Allergy and Immunology News

Ragweed is a prolific pollen producer and the number one cause of seasonal allergy symptoms, but people who are allergic can takes steps to avoid the airborne culprits according to the American College of ...

Contrary to results of other similar studies, getting an influenza vaccine before the flu season did not lower older patients' risk of contracting community-acquired pneumonia during the flu season compared ...

New guidelines for diagnosing and treating allergic rhinitis were released this month, just in time for the crush of fall allergy sufferers seeking relief from their allergist/immunologists. The diagnosis and ...

Aug 18, 2008 5:44 pm US/Eastern Reporting Mary Robb Jackson PITTSBURGH Seventeen-year-old Chelsea Thomas is about to begin her first year at Johnson and Wales College, but she wants to leave behind her itchy, ...

Now that we've all been hit with the economic trifecta -- the mortgage, food and gasoline crises -- finding ways to cut back has become an imperative.

Allergist Vanitcha Pintavorn looks at Kim Gibbs' nose and ears and announces that her patient looks pretty clear.

Down comes the rain, then up goes the number of allergy attacks in the borderland.

As more than 2.2 million children with food allergies head back to school in coming weeks, the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology encourages parents, in cooperation with school staff, to take ...

People who suspect that they have atopic dermatitis should carefully examine skin areas, keeping three questions in mind: Is there dry skin with a red or scaly rash? Is the rash itchy? If the rash has occurred ...

This story begins at the end, the end of Dan Pauluk's life. This is a shocking story of a man's death through neglect and inhumane treatment. God bless his family for all they endured. We understand as my husband and I have the same illness, multiple organ damage, skin lesions, aspergillosis, stachybotrytoxicosis, severe mold and trichothecene poisoning. I talk to people of all ages and walks of life daily who are dying a slow horrible death while no one does anything. Like in Dan's case they knew the deadly molds were present. In our case not only were over a dozen toxigenic molds found but highly toxic levels of trichothecene (a deadly poison produced ONLY from mold, used in biowarfare)…

Please share Dan's horror story. It may save someone else's life. Only by God's grace are we alive, those liable left us to die even after diagnosis. Please help stop the suffering and educate the public. We relate to the hell Dan Pawlak lived, and finally it took his precious life. Please honor his memory and make his story known. Love, Iris & Tlee

We're trying to unite and work with other groups and entities to establish Indoor toxic mold awareness month in every state. We appreciate your support of these efforts to educate the public. I'm very tired, but wanted to share the horrible reality of this man and the toxic mold health issues and such neglect. Iris - www.myspace.com/faceoftoxicmold

Okay - More Evidence - Invasive Fungal Infections

For all those who continue to promote their propaganda that exposure to mold toxins only causes allergies OR only the very seriously ill would be affected - note these words - "increasingly prevalent" and "Aspergillus" and "mold infection" and "invasive" and "increasing in frequency" and "high morbility rate" and for one of their favorite arguments which is that this only happens to people with serious underlying risk factors (such as cancer) and rarely to "healthy" individuals - note the word - "particularly" before underlying risk factors. That just means they are more likely to become ill if exposed to these molds. COMMON SENSE. There are other risk factors that "healthy" people have that put them in an underlying risk factor group - (besides just breathing) - such as asthma, recovering from a surgery, a lowered immune system for any number of reasons, mitral valve prolaspe (high risk of a valve infection from fungus just like the higher risk factor from bacteria) and etc., etc., etc. . AND THEN THERE ARE INFANTS AND CHILDREN - WHO ARE AT RISK PERIOD BECAUSE OF THEIR NOT FULLY DEVELOPED IMMUNE SYSTEM. Katy

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The United States Patent & Trademark Office issued a patent for an environmentally "Green" low cost process that eliminates the effects of a broad range of pollutants using oxidants.

Main Category: Allergy Also Included In: Respiratory / Asthma Article Date: 07 Aug 2008 - 1:00 PDT printer friendly view / write opinions rate article If you think your ragweed allergies are getting worse, you ...

NOTE - CAN THE FOLLOWING BE ANY CLEARER - Katy

ScienceDaily (July 3, 2008) —

Fungi can cause a number of life-threatening diseases but they also are becoming increasingly useful to science and manufacturing every year. However, many people, scientists among them, are largely unaware of the roles fungi play in the world around us.

Research on fungi and fungal diseases are seriously neglected as a result — a situation with grave negative repercussions for human health, agriculture, and the environment– according to The Fungal Kingdom: Diverse and Essential Roles in Earth's Ecosystem, a new report from the American Academy of Microbiology.

The report is the product of a colloquium convened by the Academy in November, 2007, where experts in mycology, medicine, plant pathogens, and ecology discussed the current state of research in mycology and compiled a list of specific recommendations for future work.

"The average person is at risk for several fungal diseases, from toenail infections to athlete's foot to life threatening systemic infections," says Arturo Casadevall of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and one of the co-chairs of the colloquium. "Fungi may also predispose people to asthma and allergic diseases," says Casadevall.

