Description
Not to completely freak you out.. but… To date, more than 100 thousand fungal species have been identified and systematized. According to recent moderate estimates, the number of species could reach up to four million! Chronic intoxication of farm animals, contamination of food and raw materials, flood and moisture ridden homes and offices… are all breeding grounds for these “mycotoxins” (toxic chemicals products produced by fungi).
It has been estimated that up to 50% of illness results from exposure to indoor air pollution, with exposure to water-damaged indoor environments likely being a significant contributor to this issue. (One additional New Orleans study also quantified endotoxins indoors, however, at similar levels to the nonflooded homes also located in New Orleans!)
There have been a number of treatment approaches have been used in the treatment of illness resulting from exposure to water-damaged buildings, molds, and mycotoxins. Symptoms and illness due to exposure result from varying mechanisms including infection, toxicity, allergy, irritant effects, and systemic inflammation.
No two people will react the same to these exposures. Individual responses to exposure may vary based on genetic makeup, duration and severity of exposure, and underlying health and nutritional status. While it’s often difficult to determine the cause of the many components of water-damaged buildings, studies on illness from exposure to damp/water-damaged environments have been consistent in identifying the overall exposure itself as being the main factor associated with adverse health effects.
Individual components of exposure that have been identified include: mold and mold spores, mycotoxins, bacteria, bacterial endotoxins and other cell wall components, protozoa (amoeba), increased presence of rodents, insects and dust mites, and increased deterioration of building materials with consequent off-gassing of toxic fumes such as formaldehyde.
While foodborne exposure to mycotoxins and fungal contaminants has been well researched, substantial information about airborne and transdermal routes of exposure also exists. Airborne exposure is likely the most significant route of exposure in water-damaged indoor environments; however, transdermal and potentially foodborne exposure through contact with indoor mycotoxins can also occur in these settings. Skin penetration of mycotoxins also occurs. Dermal contact with mycotoxin-contaminated items can also be a source of exposure which has the potential to occur even after a person has removed themselves from the contaminated environment since many people bring mold and mycotoxin-contaminated items to their new settings.
Illness resulting from exposure to water-damaged building can be caused by infection, toxicity, allergy, and inflammatory responses triggered by exposure to one or more of the agents present in water-damaged buildings and are often mediated by oxidative stress. Types of disorders that can be seen resulting from water-damaged environments, mold, mycotoxins and bacteria include, infections and mycoses, chronic and fungal rhinosinusitis, IgE-mediated sensitivity and asthma, other hypersensitivity reactions, pulmonary inflammatory disease, immune suppression and modulation, autoimmune disorders, mitochondrial toxicity, carcinogenicity, renal toxicity, neurotoxicity, and DNA adducts to nuclear and mitochondrial DNA causing mutations. A significant mechanism of injury includes oxidative stress. This becomes significant as it directs the approach to treatment, which focuses on removing ongoing sources of oxidative stress in the body, such as mycotoxins, as well as instituting treatments which focus on countering oxidative stress like glutathione and other antioxidants. Inflammation triggered by exposure also appears to play a significant role in illness during and after exposure to water-damaged environments.
Most commonly, however, many mechanisms are interacting in an individual at any given time, making it imperative to address the illness with a comprehensive, multifaceted approach. Although respiratory symptoms are common from exposure to water-damaged indoor environments, it is important to note that a typical patient presents with multiple symptoms which are often debilitating, including fatigue, neurocognitive symptoms, myalgia, arthralgia, headache, insomnia, dizziness, anxiety, depression, irritability, gastrointestinal problems, tremors, balance disturbance, palpitations, vasculitis, angioedema, and autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Children exposed to indoor molds showed a statistically significant deficit of approximately 10 points. Additionally, it was shown in this study that longer exposure to indoor molds tripled the risk for low IQ scores defined as values below the 25th percentile. The development of new onset chemical sensitivity is also commonly seen after exposure and can have a severe impact on a person’s life. It is always important to identify and address abnormalities that are found at increased frequency in persons exposed to water-damaged building such as thyroid, immune dysfunction and autoimmune conditions. However, clinicians treating these conditions often see significant improvement with comprehensive treatment and detoxification.
