Originally Posted By: Caoimh?n P. Connell
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Hello Mr. Gromicko:
I am new to this page, and so forgive double postings, etc, until I figure out the format.
Actually, the page you reference (http://www.startremodeling.com/press_release_4_08_05.htm) contains a lot of very BAD information, which, if used by your members, would get them into a LOT of trouble. I am sure the author, Jimmy McDonald, is a very competent home inspector, but he doesn?t have a very good technical grasp of mould, mycology, epidemiology or toxicology; all of which are necessary when discussion health aspects of mould.
For a start, as a frequent expert witness in mould (mold) and Bacterial related issues, one of the one of the easiest ways to discredit a mould report is to point out the use of the term ?toxic mould? in the report and make the author prove that mould is toxic. Since there is no such thing as ?toxic mould,? any more than there is such a thing as ?toxic milk? or ?toxic peanuts? (even though milk and peanuts may result in anaphylactic attacks that can kill some people), the author who uses such a term is quickly reduced to trying to recite discredited reports (like the CDC report on Stachybotrys) or junk science.
Some folks here may already be familiar with my name. I am the guy who went public on the internet about eight years ago and openly criticized the original CDC report on Stachybotrys, as lacking scientific validity. Although I took a lot of heat for it ? the CDC of course eventually completely retracted the report, for precisely the reasons I raised. For my part, I have doing ?mould? inspections since about 1989, well before it became popular. My opinions have always been supported by sound science, and have not changed since 1989, and have never been successfully challenged.
If you would like to learn more about the state of knowledge of moulds, you may find my web discussions interesting. The discussion on health effects is http://members.aol.com/piobin/sok.html
Cheers,
Caoimh?n P. Connell
Forensic Industrial Hygienist
<SMALL> (The opinions expressed here are exclusively my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect my professional opinion, opinion of my employer, agency, peers, or professional affiliates. The above post is for information only and does not reflect professional advice and is not intended to supercede the professional advice of others.)
AMDG </SMALL>