Masonry Magazine July 2004 Page. 65
NCMCA continued from page 62
Robert Parrish, Safety Director for the nation's largest masonry contractor, McGee Brothers Company, and Christopher Huckabee, AIA, of Huckabee Architecture/Engineering/Management in Ft. Worth.
Report Does Not Support
Link from Mold to Wider Array
of Illnesses
Scientific evidence links mold and other factors related to damp conditions in homes and buildings to asthma symptoms in some people with the chronic disorder, as well as to coughing, wheezing and upper respiratory tract symptoms in otherwise healthy people, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. However, the available evidence does not support an association between either indoor dampness or mold and the wide range of other health complaints that have been ascribed to them, the report says. Given the frequent occurrence of moisture problems in buildings and their links to respiratory problems, excessive indoor dampness should be addressed through a broad range of public health initiatives and changes in how buildings are designed, constructed and maintained, says the committee that wrote the report.
"An exhaustive review of the scientific literature made it clear to us that it can be very hard to tease apart the health effects of exposure to mold from all the other factors that may be influencing health in the typical indoor environment," says committee chair Noreen Clark, Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan. "That said, we were able to find sufficient evidence that certain respiratory problems, including symptoms in asthmatics who are sensitive to mold, are associated with exposure to mold and damp conditions. Even though the available evidence does not link mold or other factors associated with building moisture to all the serious health problems that some attribute to them, excessive indoor dampness is a widespread problem that warrants action at the local, state and national levels." Excessive dampness influences whether mold as well as bacteria, dust mites and other such agents are present and thrive indoors. Moreover, wetness may cause chemicals and particles to be released from building materials. Many studies of health effects possibly related to indoor dampness do not distinguish the specific health effects of different biological or chemical agents.
Report continued on page 64
Skills Competition
North Carolina's SkillsUSA Competition
One hundred masonry students from across North Carolina participated in the 2004 State and Regional Masonry Contest as part of the Annual N.C. SkillsUSA Conference at the Greensboro Coliseum on April 7th. Dallas Caudle, a 17-year-old junior at Central Cabarrus High School in Concord is the 2004 N.C. High School Masonry Champion. Caudle will represent North Carolina at the national contest at Kansas City this summer. North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association, Carolinas Concrete Masonry Association, and Brick Association of the Carolinas members joined with the N.C. Masonry Instructors Association and NC DPI to conduct the event.
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July 2004
Masonry
63