Future Environment Designs Sponsors Health Effects of Mold Exposure Video

Future Environment Designs is proud to sponsor a new informational video on the Health Effects of Mold Exposure.  This video is designed as a public service awareness video on the health effects of mold exposure.

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Mold Exposure Has Greater Impact on Infants

Image by yori kato via FlickrA new study published in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology has shown that mold exposure has much greater impact in infants during their formative years. The article on this study was published online at the Environmental News Network. For certain individuals, the inhalation of mold can be extremely hazardous for the lungs, respiratory system, and overall well-being.  Some people are more susceptible than others to the symptoms caused by airborne mold, but it is generally accepted that mold exposure is unhealthy for all.  The new study found that infants living in moldy homes are much more likely to develop asthma by age 7.
"Early life exposure to mold seems to play a critical role in childhood asthma development," says Tina Reponen, PhD, lead study author and University of Cincinnati (UC) professor of environmental health.  "Genetic factors are also important to consider in asthma risk, since infants whose parents have an allergy or asthma are at the greatest risk of developing asthma."
Mold growth is linked to environments with elevated levels of moisture.   For example, basements are a common spot for mold because of underground moisture, periodic flooding from storms, and lack of air flow.   Mold will start growing on surfaces like drywall, concrete, plywood, and other building materials.   Microscopic spores can then be released into the air and find their way into the lungs. Once in the body, the spores can cause fungal infections, allergic reactions, irritation of the eye, nose, and throat, etc.   Long-term effects include serious respiratory infections like asthma or bronchitis.
The recent study, conducted by researchers from UC and Cincinnati Children's Hospital, utilized seven years of comprehensive data for 176 children.   The data was used to evaluate the effects of mold exposure from early life.   The analysis took into account the likelihood of developing allergies based on family medical history.
The children in the study came from a much larger study in the Cincinnati area. The 176 children selected come from homes which contained mold.   Mold was measured in the their homes using an EPA method known as environmental relative moldiness index (ERMI).   In this method, mold exposure levels are measured using a DNA-based analysis tool which combines the analysis of 36 different mold types into a single index.  Link to published article: http://www.annallergy.org/article/S1081-1206%2811%2900313-9/abstract

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• Mold Exposure in Infancy Raises Asthma Risk (webmd.com)
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Asthma Control Study Indicates a Home Visit Strategy is Successful.

Image via WikipediaIn a study published in Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology (Volume 23, Number 2, 2010) called “Home Is Where the Triggers Are: Increasing Asthma Control by Improving the Home Environment” by James Krieger, MD, MPH discusses effectiveness of a home visit strategy. A home visit strategy should include an environmental component that addresses multiple triggers. Visitors assess home environmental conditions, tailor education on how to eliminate triggers to the client’s sensitization status and exposures found in the home, provide trigger reduction resources (eg, vacuums, cleaning supplies, bedding encasements and referral to smoking cessation), help with cockroach and rodent integrated pest management, make minor repairs and provide social support. An important part of the strategy is that visitors build trusting relationships with clients, thus enhancing their effectiveness in motivating behavior changes. These home visits reduce exposure to triggers, decrease symptoms and urgent health-care use, and increase quality of life. Home visit program cost per client ranges from $200 to $1500 based on the type of home visitor and the intensity of the intervention. However, a cost-effectiveness analysis concluded that these home visits have a return on investment of 5.3 – 14.0 and a cost of $12 - $57 per symptom-free day gained. It is important to note that the annual cost of inhaled fluticasone (220ug) is approximately $1567. The study discusses the Seattle-King County Healthy Homes program as an example of a successful program.


The study also talks about the strong evidence that links exposure to allergens commonly found in homes such as those derived from dust mites, cockroaches, rodents, molds, and pet dander, to sensitization and subsequent asthma incidence and morbidity. Exposure to indoor allergens is widespread, with >92% of homes containing sufficient concentrations of at least one allergen in dust to cause symptoms in sensitized individuals and 46% with exposure to three or more. In addition to allergens, other indoor asthma triggers include tobacco smoke, nitrogen oxides from combustion devices, irritants from volatile organic compounds, and fungi.

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Study suggests that being too clean can make people sick

Image via WikipediaA recent study by the University of Michigan School of Public Health suggests that people who are overexposed to endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) may suffer more allergies and negative effects to their immune systems.  Study suggests that being too clean can make people sick.  This study indicates that young people who are overexposed to antibacterial soaps containing triclosan may suffer more allergies, and exposure to higher levels of Bisphenol A (BPA) among adults may negatively influence the immune system.  Triclosan is a chemical compound widely used in products such as antibacterial soaps, toothpaste, pens, diaper bags and medical devices.  BPA is found in many plastics and, for example, as a protective lining in food cans.  Both of these chemicals are in a class of environmental toxicants called endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), which are believed to negatively impact human health by mimicking or affecting hormones.  "We found that people over age 18 with higher levels of BPA exposure had higher CMV antibody levels, which suggests their cell-mediated immune system may not be functioning properly," said Erin Rees Clayton, research investigator at the U-M School of Public Health and first author on the paper.  The study also found that people age 18 and under with higher levels of triclosan were more likely to report diagnosis of allergies and hay fever.  There is growing concern among the scientific community and consumer groups that these EDCs are dangerous to humans at lower levels than previously thought.

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