Can Mold Cause Cancer?

Introduction

Timeline

Discovery

From Bad, to Worse

Why Should I Be worried?

Can Mold Cause Cancer?

Summary

FAQ

Appendices

Mold is suspected to cause a wide variety of ailments from runny noses to cancers such as leukemia. Lately, a lot of media attention has been given to Stachybotrys atra (the so-called "toxic mold"). In 1994 the CDC investigated an outbreak of 45 cases of pulmonary hemmorage in 10 contiguous zip codes in Cleveland. What they found was Stachybotrys atra. (Children seem to be especially vulnerable. Of the 45 infants in the Cleveland outbreak, 16 died). According to a study at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health:

"Diseases associated with inhalation of fungal [mold] spores included Toxic Pneumonitis, Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis, tremors, chronic fatigue, kidney failure, and cancer."

I was originally diagnosed with Sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis is not considered a "positive diagnosis." If you have elevated immune function that cannot be explained by anything else, then a diagnosis of Sarcoidosis is made. For this reason, doctors sometimes call it the "mystery disease." Whether or not I ever had Sarcoidosis, or whether my immune problems were just due to the exposure in my apartment is a matter of debate among my doctors.

Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP) was, at one time, diagnosed as Sarcoidosis. Eventually, a cause was found and it was reclassified and given its own name. In a paper in the Journal of Clinical Immunology, HP was shown to be caused by repeated sewer floods in a basement. The culprit was presumably Cephalosporium, a mold. A later research study looked for links between environmental exposure and Sarcoidosis. The leading candidate? Mold. In addition, studies done in Poland during the early 1970's found a link between Leukemia and high levels of toxogenic fungi [mold].

Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis, Sarcoidosis, Leukemia, and Hodgkin's Lymphoma are all related diseases. They all affect the immune system, and all four (HP Sarcoidosis Leukemia Lymphoma) have been linked to elevated levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF). What does TNF have to do with mold? According to a study done at the National Public Health Institute:

"The staff working in a mold-contaminated school, and a reference group without such exposure, were studied. Nasal lavage was performed and health data were collected with a questionnaire at the end of the spring term, after a 2.5-mo summer vacation, and at the end of the fall term. Here we show that concentrations of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and nitric oxide (NO) in nasal lavage fluid were significantly higher in the exposed than in the control subjects at the end of the first exposure period."

50 years ago, the health risks of smoking were a matter of debate in the scientific community. Today, no knowledgeable expert recommends smoking. Health risks from mold are currently being debated in the scientific community. Only time will tell if the health risk from mold will be as clearly defined as the health risks from smoking.

However, no knowledgeable expert recommends living in a mold-infested building.

>>Summary