SOUNDING OFF ABOUT MOLD - A Short Editorial

[hausdok]

By Kurt Mitenbuler, Chicago Editor

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Is anyone else out there curious and mildly offended that the allied trades of mold sampling, testing, remediation, and EDUCATION are being usurped by non-medical professionals?

I know several medical professionals, a couple of them mycologists (those who study fungi specifically), who are amazed and horrified that this possibly serious health concern is being plied by individuals w/no health care training whatsoever, i.e., home inspectors.

These are folks who have spent their entire professional lives attempting to understand the health effects of mold. They don't understand it yet; how is it that those pushing the mold agenda on the HI profession think we are supposed to understand it?

Why aren't the mold trades pushing this to the medical & health care professionals? Why do they think that home inspection, which doesn't even require a GED to practice for Gods sake, is a vehicle for disseminating useful health care advice to the public?

Benjamins. It's about the Benjamins. If one looks for a bunch of HI's willing to provide add-on services, one will find a bunch of HI's willing to talk about things they know little or nothing about for a fee.

If those flogging mold services were concerned w/public health, they'd be pushing this to public health officials, medical schools, legislators, school systems, and the like that have a chance @ making a difference.

By flogging this to a profession completely unrelated to health care, they expose themselves as being less concerned about public health as they are w/the business trade services they promote.

[Editor's Note: Got something on your mind and want to sound off about it? Submit your article by going to the menu bar at the top of the page, choose "contribute" under the "news" category and then follow the instructions. If the article is relevant to the home inspection profession and in good taste, we'll publish it.]

[hausdok]

Here's some mold commentary some might find interesting

http://www.hvi.org/associations/4692/fi ... 090606.pdf

OT - OF!!!

M.

[ozofprev]

Mike,

That is simply a ting o booty!

Clearly written, simply explained, and backed by good research and a credentialled writer.

Suellen's Ph.D. is not in psychology or education like some Dr. Ruth. It's in Biology and Environmental Genetics - from Stanford.

She is VP of Operations in the International Center for Toxicology & Medicine. 25 years of basic and applied toxicology research.

That, I am filing away and giving to clients who ask about mold. It's a pearl! Thank you.

[hausdok]

Dat's wut we B here fo!

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Les]

Just after checking this thread, I received my invite to attend Mold University in Chicago from EML. That is ironic!

The Pirages paper is really quite good and an easy read. I would have edited the last sentence in the Abstract para "Scientific documentation to refute the misinformation is presented." Kinda put an antagonistic tone on the otherwise good paper.

[ozofprev]

That's a good point, Les. I wonder if the author wrote that. Oftentimes the abstract is written by the publisher or indexer of the work.

[StevenT]

I work for a company that does mold remediation, although I rarly am involved with that end of the company. They do a pretty good job cleaning up the appearence of mold. Having said that, I must add that I absolutely agree with you.

When one is in the business of mold, one looks for every oppertunity to do business. It also takes very marginal expetise to jump up and down yelling "MOLD"!!!

[James]

Suspicions confirmed.