Despite the frequency of fungal infections, according to the report they are relatively understudied, making fungal infections difficult to diagnose and treat. When faced with an undiagnosed fungal infection, doctors are forced to treat their patient without a firm grasp of which drugs will work and which drugs will only cost the patient valuable time.

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http://www.asm.org/Academy/index.asp?bid=59044

The Fungal Kingdom explores the roles fungi play in the world around us -

Download PDF - http://www.asm.org/ASM/files/ccLibraryFiles/Filename/000000004018/Fungal_Kingdom.pdf

NOTE - This recent document has tons of information from those who study fungi. More than one might want to know. All those who continue to say there are no facts that mold toxins cause illness and disease and especially not in healthy people need to face the facts. The insurance industry and politicians that work for them are not going to be able to use this much longer. KATY

This is from the PDF - A number of fungi pose transkingdom threats and may be used to sicken both humans and important food crops. Such fungi would also be more easily spread among the target populations, since multiple hosts would shed and circulate more pathogens than a single host.

Fusarium species, Alternaria species and Cladosporium species can cause disease in both plants and humans. Perhaps other fungi could be added to this list with the aid of genetic engineering.

Here's the proof - we are lacking the "standards." Katy

Information from -
http://nationalindoormoldsociety.org

The National Indoor Toxic Mold Awareness Month Planning Committee developed this Toxic Mold Fact Sheet to provide information about molds and mycotoxins. Currently, there are no Federal Government Standards for indoor air quality regarding molds and mycotoxins. This information is provided to inform the public on the preventable health and development problems that may be caused by exposure to toxic mold in their homes, schools, and communities.

Important Mold Facts:

People are routinely exposed to more than 200 species of fungi indoors and outdoors. There are sixty species that produce the 180 trichothecene mycotoxins.

Mycotoxins kill other things, like bacteria and viruses, so mold can continue to grow.

The American Cancer Society lists aflatoxin mycotoxins as known human carcinogens. The FDA has enforced regulatory limits on aflatoxin concentrations in foods and feeds since 1965.

Mold spores, whether dead or alive, can cause adverse health effects.

Molds also produce a large number of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These chemicals are responsible for the musty odors produced by growing molds.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

There is no practical way to eliminate all molds and mold spores in the indoor environment; the way to control indoor mold growth is to control moisture.

Molds can be found almost anywhere; they can grow on virtually any substance, providing moisture is present. There are molds that can grow on wood, paper, carpet, and foods.

Clean and dry any damp or wet building materials and furnishings within 24-48 hours to prevent mold growth.

Incidences:

It is estimated that 500,000 deaths occur yearly in the United States due to exposure to indoor toxic mold.

According to an EPA study, an estimated 50% of our nation's schools have problems linked to poor indoor air quality.

Health Causes:

Mycotoxin exposure can lead to toxic injury that may include multiple illnesses, affecting the skin and the nervous, vascular, respiratory, digestive, reproductive, urinary, and immune systems; including the formation of cancers and can be life-threatening.

September 5 to October 5, 2008

What is the purpose of National Indoor Toxic Mold Awareness Month?

The purpose of National Indoor Toxic Mold Awareness Month is to inform, educate, and raise awareness about the adverse health effects due to exposure of indoor molds and mycotoxins.

What are molds?

Molds are a common name for fungi. Molds are microscopic organisms that produce enzymes to digest organic matter and mold spores to reproduce. These organisms are part of the fungi kingdom, a realm shared with mushrooms, yeast, and mildews. In nature, molds play a key role in the decomposition of leaves, wood, and other plant debris. Molds need moisture to grow.

What are mycotoxins?

Mycotoxins are toxic vapors produced by mold spores when they sporulate, or grow, and have serious health effects on humans and animals. Mycotoxins are so poisonous that they have been used as a biological war weapon. Stachybotrys chartarum is the most studied and well-known toxic mold. It is known to produce trichothecene mycotoxins. Aspergillus produces aflatoxin mycotoxins. Aflatoxins are among the most carcinogenic substances known.

How do you get sick from mycotoxins?

Mycotoxins enter the body through inhalation, ingestion, or contact with the skin, and can result in a multitude of symptoms including but not limited to: dermatitis, cough, rhinitis, nose bleeds, cold and flu-like symptoms, headache, general malaise and fever.

How can exposure to indoor mold and mycotoxins affect my health?

Mycotoxin exposure can lead to toxic injury that may include multiple illnesses, affecting the skin and the nervous, vascular, respiratory, digestive, reproductive, urinary, and immune systems; including the formation of cancers and can be life-threatening.

Can mold grow inside the human body?

Yes. Certain species of molds referred to as "body temperature molds" can live and grow inside the human body, causing recurring infections and numerous other health problems as well as death.

Should I use bleach to clean mold?

The U of R Medical Center Recruits top immunologists. The University of Rochester is gaining more staff.

The Cancer Letter does its usual excellent job in reporting on the latest network TV free-for-all on cell phones and cancer.