Erin Brockovich and Toxic Mold

The following 48 Hours segment features consumer advocate Erin Brockovich and her battle against toxic mold. The segment (originally aired in 2008) is 13 minutes long and worth viewing. I found myself tearfully reliving our experience, grateful for the information contained in the piece.



Erin Brockovich continues her role as an activist in the areas of oil spills, product liability, environmental hazards, and toxic mold. The following statement appears on her website:

"Mold has certainly made its way into people's homes as well as the headlines recently. Many people still don't fully understand the health hazards of fungal exposure. The term toxic mold is somewhat misleading as it exudes an idea that certain molds are toxic, when actually certain types of molds produce secondary metabolites that produce toxins. The correct term is mycotoxins. Airborne mycotoxins from mold can definitely destroy one's health. Sometimes, people are unaware that they are breathing mold spores and mycotoxins until they are very sick. Certain people have minor allergic reactions to the non-toxic mold, but once they leave the affected area they most likely recover with few serious side effects. However, if they have been exposed to the dangerous molds such as Stachybotrys or Chaetomium, they could suffer from a myriad of serious symptoms and illnesses such as chronic bronchitis, learning disabilities, mental deficiencies, heart problems, cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple chemical sensitivity, bleeding lungs and much more."

Erin has a webpage devoted to the issue and invites those with stories or information to contact her. Click here to find out more.