rulings are the only way that standards for competent construction and the manufacture of safe products (can you say Katrina trailers?) will once again represent a level of quality required by consumers. Products must be made to serve the needs of people; we are not here to serve vendors.
Ms. Kramer is to be commended for her courage in continuing to speak out about this problem, despite the SLAPP suit in which Kelman claims HE was “injured", and the shoddy journalism this reprehensible article represents. I admire her willingness to go out on a limb for all of us who have firsthand experience with this very real health hazard. While mold in the natural world outdoors is, in fact, “ubiquitous” - the old standby phrase trumpeted by financially threatened entities like the insurance, building, mortgage lending and real estate industries - the little arsenal of mycotoxins they produce is not harmless to humans exposed in a tight building envelope compromised by excessive moisture. For the record, I was once one of those who would have bought the slant of this article, say about ten years ago. But my moderate - with a slight tilt to the right, then - shifted markedly after my own run-in with indoor, toxin-forming molds. My exposure to the havoc molds can cause involved a (former) sister - a realtor - who’d leased me her own chronically water-damaged home, then jumped in bed with her insurer (feigning a “sudden” water loss to make sure she was covered). My daughter and I lost everything we owned to that contaminated building, and have since done battle with some serious health problems that did NOT exist prior to an unanticipated 3-yr. exposure. Yeah, at first I didn’t want to believe something like this could ever happen, either. Makes the asbestos hazard (not a living organism) look pretty pat. Small wonder indoor mold proliferation scares the crap out of entities afraid of the liabilities, so much so that they continue to run highly successful disinformation campaigns everywhere to keep the public confused and in the dark about the real hazard. It’s true that not everyone will remain chronically ill from an exposure to indoor mold, but about 1 in 4 is genetically predisposed to developing a daunting array of multi-system symptoms, as the pioneering research and rock-solid evidence of Ritchie C. Shoemaker, M.D. and his colleagues in biotoxin studies clearly attest. Why do I think Ms. Kramer is so brave? Because she’s doggedly pressed on, refusing to cave even when faced with a SLAPP suit. I ran the gauntlet of litigation myself, but found that the law, as written, in Colorado still caters to the needs of big business and big insurers with big financial resources that buy them savvy “experts”. Just one of the defense expert witnesses in my own case was able to charge in excess of $100,000 for his time - when he only made a single court appearance in the 3-trial travesty that was my legal action. Imagine being already ill from the exposure, already broke, homeless and, finally, being hit with about a quarter-million dollars in expert defense-witness fees after trying (unsuccessfully) to tell the truth about this mess in a court of law? Later in Iowa, after my own unfortunate run-in with mold and “justice”, I attempted to help a small community where teachers and children were being sickened by a mold-ridden school building. The usual disinformation campaign was mounted, of course, to quell the community's fears. The teachers were told to return to work or lose their jobs. When I had a friend distribute (outside, in the street) a one-page flyer with 6 astute questions on it that the local parents should ask school administrators - lo and behold! - 3 days later my friend was threatened with a SLAPP suit by mail - and he wasn’t even the author of the flyer! I later discovered that the law firm that sent the letter represented both the school district and its insurer. Hmmm, how about that? And that’s precisely how they do it: Kill (or scare away) the messengers, one by one, truth be hanged. Grind ‘em into the ground via public derision - and eventual bankruptcy, thanks to the high cost of courtroom drama. The threat I received, via my friend, was enough to shut me up - since you’re not allowed to go bankrupt twice in one year, you know? My hat’s off to you, Sharon Kramer - thank you for your amazing courage. And I’m so grateful for the groundbreaking research and treatment protocols of outstanding, tireless physicians and scientists like Dr. Shoemaker, who carry on in spite of short funding and long lines of patients who’d spent years seeing clueless doctors far too busy to read ALL the current research themselves, apparently. And to Daniel Heimpel, the reporter who crafted this piece of trash journalism? All I can say is: You’re part of what has given your profession a bad name. Shame on you. Shame on the editors of LA Weekly. You advertisers’ influence is showing, and this kind of reporting is a sorry excuse for true journalism. To the reading public: I urge you to to go to http://www.biotoxin.info/ and learn, so that you and yours can avoid what Sharon’s family, my own and so many others have learned - the hard way.
What an interesting and illuminating article. Tip of the iceberg for exposing this self-righteous freaks who burden our society with their madness.
Well, this article surely seems slanted in favor of the few left who claim mold doesn't harm. My advice: Follow the money...just as with Big Tobacco, lots of insurance money is being invested in covering up the well documented FACT that mold and dampness inside a building can cause illnesses of various kinds in a perfectly healthy person. This is a war between industry vs. citizens that is shameful - and now, this media outlet joins the fray and slams Mrs. Kramer with very negative descriptions - not so for the opposition. It is clearly a slanted, hit piece that should be a red flag for your readers. "The man doth protest too loudly" would seem to apply here. Mrs. Kramer and her family are victims of home mold who have suffered and tried to help others - and have done so, successfully, more than most. Thus, she is targeted. No one in this country thinks that mold is harmless, and because our buildings are often damp and moldy, this is a major public health problem that the gov't is gradually admitting. It is in the schools, extensively, visit www.schoolmoldhelp.org to learn more about mold and health and mold in your children's schools that could be making them sick. Meanwhile, for shame re: this disgusting, opinionated article.
