by Michael A. Pinto, Ph.D., CSP, and Cherie Fennema
Reprinted with permission. Copyright 2003 COLUMNS-Mold.
Talk business with an experienced mold remediation contractor or an indoor air quality consultant nowadays and you are certain to hear stories about some unusual characters. In fact, a common topic of conversation at industry conferences and mold remediation training classes is the exchange of bizarre customer stories. Difficult clients are an expected element of conducting any service-based business, but now it seems that odd customers are to be expected, too, when dealing with indoor mold contamination.
The mold work in which we have been involved in recent years has brought us into contact with what seems to be a greater than normal number of individuals demonstrating strange behavior. There was the man who informed us that mold knows when you are coming and if you get too close, it “sporinates” in a different direction. He explained that “sporinate” is the term used to describe how mold escapes capture by shooting its spores away from a person. A woman told us that she and her children could feel something growing in their heads as a result of mold exposure — that something was “moving up there.” We have had numerous customers who initially contacted us for assistance, but later believed we were “out to get them.” (See end of article for more examples.)
After discussing these cases and many others encountered by our colleagues, we began to notice similarities. The people who exhibit odd behavior have usually been exposed to a mold-contaminated environment for a long time (often years). They report (and we frequently observe) personality changes, depression, paranoia, and loss of mental acuity, in addition to an array of physical symptoms. We have been contacted by people who said that we, all lawyers, and the media were against them, who state that they are being poisoned, and who describe themselves as hysterical, sad, and about to go crazy. A tenant of one of our clients has attempted to take legal action against our organization more than once, has made personal threats by way of e-mail and voice message, and has harassed our employees, all with no factual foundation but a very real, intense perception of personal offense.
Many of the characteristics observed in these people who speak or act strangely are consistent with delusions. Rudimentary research into psychology reveals two subtypes of delusional disorders (persecutory and somatic) that closely match the symptoms of mold exposure that we have seen. The persecutory subtype is characterized by a person’s belief that he is being conspired against, poisoned, maliciously maligned, or cheated. Such individuals may make repeated attempts to obtain justice through the courts. People with persecutory delusions are often angry and resentful and sometimes resort to violence against those they believe are harming them. Delusions of the somatic subtype involve the belief that something is physically wrong with the individual, such as an infestation of insects on or in the skin. Further research shows that disorders such as these can be caused by certain medical conditions or by changes in brain chemistry.
Some types of mold that are commonly found in water-damaged buildings can produce potent poisonous substances called mycotoxins. Scientists believe that certain molds produce these poisons to gain an advantage over competing molds and other microorganisms, and any harm caused to human health is a by-product of this natural survival trait. Even so, the toxins produced by Stachybotrys (the most-talked-about “black mold”) are widely recognized as having the ability to affect a person’s central nervous system. It is our experience that when a person has been exposed to these mycotoxins for a long period of time, the incidence of delusions or other psychotic disorders seems to increase.
The notion that exposure to mold spores can cause significant ill-health effects in humans goes way back. One of the first mentions of mold and people not being a good mix is in the Bible. The book of Leviticus gives specific instructions for mold/mildew cleanup and destruction of the building if cleanup is not effective. Rye mold (which contains the chemical basis for LSD) has been blamed for incidents ranging from Medieval Dancing Mania to some of what went on during the Spanish Inquisition. Poor people of northern Europe were plagued for hundreds of years, beginning as early as the 1200s, by chronic illnesses, mental disturbances, gangrene, hallucinations and seizures brought on by ingestion of moldy rye. Even the Salem, Mass., witch trials during the late 1600s are thought to have been closely related to human ingestion of the same rye mold. Clearly, the linkage between mold contamination and human health problems, including mental health problems, is not new.
Most of the historical cases mentioned here involve ingestion rather than inhalation of mold spores. Although scientific evidence of the effects of inhalation has not yet been established, real life experience is making it apparent that negative health effects, often including psychological disorders, seem linked to breathing mold-contaminated air.
Dealing with an individual who has been exposed to a mold-contaminated environment and, as a result, is exhibiting some kind of psychosis-like behavior can be a real dilemma. The person may act in a way that makes it difficult for him or her to be taken seriously and to get the help needed to solve the root problem of mold contamination in the living or working environment. The person’s experience may be similar to delusions, but could very well have a chemical cause. Health symptoms that are clearly physical, like bleeding lungs or hair loss, demand attention and sympathy and are easy to understand. But psychological symptoms, even if they have exactly the same cause as the physical symptoms, are much less accepted and understood. We may not accuse these people of being witches or devils, and we certainly do not execute or torture them, but we do put them in the “crazy” category and dismiss their claims as imagined.
Equipped with this information about the likely connection between mold exposure and unusual, even psychotic, behavior, mold investigators, remediation contractors and attorneys may have to develop a more holistic perspective of their customers’ situations. By incorporating psychological factors as well as physical evidence and symptoms into their investigations and subsequent remediation and legal plans, the industry may take another step toward appropriately meeting the customers’ needs.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Michael A. Pinto, Ph.D., CSP currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Wonder Makers Environmental, Inc. His Ph.D. is in Environmental Engineering with credentials such as Certified Safety Professional, Asbestos Instructor, and others. Dr. Pinto has authored five books, including Fungal Contamination: A Comprehensive Guide for Remediation, over 90 technical articles, and 18 commercial training programs. Dr. Pinto can be reached at (269) 382-4154 or map@wondermakers.com.
Cherie Fennema serves as the Director of Administration at Wonder Makers Environmental, Inc. She has been involved in various aspects of the environmental field with Wonder Makers Environmental for eight years. Ms. Fennema is experienced in microscopic analysis of non-cultured bioaerosol samples as well as the interpretation and communication of sample results. She can be reached at 888-382-4154 or clf@wondermakers.com.