HADD_sickhomes The Hidden Dangers of Mold Exposure

[Tamara R Pearlman]

The Hidden Dangers of Mold Exposure
by Heather Sells, CBN News Reporter, cbn.com
12-2009

Federal guidelines for hazardous substances like radon, asbestos and
lead already exist, but for those with mold lurking in their home,
there's little warning.

No standards for the fungal growth have been set, despite a warning
from the U.S. Government Accountability Office in 2008 that "indoor
mold poses a widespread and, for some people, serious health threat."

That health threat turned into a real-life catastrophe for the Fabry
family.

A Life-Changing Discovery

Until last year, Chris Fabry, his wife and nine kids lived in a
beautiful 5,500-square-foot home in Colorado. Fabry hosted a daily
Christian radio show for Moody Radio in his home studio and pursued
his writing career. All nine kids were thriving in school, at church
and at home. The family seemingly had it all.

But in 2007, the Fabrys discovered mold in one of their bathrooms.
They cut into the wall, accidentally releasing spores and set off a
series of health problems ranging from rashes to diabetes - and then
worse.

Chris Fabry remembers 11-year-old Reagan's constant vertigo, nausea
and vomiting which doctors could not explain.

"This was a child I had to literally carry to the bathroom so he could
throw up and no doctor would say - they would say - 'you can't have
vertigo all the time. That's not possible.'"

Ten-year-old Kaitlyn, a voracious reader, had to give up her books
after her vision began to blur. Her 7-year-old brother Colin also
became sick.

Andrea Fabry remembered, "He would be doubled over with abdominal pain
sobbing and having migraines that would be so severe that he would
literally just sit there and scream. And then it was all four kids,
every night was like that."

Little Help from Doctors

Part of the Fabry's problem, unknown at the time, was that remediators
used fans on the mold, spreading toxic spores throughout the home.
In 2007 and 2008, the Fabrys would visit 30 specialists for their
family's growing health crisis.

For each child, doctors focused on symptoms and how best to treat
them. They never asked questions about the Fabry's home environment,
although they did challenge their parenting.

"I would have doctor after doctor look at me and say 'have you thought
of a psychologist? I think you need to take them home and give them
some tough love. I think that's what they need,'" Andrea Fabry said.

In late 2008, an indoor air test confirmed Andrea's deepening
suspicion: dangerously high counts of mold spores in several rooms.
The toxicologist told the family they must leave their home and
everything in it. The Fabrys even had to put down their two dogs to
prevent future contamination.

The family soon discovered that only a handful of doctors in the
country have experience in treating mold-related health issues.

After speaking with Dr. Michael Gray, a mold specialist in Benson,
Ariz., they decided to move. Chris' work could continue in Arizona and
the family could recuperate better in the warm, dry climate with
medical help close by.

Changing Medical School Curriculum

Gray told CBN News that urine tests confirmed high levels of toxins in
all 11 Fabrys. Their varying patterns of illness reflect symptoms of
hundreds of other mold patients he's treated since 1994.

But Gray doesn't blame the Fabry's doctors, who failed to identify
mold as a primary issue. Instead, he cites medical schools that give
little or no class time to environmental concerns.

"It is an area that is not well-taught and not well-recognized," he
explained.

The American Medical Association and other leading health institutions
agree, calling on medical schools to devote more time to the issue.
Dr. David Jacobs is the Director of Research for The National Center
for Healthy Housing and the former director of the Office of Healthy
Homes for the U.S. Department of Housing. He estimates that up to 25
percent of U.S. homes have mold problems.

But he acknowledges, research on mold is still in its infancy.

"We are still struggling to understand which species of mold produce
which specific health outcomes," he said.

Mold's History

Mold is a recognized hazard going all the way back to Bible times. In
Leviticus 14, the Lord commands Moses and Aaron to follow-up on mold
complaints.

Lev. 14:36-37 says, "The priest must go in and check it. He must look
carefully at the mold that is on the walls." (NIRV)

The passage then explains how priests must oversee repeat
examinations, cleanings and eventual tear-downs if mold continues to
grow in the home.

The World Health Organization has published a report on toxic molds,
known as mycotoxins, that notes significant health issues.

It warned that "exposure to mycotoxins can produce both acute and
chronic toxicities ranging from death to deleterious effects on the
central nervous, cardiovascular and pulmonary systems."

The Department of Defense is also up-to-date on toxic molds. It has
published a lengthy report on one type called "trichothecene
mycotoxins." The DOD says this mold is a proven warfare agent and can
cause vomiting, bleeding, blistering - even death.

Yet, the Environmental Protection Agency's Web site on mold contains
just one paragraph on its effect on health. In essence, the EPA cites
concerns about mold and allergies and notes that research is on-going.

The problem, Jacobs said, is that Congress has not given statutory
authority to any one government agency.

The GAO's 2008 report makes the same conclusion, noting "while current
research activities on indoor mold conducted or sponsored by EPA, HHS
and HUD address identified health-related research gaps to varying
degrees, these activities are largely uncoordinated within and across
agencies."

"There is no uniform training curricula that's out there that all the
states can use and adopt," Jacobs said. "We do have that for lead and
radon."

Tip and Recommendations

Mold experts say the best prevention method is to keep your home dry.
Watch for leaking pipes under sinks, water coming in around windows
and unventilated bathrooms. When in doubt, call a professional with
experience.

For the Fabrys, it's unknown whether their Colorado home will ever be
livable again. For now, they are simply trying to recover. Their goal:
healthy eating and avoiding public places which trigger new-found
chemical sensitivities.

Inspired to share what they've learned, Andrea is chronicling their
journey on the Web.

"We as people living in our homes don't know this," she said. "And I
think we're going to wake up. I think it's coming just like lead
poisoning, radon."

Chris Fabry is now hosting his radio show in a make-shift studio in
their rental home. Off-air, he tackles mounting medical bills that
insurance won't cover, and is re-entering the world of sports with his
sons.

The Fabrys fully expect that their battle with mold will not end
anytime soon. For now, their story is God's faithfulness in the midst
of a life they would never have imagined could happen to them.

"We're together," Chris said. "My wife and I are closer than we've
even been. We've been able to go through this tornado of the
rollercoaster--the emotions and the loss, all of our stuff and the
dogs and the illnesses of the kids and we've really seen God work
through that."

God's grace plus their deepening understanding of mold is helping to
restore them - and will likely awaken more people to the dangers of
mold.

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2009/December/The-Hidden-Dangers-of-Mold-Exposure

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