About my previous response, you can also email me at gsgrl2000@yahoo.com
There's a difference between "good" mold and "toxic" mold. The "toxic" mold are the mycotoxins that some molds off gas into the air and can be very toxic (for those who don't know what toxic means, it means poisonous!). Whether you breath the mycotoxins in or ingest them they are still TOXIC!!!! POISONOUS to your system! And there are those out there who are more susceptible than others to the effects of the toxins. And you do not have to be allergic to something to be poisoned by it!
How dare you speak lies about someone you don't know on a subject you have absolutely no knowledge of! If you or your child or family were poisoned and sick from mycotoxins you would be writing a different story. Fungus is not a fallacy and getting sick from a fungal infection and the mycotoxins they can permit is not just a bunch of people who are hysterical or crazy. The truth will come out about the ACOEM and the government cover-up in medicine and society. Why would the pharmaceutical companies, the FDA, the CDC, Monsanto and the government want people to know the truth about mycotoxins, fungus, the health risks to the public about this and any other illness or dis-ease when they make so much money off of sick people? It's obvious to me that the LAWeekly paper is not about seeking the truth but rather about making money; but so is every other major media network and paper out there. Feel free to call me about my response and so I can educate you about Mycotoxicosis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalopathy and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis! 626-791-5013 ask for Dana
To better explain my opinion of this article, a short story is in order. When I was a kid, a neighbor’s 9-year-old son was killed crossing a busy street on his way to school. There was no stop light at the intersection. After her son’s death, the mother of the young boy stood at the intersection every morning of the school year and carefully escorted other kids (many she did not know) safely across the busy street so that no other child would be hurt or killed. For all of her efforts, most people called the woman “a nutcase”, “obsessed”, and thought “she should just move on”. The only people who didn’t think the woman was crazy were the parents of the other kids who had to cross the same intersection to get to school. Those folks were more than appreciative and were comforted knowing someone was looking out for their child. I believe the same thing is going on here. There is mounting evidence that certain species of molds can, in fact, cause health problems, including asthma and even more severe problems. In fact, in a review of scientific literature, a certain toxigenic mold called Chaetomium was found to be the cause of death because it had overtaken the patients’ brain tissue. Hopefully the critics will never have to worry about crossing this intersection. If they do, they might be glad Ms. Kramer has taken up the issue. That story, however, wouldn’t have endeared the journalist or his publication to those advertisers or potential advertisers who would have culpability.
The press release for which Sharon Kramer is being sued is about my case. I've recently spent dozens of hours reading most of the actual references to the ACOEM position statement, and aside from those authored by the principals of Veritox, they do not say what the authors have attributed to them. Some say just the opposite, and the rest validate the dangers of mold and mycotoxins as a foregone conclusion and encourage more research. If Daniel Heimpel had conducted his research responsibly, he would have seen that for himself. He also would have referred to my case as occurring in "Clackamas, Oregon," not Portland, and might have referred to my lawyer as "effective", not sly. He might have even have spelled his name correctly. If anyone is interested in the truth, go to the sources chosen by Bruce Kelman and the other authors of the ACOEM position statement. They picked those references, not me. Not Kelly Vance. Not Sharon Kramer. Even if I didn't have firsthand knowledge about mold and its devastating impact (my own, as well has that of hundreds of desparate people who have contacted me as a result of our case), I would not be swayed by Heimpel's poorly-written, poorly-researched article which stoops to personal attacks. Intelligent people will dismiss the words of someone who sinks to criticizing his subject's housekeeping. Yes, we want justice, but first we want proper medical help, and the misinformation perpetuated by the ACOEM, Veritox and now LA Weekly stands in the way. rhaynes668@aol.com
Daniel Heimpel's story on Mold reached a new low in bogus journalism. He wrote that in a "sly move" in an Oregon mold case, I created a false impression that Mr. Kelman had been paid $40,00 by the Manhatten Institute to write the original ACOEM paper. That is a lie. Anyone who read the transcript would see that I was asking him about the "new version that you did for the Manhatten Institute" not the original paper. It is a slur to imply I tried to mislead the jury. Had the author read the transcript, he would also have seen that I called Mr. Kelman on his conflict of interest in writing a paper, THEN testifying for hire about it. By the way, that ACOEM paper was almost not released because so many of Kelman's colleagues considered it a biased "defense litigation report" which is exactly what it is. I have their e-mails. One noted physician has written in a medical journal that, of the 83 studies cited in the ACOEM paper 82 of them do not support the paper's conclusions. If you want to do a story on mold victims, check your facts. There are people suffering out there and stories like this only make it harder for them to obtain justice.