Respiratory illnesses have consistently been found to be associated with exposure to water-damaged, damp indoor environments. Examples of this include chronic rhinosinusitis, allergic rhinitis including allergic fungal rhinitis, and sinusitis, asthma (new onset and exacerbations), conjunctivitis, invasive, and allergic pulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and sarcoidosis. A study of adult asthma found that those who developed occupational asthma were significantly more likely to have been exposed to water-damage and mold at work.
The most important component of treatment is avoidance of further exposure to water-damaged environments and items contaminated by those environments as ongoing exposure will thwart any efforts at detoxification and perpetuate a reactive state. Unfortunately, it is often difficult and expensive to test environments and items that have been exposed to those environments for mycotoxin contamination and consequently this testing is often not done. Research has shown that none of the commonly used methods for cleaning water-damaged materials such as bleach, ammonia, ultraviolet (UV) light, heating, and ozone were found to completely remove mold and mycotoxins from water-damaged building materials.
TESTING:
Why Test for Mycotoxins?
Mycotoxins cause adverse health effects that may be acute and chronic in nature that can manifest in various and ambiguous symptoms, the degree of impact can vary depending on the age, sex, genetics, and underlying health status of the exposed individual, as well as the duration and dose magnitude of the offending substance and their synergistic effects with other mycotoxins. Providers assessing symptomatic patients with known mold exposure or with an environmental history concerning mold exposure, will also need to consider the concomitant presence of mycotoxins and their potential negative health impacts as proper testing is essential for accurate treatment. The MycoTOX urine Profile is specifically designed to help you identify mycotoxin exposure and guide a targeted prevention and treatment plan.
How Can Someone Be Exposed to Mycotoxins?
Common routes of exposure include inhalation, dermal contact, and ingestion via commonly contaminated food sources (corn, cereals, ground and tree nuts, spices, dried fruits, apples, coffee, meat, milk, and eggs). Mold contamination can also affect nearly all indoor materials, including drywall, paint, wallpaper, carpeting, and more, posing various routes of exposure. When excessive moisture is present in high-humidity geographic areas or water-damaged buildings, the growth of these biological agents in damp environments leads to the production of spores, cells, fragments, and volatile organic compounds, which have been linked to a wide range of health hazards.
The MycoTOX profile utilizes state-of-the-art liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) technology to ensure high specificity (or fewer false positive results) and capture free (unconjugated) mycotoxin presence even at low levels. This is crucial, as mycotoxins, even at low levels of exposure, can cause serious health problems. Our test is so sensitive that we can detect amounts of many compounds in parts per trillion (ppt). To account for variations in fluid intake, we utilize creatinine correction to ensure accurate and reliable results. By employing LC-MS/MS technology, we can precisely identify all our analytes, reducing the risk of false positives. With the MycoTOX Urine Profile, you can trust that you are receiving the most accurate and reliable results possible.
What 41 species of mold are measured in the MycoTOX Profile
Acremonium sp.,Aureobasidium, F. graminearum, Phoma sp., Alternaria, Chaetomium, F. incarnatum, Rhodotorula, A. flavipes, Cladosporium
- moniliforme, Scopulariopsis, Aspergillus flavus, Cunninghamella
- solani, Stachybotrys, A. fumigatus,Cylindrocarpon, F. verticillioides, S. chartarum, A. niger, Dendrodochium, Myrothecium roridum, Trichoderma viride, A. ochraceus
Exophiala, M. verrucaria, Ulocaldium, A. parasiticus, Fusarium avenaceum, Penicillium carbonarius, Verticillium, A. sydowii, F. cerealis, P. nordicum,
- versicolor, F. clumonrum, P. stoloniferum, , A. viridictum, F. equiseti, P. verrucosum