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Six Types of Human Response to Mold Exposure
There are six types of human responses associated with mold
exposure including the following according to
Emil
J. Bardana, Jr., MD, in his report to the 60th Annual Meeting of the
American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, as reported in “The
Impact of Environmental Molds in the Home” by Anthony Montanaro, MD, on
medscape.com, 2002
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Potential irritant effect, which at best is mild and transient and may be
associated with exposure to beta-1,3 glucans or volatile organic
compounds;
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Nonspecific respiratory symptoms, which are poorly correlated to airborne
fungal levels;
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Allergic sensitization, which is usually not considered to be severe and
is usually not considered to be a major problem and is more problematic
with outdoor exposures;
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Fungal infections, which mostly arise from outdoor sources and may occur
from exposure to soil-based saprophytic fungi;
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Exposure to mycotoxins, which have recently been described. There are
currently more than 300 mycotoxins that have been described that are low
in molecular weight and nonvolatile in nature. Dr. Bardana highlighted the
fact that all species of fungi are capable of producing mycotoxins;
and
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Psychogenic effects, which can occur when an individual perceives that he
or she is being harmed by the effects of fungal exposure.
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