Mold Symptoms

Black mold symptoms in Texas incident

Black mold was a revelation to Melinda Ballard. Her husband had a responsible job, but then his memory began to go, as well as his ability to multitask. She had no clue that these conditions could be due to mold exposure until she happened to sit next to someone on a plane who explained about symptoms of black mold exposure from Stachybotrys.

After extensive medical testing, she and her husband, Ron Allison, came to believe that the neurological changes he was experiencing were black mold exposure symptoms. Winner their negligence lawsuit against their homeowners insurance company was big news.

Ms. Ballard set up a nonprofit advocacy website relating to mold and homeowners insurance issues, www.policyholdersofAmerica.org.

Stachybotrys mycotoxins

Under certain circumstances, Stachybotrys produces poisons known as "mycotoxins," or "toxins from mold." One of the Stachybotrys mycotoxins is trichothecene, although there are others. Some of these mycotoxins have been used in germ warfare.

The study of mold toxins is complex, and relatively little is known about airborne mold or airborne mold by-products. The existing science refers more often to illness from eating spoiled food, such as with individuals or animals who were sickened or died from eating moldy grain during a famine.

Black mold symptoms in NYC infant

I mentioned the Cleveland cluster of infants with pulmonary hemorrhages previously. One of my clients told me that she was riding on the subway with her 18-day-old daughter when a stranger  told her to get off at the next stop and head immediately for the nearest hospital. The stranger was a nurse who noticed drops of blood at the baby's eyes and nose. She knew these were signs of a very serious condition, such a bleeding from the lungs.

The mother followed the nurse's instructions, and the baby was saved. While nobody can "prove" that the bleeding was a symptom of black mold exposure, black mold was found at the apartment. The parents did not bring the child back to the apartment after she got out of the hospital. They found another place to live.

Although the child had to be watched carefully until she was over six months old (until her lungs were better developed), she did well and continues so.

Staten Island 4-unit apartment complex

One woman who called me from public housing in Staten Island said there was a lot of Stachybotrys in the building and that every child living there was at least a year behind in school. Was this slow development a symptom of mold exposure? Something like that is hard to prove, but she knew enough to want the mold cleaned up yesterday.

Sadly, she said that when they went to Housing Court, because the landlord had sent a handyman in to treat the visible mold with bleach, the judge said he was "cooperating" and dismissed the case. The woman said that they knew there was a lot of hidden mold behind walls, but she felt there was nothing else they could do, and none of the residents had the money to move.

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