Toxic mold

My anxiety was about my physical world, suddenly looming over me. I tried to concentrate on that what-if-we-just-made-something feeling, but the crack in the ceiling above my head distracted me. It was suggesting a different sort of what-if. As in, what if that s lead paint What if that stain where the window meets the wall is actually toxic mold ... 

Some molds are important crop parasites of species such as corn and millet. A number of toxic molds grow on straw and are responsible for diseases of livestock, including facial excema in sheep, and slobber syndrome... 

Chapman JA, Terr AI, Jacobs RL, Charlesworth EN, and Bardana EJ Jr. (2003) Toxic mold Phantom risk vs. science. Annals of Allergy, Asthma Immunology 91(3) 222-232. 

I. Mechanism of toxicity. Molds and other fungi may adversely affect human... 

Recently, it has been used to eradicate the toxic mold in homes in New Orleans that were damaged by the devastating floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 

The answer Is 4 /Diopter 11B2I. Toxin is the term used to identify poisons of naturai or biologic origin. Snake venoms, toxic mold metabolites, and poisonous principles in plants are examples of toxins. The term toxicant is synonymous with poison. 

Think About It CIO2 is used primarily to bleach wood pulp in the manufacture of paper, but it is also used to bleach flour, disinfect drinking water, and deodorize certain industrial facilities. Recently, it has been used to eradicate the toxic mold in homes in New Orleans that were damaged by the devastating floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 

The hazards presented by molds that may contain mycotoxins should be considered the same as other common molds. There are very few case reports that toxic molds (those containing certain mycotoxins) inside buildings can cause unique or rare health conditions such as pulmonary hemorrhage or memory loss. These case reports are rare, and a causal link between the presence of the toxic mold and these conditions has not been proven. 

Antibiotics are toxic water-solubie compounds produced by molds or bacteria which inhibit the growth of other microorganisms. For an antibiotic to be useful in medicine it should have a high order of selective toxicity to microorganisms which are pathogenic to man. Al-... 

Foods high ia sucrose, proteia, or starch (qv) tend to biad water less firmly and must be dried to a low moisture content to obtain microbial StabiHty. For example, grain and wheat flour can support mold growth at moisture contents above 15% (wet basis) and thus are stored at moisture contents below 14%. Stored grains and oil seeds must be kept at a water activity below 0.65 because certain molds can release aflatoxias as they grow. Aflatoxins are potent carciaogens (see Food toxicants, naturally occurring). 

Mycotoxins. The condition produced by the consumption of moldy foods containing toxic material is referred to as mycotoxicosis. Molds and fungi fall iato this category and several derive thek toxicity from the production of oxaflc acid, although the majority of mycotoxias are much more complex. 

Mycotoxias fiad thek way kito the human diet by way of mold-contaminated cereal and legume crops, meat, and milk products. Com and peanuts probably represent the most common sources of mycotoxias ki the human diet. Many mycotoxias are acutely toxic as well as being poteat carckiogeas (86). 

Uncured resins are skin sensitizers and contact should be avoided, as weU as breathing the vapor, mist, or dust. Novolak-based pulverized products generally contain hexamethylenetetramine, which may cause rashes and dermatitis. PhenoHc molding compounds and pulverized phenoHc adhesives must be controUed as potentially explosive dusts. In addition, they contain irritating or toxic additives. 

Both urea— and melamine—formaldehyde resins are of low toxicity. In the uncured state, the amino resin contains some free formaldehyde that could be objectionable. However, uncured resins have a very unpleasant taste that would discourage ingestion of more than trace amounts. The molded plastic, or the cured resin on textiles or paper may be considered nontoxic. Combustion or thermal decomposition of the cured resins can evolve toxic gases, such as formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, and oxides of nitrogen. 

Trimethyl arsine [593-88-4] C H As, has been identified as the toxic volatile arsenical, once known as "Gosio gas," produced by the reaction of certain molds that grow on wallpaper paste and react with inorganic arsenic compounds present in the paper. A number of microorganisms can methylate arsenic trioxide and other arsenic-containing compounds to yield trimethylarsine. These microorganisms include Scopulariopsis brevicaulis Candida humicola and Gliocladium roseum (72). 

Response to antifungal therapy in invasive molds is slow and difficult to judge by clinical signs alone. Resolution of fever, and eventual clearing of CT scans (in the case of lung infections) are indications of response to antifungal therapy. Toxicity associated with antifungal therapy is similar in these patients as in those described earlier. Patients often require... 

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