Health damages from mold and mycotoxin exposure can be hard or easy to prove. The mold exposure vicitim must match the right environmental tests to the correlating medical tests that relate to the exposure victims specific symptoms or disease. Few medical doctors are aware of the right environmental tests needed to prove medical causation and fewer environmentalists are educated as to the correct medical tests that are needed to match the medical conditions to the mold contaminated environment to prove medical causation. This is why the EHAP litigation support team is #1 in proving or disproving medical causation from mold and mycotoxin exposure.
"Mycotoxin": The secondary metabolites or poisons produced by fungus or indoor mold growth. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control "CDC", all Mycotoxins are documented and carcinogens. Mycotoxin poisoning is referred to as "Mycotoxicosis".
The symptoms of mycotoxicosis depend on the type of mycotoxin; the concentration and length of exposure; as well as age, health, and sex of the exposed individual. The synergistic effects associated with several other factors such as genetics, diet, and interactions with other toxins continue to be studied. Therefore, it is possible that vitamin deficiency, caloric deprivation, alcohol abuse, and infectious disease status can all have compounded effects with mycotoxins. In turn, mycotoxins have the potential for both acute and chronic health effects via ingestion, absorption through the skin and inhalation. These toxins can enter the blood stream and lymphatic system; they inhibit protein synthesis, damage macrophage systems, inhibit particle clearance of the lung, and increase sensitivity to bacterial endotoxin.
How Does Mold Make You Sick? Mold Can Make You Sick in Three (3) Ways.
Allergic Effect
Infectious Effect
Toxicological Effect
1. Allergic effects
Allergic effects are detected through standard allergy tests, IgE, or skin prick testing. Patients usually experience recovery after being removed from the contaminated environment with
little to no further complaints. Immunotherapy may provide desensitization and improve the quality of life for those with mold allergies. All physicians across the board agree that mold can cause allergic reactions in mold exposure victims.
2.Infectious effects
The Infectious effects are divided into two (2) major categories, fungal and yeast infections. Fungal infections are for the most part extremely hard to cure. Invasive fungal Infections (IFI) can turn deadly when they become systemic. The same goes for systemic yeast infections. It is here, under the “Infectious” section, physicians across the board begin to disagree. The physician walks into the exam room and tells the patient, “Look at you, you’re, young, and healthy, only people with AIDS ARC or are immune-compromised can get a fungal infection. This couldn’t be further from the truth; we see every day:
Fungal sinusitis
Fungal skin rash
Fungal skin lesions
Blindness caused by fungal infection
Fungal nail
Jock itch
Foot Rot
Flesh eating fungus
There is a new fungal threat on the radar screen of CDC, known as “Cryptococcus gati”, this species of mold is a respecter of no one, the young, the old, the immunocompetent, or immnuoincompetnet. Once a human has become infected, it has approximately a thirty percent (30%) mortality rate. Cryptococcus gati is on the rise in the United States, usually it’s victims are misdiagnosed with bacteriological pneumonia, hospitalized, and are they prove to be unresponsive to any antibiotics. By the time the physicians figure it’s a fungal infection it’s too late, the patient is dead. In the majority of these cases, they are probably not reported.
The infections below are commonly recognized:
I. Fungal infection(s)
a. Fungal infection sinus
b. Fungal infection lungs
c. Fungal infection skin
d. Fungal infection finger / toe nails
e. Fungal localized infection internally
f. Invasive fungal infection
II. Yeast infection(s)
a. Yeast infection
b. Yeast infection oral (thrush)
c. Yeast infection vaginal
d. Yeast infection skin
e. Yeast infection bowels
f. Systemic yeast infection
The risk for death, serious illness is much higher when the patient is immunocompromised, or has an autoimmune disease, AIDS, ARC, or has had chemotherapy, cancer, or is a burn victim. The list of autoimmune disease is much larger than one might think, if your client has one of the following autoimmune diseases and has suffered mold exposure this may play to their settlement advantage, as mold exposure will most probably exacerbate any of the following autoimmune conditions.
