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In the January
2003 issue of Building Operating Management
Mold: Behind the Hype
Mold has emerged as the biggest, most costly and most controversial health
issue to face building owners since concerns about asbestos prompted
lawsuits, abatement programs and federal action two decades ago. There is
a $32 million judgement in a mold case in Texas, with estimates of
millions more in settlements across the country. Insurance companies paid
out $85 million for mold claims in 2001; in 2002, sky-high claims
for $12 billion were filed in
New York
alone. Some experts say claim totals in dollars will dwarf amounts awarded
in Superfund and asbestos cases combined.
Behind much of the concern is the fear that buildings are the breeding
grounds of a particularly virulent strain of mold - "toxic mold" that
threatens anyone exposed to it. But as lawyers and lawmakers sound the
alarm about toxic mold, scientists and many health experts who have
studied the subject strike a far more cautious note.
What little experts know now about mold lends little credence to the idea
of killer molds in buildings, they say. Toxic molds produce poisons that
can damage or kill cell tissue. There is no body of evidence that links
molds typically found in buildings to a toxic effect in people. But molds
are not benign either and should be treated seriously. Molds are suspected
of causing allergic reactions and respiratory illness that can be serious.
An allergen is treated by the body as a foreign particle that the body
wants to expel. And while the allergic effect is temporary, it can lead to
long-term problems. What makes mold particularly troublesome is that
scientists can't say for sure who will have an allergic reaction and how
serious it will be.
Find out more about the science and emerging law on mold in the January
2003 issue of Building Operating Management
http://www.facilitiesnet.com/BOMNewsletter/index.html
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