The truth in this matter has been written by Ms. Kramer and the Wall Street Journal. The ACOEM position is nothing but junk sciende and a scam to prevent the truth from being presented before both State and U.S. District Courts. In addtion, the ACOEM is before Senate hearings on other issues. Dr. McClellan, the President of ACOEM, has gone on record claiming that industry has forced the members of ACOEM to deny the adverse health effects of toxic exposures in the workplace. It is essentially they made us do it, when in reality it is money before health. Sharon I applaud your efforts and hopefully with Mr.Bandlow and Senator Kennedy you will succeed in getting the truth to the public.
The outrageous demand these deliberate obfuscators of science who parade their 'credentials' while hiding their commercial agendas before the courts as they grind down the innocent victims of their uncaring agenda would even TRY to force Mrs. Kramer deny all that she has worked for, is completely outrageous. Mrs. Kramer has worked so tirelessly for so many years at such great cost to her and her family on behalf of the tens of thousands of others who suffer unheard. She is to be admired for such courage and strength in this cruel and unrelenting process. Fortunately, she is unafraid to let us see it from the inside...
For the record: 1. I do not keep a trailer in my front yard. While I do have two dogs, my home is not filthy. 2. Writer Heimpel left out some key phrases of what I was required to sign before the suit was dropped. Namely: "To my knowledge, their testimony and advice are based on their expertise and objective understanding of the underlying scientific data." In other words, they want me to commit perjury and lie about what I know of the "science" they promote in the courtroom. They wanted me to endorse their science, before they would drop the suit. 3. The phrase in question in the press release is "altered his under oath statements". I was writing of Dr. Kelman trying to distance the ACOEM Mold Statement - a purportedly unbiased, scientific work, from the version that was paid for US Chamber of Commerce. This version ends in the sentence,“Thus the notion that ‘toxic mold’ is an insidious secret ‘killer’ as so many media reports and trial lawyers would claim is ‘Junk Science’ unsupported by actual scientific study.” Hardly unbiased or scientific. 4. The Wall Street Journal has written of the Conflicts of Interest in the science that Dr. Kelman and others promote over the mold issue. The article is titled, “Court of Opinion, Amid Suits Over Mold, Experts Wear Two Hats. It goes into detail of how the medical policy-writing body, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine specifically brought into the organization, litigation defense expert to author their position paper on mold. Dr. Kelman’s name may be found extensively in the UCSF tobacco legacy library. He is an old expert witness for Phillip Morris and RJReynolds. One may read the article here: http://moldwarriors.com/SK/WSJOnlineJan92007.pdf 5. My “snappy-dressing law professor at USC” attorney, Mr. Bandlow, is currently working this lawsuit on a volunteer basis because it has cost me all to defend myself while attempting to unravel the false science of ACOEM and the US Chamber. Mr. Bandlow understands how many lives are being devastated by the litigation defense science being allowed to permeate national health policy over the mold issue. I am extremely appreciative of his continued help. 6. The Federal GAO audit ordered into this issue will be completed shortly after Labor Day. I am extremely appreciative of Senator Kennedy initiating this audit so that we may untangle the web of industry exhibiting far to much influence of the mold issue and other environmental exposures. 7. The paragraph from my press release that they would prefer not come to greater public and legislative light is: “In 2003, with the involvement of the US Chamber of Commerce and ex-developer, US Congressman Gary Miller (R-CA), the GlobalTox paper was disseminated to the real estate, mortgage and building industries' associations. A version of the Manhattan Institute commissioned piece may also be found as a position statement on the website of a United States medical policy-writing body, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.” I was the first to publicly write of a litigation defense argument being wrongfully legitimized by a medical association with a dubious history (read "Doubt is their Product", by Dr. David Michaels) and then promoted by the US Chamber of Commerce and a conservative think-tank, the Manhattan Institute. 8. And last, but certainly not least: For me to speak out about a deceit in medicine that is harming the lives of so many has been a hardship on my family. I am extremely appreciative of their longstanding and continued support. Sincerely, Mrs. Sharon Noonan Kramer Snk1955@aol.com 760-822-8026
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braveheart1 10/16/2009 12:46:00 AM
About a week ago I ended a 45 day journey of mold lies and deceit!! I am a tenant who paid to live in a nice 4br home in a upper middle class area of OC. My landlord hired unlicensed contractors prior to my moving in. Long story short 6 months later there were interior wall leaks!Water began leaking out of the air conditioning unit. I suffered strange health problems: fatigue, fever, eye infections, breathing difficulties and memory loss. No lawyer would help me in fear of the crap about how they can't prove it scientifically!!!!!!!! We lived in hotels and RVs for a month and suffered. Now I can't find a doctor to do the appropriate testing?? and I still suffer physically. The management company involved verbally threatened us and we were told we would receive nothing..that mold can't be proven in court. The remediation companies are complete crooks and most don't do the correct mycotoxin test needed in litigation.. What is wrong here??? EVERYTHING!! the truth will come out. crooks, liars and cheats..the truth will be told. MOLD IS HARMFUL TO ALL! The deaths of many will be on your hands. Where is the justice system? How many have to die till the courts will take notice?