Building-Related Illness in Occupants of
Mold-Contaminated Houses

Toxic Mold Exposure- Case Study Investigation

By James Craner, M.D., M.P.H

The clinical presentation and course of individuals and families who developed illnesses related to non-infectious fungal exposures inside their homes is described. Occupants developed their illnesses shortly after their homes had been water damaged. A few occupants had a specific building-related illness, such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis or asthma exacerbation, but most had a "sick building syndrome" symptom complex involving irritation/inflammation of the mucous membranes, respiratory tract, and skin; fatigue; and/or neurocognitive dysfunction. All cases required months or years to correctly diagnose. Air, surface, and/or bulk microbiological sampling in most of the homes yielded high concentrations of toxigenic fungi, including Stachybotrys chartarum and Penicillium and Aspergillus species, emanating from water-damaged building materials. Most of the ill individuals had complete clinical improvement shortly after their removal from the contaminated indoor environment, but a few individuals continued to experience symptoms in response to a variety of environmental irritants. The author proposes a new clinical syndrome entity to describe the non-infectious, mold-related, building-related illness.

[All bolds and italics are Dr. Schaller's]

James Craner, M.D., M.P.H. Consultant in Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Verdi, Nevada, Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Occupational Medicine, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, Address for correspondence: P.O. Box 1161, Verdi, NV 89439

My understanding is this abstract was published fully as a paper. I apologize to Dr. Craner for not being able to refer interested people to the fuller materials. And I thank him for his work.

Dr. J