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What Dave Keys Thinks 03/28/2012 8:06:00 PM
Ahhh America! The place where people can fear the slightest thing. Homes hundreds of years old in Europe are partially constructed from mold, yet people for generations have lived out their lives without fearing mold monsters. In the spring, open the windows and air it out. Maybe we keep our houses too warm? Who knows...
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Paul 05/28/2011 1:54:00 PM
While I don't know the details behind this long article - it clearly was biased and slanted by its tone alone. I came away less informed than when I went in.
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Snk1944 03/12/2011 5:51:00 AM
Email sent to Jill Stewart and Daniel Heimpel, March 11, 2011
Titled: Know that your legal day is comig
Dear Jill and Daniel,
Never fuck with someone who has a degree in marketing. And please don't harm their children. You two have done more harm to innocent families than just about anybody I know.
I will never forgive you for what you did to sweet Erin..to aid insurer fraud that harms many. I will continue to write the truth of what YOU did. If you can provide evidence to controvert this, please share now.
In other words, the two of you are going to eventually be end up SUED for aiding and abetting with racketeering that has aided and abetted interstate insurance fraud. Please choke on it for what you did to sweet Erin.
If you would care to discuss it, I am always available...you scum of the earth.
9. Jill Stewart and Daniel Heimpel of LAWeekly did a real hit piece on me three weeks before trial. They knew EXACTLY what they were doing. Many people said they were not even interviewed or were grossly misquoted. Worse, they attacked my husband and children. My eldest daughter has cystic fibrosis. She lives in LA. They deemed her my "starring victim". They said my other daughter does not tell her college friends of me. I was in the room when Heimpel spoke to my daughter. She said no such thing. It was so hateful and hurtful to my girls and to my husband. I never even write of my daughters unless someone asks me specifically what brought me into this issue.
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Paul 11/15/2010 6:45:00 AM
One individual commented that people lose all credibility when saying they were smokers and mold affected them in other ways.
I'm not going to say what I think of the poster of that comment. I will say that toxic mold has various things about it to affect a person. Learn the facts and you won't make ignorant statements.
1) mold spores have poisons. These can kill lung tissue or damage other organs as the toxins enter the blood stream.
2) mold plants themselves can be an allergan so people can have coughing wheezing from that alone. minor to severe.
3) Tremors as the toxins can affect the brain, higher heart rate, panic attack like symptoms etc.
because one admits to smoking doesn't mean they're ruling out the additional scientific cause / effect relationship going on.
This is why I created the Toxic Mold Registry starting with my own mold situation. I'm creating a 501c3 to document mold in our residential histories so no one can say mold could never have been a factor. Scientific research is needed in the toxic mold area and I intend to provide this data nationwide to medical professionals and researchers as time goes by. Feel free to check the site. www.toxicmoldregistry.org Donations are greatly appreciated.
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braveheart1 10/16/2009 12:46:00 PM
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?
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Steve "Goldy" 01/06/2009 10:33:00 PM
Nicely written.
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Sharon Noonan Kramer 12/14/2008 6:06:00 PM
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.
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papa bear 12/13/2008 9:13:00 PM
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.
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Mycotoxinfantasy Fairy 12/10/2008 11:05:00 PM
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..........
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TheRealZornesWatch 09/06/2008 1:52:00 AM
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!
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Mr. Skeptical 09/04/2008 7:23:00 PM
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...............
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ZornesWatch 09/03/2008 9:20:00 AM
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"
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Sharon 09/03/2008 8:42:00 AM
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
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Mrs. Kramer 09/03/2008 8:34:00 AM
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
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Linda 09/02/2008 4:52:00 AM
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
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freakwatcher 08/28/2008 7:14:00 AM
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!
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D 08/27/2008 4:07:00 PM
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?
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ZornesWatch 08/27/2008 7:34:00 AM
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.
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Mr. Skeptical 08/26/2008 7:55:00 AM
"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
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ginloi 08/26/2008 7:04:00 AM
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."
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Jonathan Lee Wright 08/25/2008 9:35:00 PM
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
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Renee Haynes 08/25/2008 8:07:00 PM
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.
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Renee Haynes 08/25/2008 8:05:00 PM
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.
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R.A.S. MD 08/25/2008 6:12:00 PM
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.
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Whattanutcase!! 08/25/2008 8:45:00 AM
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
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Jonathan Lee Wright 08/25/2008 6:31:00 AM
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
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Wattanutcase! 08/25/2008 12:58:00 AM
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.
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Sharon Kramer 08/24/2008 3:38:00 AM
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
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R.A.S. MD 08/23/2008 8:31:00 AM
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.
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Molds and Mycotoxins (Toxic Mo 08/12/2008 12:45:00 AM
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?
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Patrice Moore 08/10/2008 5:47:00 PM
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 .
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Sharon 08/08/2008 5:23:00 AM
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
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ginloi 08/08/2008 4:40:00 AM
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.
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obvious 08/08/2008 12:48:00 AM
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.
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obvious 08/07/2008 11:38:00 PM
ginloi, my apologies, that was for William, but I'd like your answers too!
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obvious 08/07/2008 11:26:00 PM
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???