3. Toxicological effects
This is the part that few physicians understand. This is not the kind of medical problem where the physician pulls out their prescription pad and kicks out a virus, or kills bacteria, this is a toxicology problem, it is a “poisoning”, and few physicians are educated in toxicology, or equipped to treat poisonings. The fact here is that if an exposure victim does have mycotoxin poisoning, this is not a disease. The toxins create symptoms that appear to be disease. This is the reason for mass misdiagnosis.
The following mycotoxins are commonly found in most U.S. indoor water damaged structures.
a. Aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2, & M1 M2. B1-B2 are documented as the most toxic, though all mycotoxins are classified as carcinogens.
b. Ochratoxin A
c. Trichothecene
d. Citrinin
e. Fumonisin B1,B2, B3
f. T-2 Toxin
g. DON
h. Zearalenone
The Common Symptoms of Mold Exposure and Mycotoxin Poisoning
Level - I Common Symptoms of Mold Exposure
The most commonly reported symptoms of short term Mold exposure:
Sneezing
Itching Skin
Redness and skin irritation
Watery Eyes
Itching Eyes
Headache
Level - II Advanced Symptoms of Mold Exposure
The following symptoms of Mold exposure have been reported generally as a result from persons being in a Mold contaminate environment on and off for an extended period of time. Symptoms are reported to have become more severe and longer lasting directly in proportion to the length of exposure time. Their reported symptoms are as follows:
Constant Headaches
Nose Bleeds
Feelings of Constant Fatigue
Breathing Disorders
Coughing up Blood or Black Looking Debris
Nausea
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Loss of Appetite
Weight Loss
Hair loss
Skin Rashes
Open Sores on the Skin
Memory Loss "Short Term"
Neurological & Nervous Disorders
Sexual Dysfunction
Swollen Glands in the Neck Area and under the Armpit
Sudden Asthma Attacks or Breathing Disorders
Ear Infections and Pain
Chronic Sinus Infections
Chronic Bronchitis
Pain in the Joints and Muscles
While it seems, mold can cause many symptoms one must remember that there are thousands of species of mold. Different species of mold produce different mycotoxins and will have a wide variety of reactions within different people. Occupants from a mold infested structure do not all medically test the same and their symptoms will vary.
Level - III Late Stage Symptoms of Mold Exposure
The following mold exposure symptoms are the most severe and are attributed to high levels, long term exposure, or a misdiagnosis that has gone on for years:
Blindness
White Matter on the Brain
Lesions on The Brain
Irreversible Nervous System Damage
COPD
Respiratory Failure
Memory Loss "Long term"
Bleeding Lungs
Cancer
Death
Do Not Overlook the Obvious!
Mold Exposure is Commonly Misdiagnosed
The misdiagnosis of “Mycotoxicosis”, is in a clinical category of its own. Historically, patients with mold exposure have exhibited multiple symptoms which seem unrelated to many attending physicians. These series of seemingly unrelated complex symptoms seem to make no sense to a physician who is not extremely familiar with the toxicological effects of organic compound poisonings. In a best effort to diagnosis and treat these patients, and consequently having little to no practical experience with these types of pathogens or toxic compounds, this lack of medical understanding has led to the consistent misdiagnosis of patients by their Primary Care Physicians. Many times, these patients are placed into a category of “Mystery Illnesses” or “syndromes”. The following categories of disease or syndromes are found to be the most common misdiagnoses in relationship to mold and mycotoxin exposure:
a. Chronic Sinusitis
b. Fibromyalgia
c. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
d. Asthma
e. Lupus
f. Sarcoidosis
g. Leaky Gut Syndrome
h. Chronic inflammation
i. Extreme Inflammation
j. Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
k. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
l. Chronic Bronchitis
m. Crohn’s disease
n. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
o. Rheumatoid arthritis
p. Depression
q. Anxiety
r. Mental Illness
s. Auto-immune disease
Speak to Our Qualified Staff: (855) 611 - MOLD (855) 611 - 6653
EHAP Provides Mold Lawyers, Mold Experts, Recovery and Protection for
Health And Property Damages in Mold Lawsuits
The Symptoms of Mold and Mycotoxin Exposure are Complex and Can Be Different
for Each Person Exposed within the Same Contaminated Environment.
The Symptoms of Mold & Mycotoxin Exposure