The Tide is Turning

There is some exciting news circulating among individuals impacted by mold. I received a forward from a friend the other day that I have excerpted below. This article appeared in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in October of 2008. Written by Dr. James Craner, it marks a dramatic shift in our country from a denial of the truth about mold to an understanding of its devastating effects on health.

In 2003, the American College of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) published its evidence-
based statement, “Adverse Human Health Effects
Associated with Molds in the Indoor Environment,” in
its Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
(JOEM). ACOEM’s author selection, development, peer
review, and publication of its mold position paper
involved a series of seemingly biased and ethically dubious
decisions and ad hoc methods. The resulting position
paper resembled a litigation “defense report”
which omitted or inadequately acknowledged research
validating the association between mold and buildingrelated
symptoms. ACOEM nonetheless released the
paper as an “evidence-based” statement and then published
it in JOEM without any further changes or conflict
disclosure. The Mold Statement has been relied
upon by attorneys and expert witnesses representing
defendants in mold litigation to disclaim and invalidate
individuals’, families’, and workers’ claims of buildingrelated
health effects from indoor mold exposure. Key
words: ACOEM; conflicts of interest; evidence-based
statement; indoor air quality; JOEM; mold.

In other words, the government has supported the belief that mold is not a risk to human health.
According to Dr. Craner, the government needs to reconsider. For those with a keen interest in this subject the entire article can be read at the link below.

http://drcraner.com/images/A%20Critique%20of%20the%20ACOEM%20Statement%20on%20Mold.pdf