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ginloi 08/07/2008 10:50:00 PM
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.
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William A. 08/07/2008 10:25:00 PM
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.
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ginloi 08/07/2008 9:10:00 PM
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."
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William A. 08/07/2008 7:54:00 PM
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.
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Mrs. Sharon Noonan Kramer 08/07/2008 5:03:00 PM
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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William A. 08/07/2008 5:25:00 AM
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.
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Sharon 08/06/2008 7:36:00 PM
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
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Sharon 08/06/2008 7:02:00 AM
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"
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Francine Hill 08/05/2008 10:57:00 PM
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.
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Francine Hill 08/05/2008 10:41:00 PM
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.
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Richard Arsenault 08/05/2008 4:24:00 AM
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.
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ginloi 08/03/2008 3:58:00 PM
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."
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Sharon 08/03/2008 3:36:00 PM
Short and sweet: Nice try "sean". So will we be seeing you next week, or are you still out of the country?
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sean velour 08/03/2008 1:02:00 AM
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.
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Former Teacher 08/02/2008 5:40:00 AM
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.
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Francine Hill 08/01/2008 2:38:00 PM
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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Trollwatcher 08/01/2008 7:13:00 AM
FreakTroll:
e-mail me: LA_slanderattny@yahoo.com
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Freakwatcher 08/01/2008 5:55:00 AM
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.
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Deborah Daniels Davitt 08/01/2008 1:46:00 AM
Freakwatcher,
Spend a lot of time in front of the mirror, eh? Anyhoo, you make for good comedic relief about a very serious subject.
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Freakwatcher 07/31/2008 9:16:00 PM
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.
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Jayne Noonan Abernathy 07/31/2008 9:03:00 PM
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.
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Francine Hill 07/31/2008 7:58:00 PM
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.
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Robert Christ 07/31/2008 6:45:00 PM
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
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Debbie Funderburj 07/31/2008 4:08:00 PM
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.
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Francine Hill 07/31/2008 12:54:00 PM
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.
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Mary Mulvey Jacobson 07/31/2008 3:16:00 AM
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.
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ginloi 07/31/2008 2:28:00 AM
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.
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Anonymous 07/31/2008 1:26:00 AM
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.
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Sharon Noonan Kramer 07/30/2008 8:49:00 PM
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
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lee 07/30/2008 8:12:00 PM
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...
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tired of weirdos 07/30/2008 6:56:00 PM
No obsession eh sharon? Up at 2:34 posting gibberish. Sitting in the trailer smoking?
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Mrs. Sharon Kramer 07/30/2008 12:34:00 PM
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.
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Dave 07/30/2008 7:58:00 AM
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.
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Katrine Stevens 07/30/2008 6:33:00 AM
"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.
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Mary Tanguay Webb 07/30/2008 6:00:00 AM
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.
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The Observer 07/30/2008 4:28:00 AM
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.
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Jonathan Lee Wright 07/30/2008 1:25:00 AM
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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Walter M 07/29/2008 10:34:00 PM
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.
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TJ Riechert 07/29/2008 9:30:00 PM
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.
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masterchief 07/29/2008 7:16:00 PM
HAHAHAHA2AHA yda yada, fraekwatchre, and moldisthedvil iz DANIEL HEIMPEL in disguys! LOLOLOLOLOL1L
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Joseph 07/29/2008 7:14:00 PM
"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.
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Yada yada 07/29/2008 3:36:00 PM
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.
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Sharon Kramer 07/29/2008 2:47:00 PM
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.
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Richard Arsenault 07/29/2008 10:45:00 AM
Mr. anonymous, I do not respond to uncreative trolling. E-mail me so we can discuss this one on one: ra@exposurerecovery.com
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chase 07/29/2008 5:37:00 AM
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.
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Freakwatcher 07/29/2008 5:34:00 AM
Hey biohazard aka arsehole. What is with all of the spam about your sucky movie? Did the porn business not work out? Freak.
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Biohazard Educational Producti 07/29/2008 3:31:00 AM
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.
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SeekFind 07/29/2008 2:07:00 AM
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.
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Carol McDunn 07/29/2008 12:52:00 AM
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.
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J. Katz 07/29/2008 12:00:00 AM
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.
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Mold is the Devil 07/28/2008 11:30:00 PM
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!
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Netwatch2008 07/28/2008 11:26:00 PM
The name-calling trolls ARE coming out of the woodwork, aren't they? Hmmm... don't let them distract you guys.
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Cindy Schnackel 07/28/2008 11:04:00 PM
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.
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Mold is the Devil 07/28/2008 10:26:00 PM
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!!!
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Freakwatcher 07/28/2008 9:32:00 PM
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.
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Richard Arsenault 07/28/2008 8:58:00 PM
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.
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loosecannon 07/28/2008 7:38:00 PM
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....
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NoMoreMold 07/28/2008 3:53:00 PM
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.
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Hmmm 07/28/2008 9:08:00 AM
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.
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Richard Arsenault 07/28/2008 7:06:00 AM
God Bless America and freedom of speech on a blog like this.
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Freakwatcher 07/28/2008 6:32:00 AM
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.
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Freakwatcher 07/28/2008 6:26:00 AM
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.
