MOLD The life-changing illness started with a leak in a downstairs bathroom that spread mold under the flooring, affecting 2,500 square feet of wood floor. It got into the air conditioning system, spreading toxins throughout the house. Everything was affected, from the home to the family’s photos and possessions. On December 5, 1999, a USA Weekend article summarized the situation: “Within a year, Melinda Ballard's 11,500- square-foot Texas dream home was quarantined; her 3-year-old son, Reese, was on daily medication to treat scarred, asthmatic lungs; her husband, Ron Allison, had lost his memory along with his job; and the family was living out of suitcases and locked in a seemingly endless battle with their insurance company… Melinda Ballard and Ron Allison's house can't even be bulldozed until men in moon suits cut out the Stachybotrys-infested timber, flooring and wallboard, wrap it up and cart it off for burial. ‘That's the only safe way to get rid of the stuff,’ says David Straus, a mold expert with the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, who found himself throwing up hours after spending just 30 minutes inside Ballard's house. ‘I'm still not entirely over it,’ says Straus, who has severe hearing loss in one ear from his exposure to the mold.” In terms of loss, this family experienced damage equivalent to what they would have suffered in a flood. SOURCE: Belkin, Lisa, Haunted by Mold 8/12/01. Retrieved 7/13/11. http://healthandenergy.com/haunted_by_mold.htm Mold in Society Mankind has used mold in the development of foods and beverages for thousands of years. Today it plays an important role in the fields of biotechnology, research and development, agriculture, medicine, and environmental biology. We use mold to make: Cheese - including Brie, Roquefort, Blue, Gorgonzola, Camembert, and Stilton Yeasts used in breads, baked goods and fermented beverages like beer Citric acid, which is used in sodas and soft drinks, candy, canned goods, etc. Medicines - Penicillin was derived from the Penicillium mold. One of the first antibiotic agents, it continues to be one of the most commonly used. It is estimated that there are approximately 1,600 antibiotics produced using various fungi. Learn More “An Insidious Mold,” CBS News Healthwatch - retrieved 7/13/11. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/01/31/ health/main327526.shtml 31