No Evidence Indoor Mold Causes Major Illness: Report

By Michael Ha

NU Online News Service, May 27,11:25 a.m.EDT?Building mold and dampness are associated withrespiratory problems and asthma symptoms in susceptible people, butevidence is lacking to show dampness and mold cause brain damage orother serious illnesses, a government panel of experts said.[@@]

The group also found limited and suggestive evidence that suchconditions might cause a problem for healthy children.

Generally hailed by the insurance industry, the findings camefrom a nine-member group convened by the Institute of Medicineconsisting of epidemiologists, toxicologists and pediatricians.

The institute is part of the National Academy of Sciences thatadvises the federal government on various health issues. The panelsaid its members reached their conclusion after reviewing "hundredsof scientific papers and reports."

In its report titled "Damp Indoor Spaces and Health," the panelacknowledged there is enough evidence to show that mold and indoordampness were indeed linked to respiratory problems and asthmasymptoms in some susceptible people.

"Epidemiologic studies?indicate that there is sufficientevidence to conclude that the presence of mold indoors isassociated with upper respiratory symptoms; cough, wheeze andasthma symptoms in sensitized asthmatic persons; andhypersensitivity pneumonitis (a relatively rare immune-mediatedcondition) in susceptible persons," the panel found.

It said also that there is "limited or suggestive evidence of anassociation" with respiratory illness in otherwise healthychildren.

However, the panel also found there is "no sufficient evidenceof a link" between mold and more serious conditions like brain orneurological damage, reproductive problems, and cancer.

"Inadequate or insufficient information was identified todetermine whether damp indoor environments or agents associatedwith them are related to a variety of health outcome," according tothe panel's report.

But more studies are still needed, especially to understand whatpotential effect interactions between various indoor environmentsmay have, the panel said.

The report observed that indoor environments subject occupantsto various elements that could interact physically or chemicallywith one another and with other factors of the environment, such ashumidity, temperature and ventilation rate. But there are only afew studies to date that have examined whether there are "additivesor synergistic interactions among these factors," the panelreported.

For the insurance industry, which has been hit with an onslaughtof mold damage and injury claims in recent years, the findings werewelcome.

Various industry observers hailed the findings, includingLoretta Worters, vice president of the Insurance InformationInstitute in New York, who said the insurance industry is "pleasedwith the results of the report."

"This report reinforces what we have been saying," said AnneSittmann, spokesperson for the Des Plaines, Ill.-based PropertyCasualty Insurers Association of America. "Mold poses nosignificant health problems to the vast majority of thepopulation," Ms. Sittmann said.

However, Melinda Ballard?a policyholders' advocate who broughtthe seminal Texas mold damage case, Ballard vs. FarmersInsurance, that opened a floodgate of claims in 2001 when ajury awarded $32 million, an amount reduced to $4 million before anundisclosed settlement was reached?told NationalUnderwriter more studies are needed to fully understand mold'seffects.

"We agree that only a small portion of the general population istruly affected by mold," Ms. Ballard said. "Not everyone getsaffected. In my case, I wasn't affected, but my kids and husbandwere," said Ms. Ballard, who settled her lawsuit against LosAngeles-based Farmers Insurance Group in March.

She also said she agrees with the panel's remark that morestudies still need to be done. "We need to have more, largerstudies done, because studies involving 20-to-30 people are justnot going to cut it, and that's what we have right now," Ms.Ballard said. She also observed there are a few studies currentlyunder way that examine in depth the neuro-toxicity issue of theindoor molds and that these studies will shed more light on howmolds can have adverse neurological effects for some people.