Mike Lamb
10-20-2014, 08:29 PM
The Chicago Tribune printed an article by journalist, Alan J. Heavens, a syndicated columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, stating that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared September as National Mold Awareness month. This is patently false. This hoax appeared in not just a single article but all over the Internet.
Other statements were also made in the news article attributed to the EPA such as, "The EPA states that molds create toxins that cause asthma, respiratory infections and chronic sinus problems. The agency attributes a threefold increase in asthma cases nationally in the last 20 years to mold". These statements are also inaccurate.
I e-mailed Mr. Heavens to ask what his source was for these statements. He did not reply so I contacted his editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer and the editor at the Chicago Tribune regarding the veracity of this article. Nobody responded to my queries.
I then contacted the EPA directly, and Mr. Lou Witt, program analyst for the indoor environments division, was kind enough to respond. As far as naming September Mold Awareness Month, he said that, "this is not and never has been an EPA designated awareness month".
The additional statements in the newspaper article, "The EPA states that molds create toxins that cause asthma, respiratory infections and chronic sinus problems. The agency attributes a threefold increase in asthma cases nationally in the last 20 years to mold". Mr. Witt responds, "The statements as quoted cannot be attributed to (the) EPA"
Mr. Heavens article can be found here: http://articles.philly.com/201...landlord (http://articles.philly.com/2014-08-31/real_estate/53417212_1_toxic-mold-mold-awareness-month-landlord)
Other statements were also made in the news article attributed to the EPA such as, "The EPA states that molds create toxins that cause asthma, respiratory infections and chronic sinus problems. The agency attributes a threefold increase in asthma cases nationally in the last 20 years to mold". These statements are also inaccurate.
I e-mailed Mr. Heavens to ask what his source was for these statements. He did not reply so I contacted his editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer and the editor at the Chicago Tribune regarding the veracity of this article. Nobody responded to my queries.
I then contacted the EPA directly, and Mr. Lou Witt, program analyst for the indoor environments division, was kind enough to respond. As far as naming September Mold Awareness Month, he said that, "this is not and never has been an EPA designated awareness month".
The additional statements in the newspaper article, "The EPA states that molds create toxins that cause asthma, respiratory infections and chronic sinus problems. The agency attributes a threefold increase in asthma cases nationally in the last 20 years to mold". Mr. Witt responds, "The statements as quoted cannot be attributed to (the) EPA"
Mr. Heavens article can be found here: http://articles.philly.com/201...landlord (http://articles.philly.com/2014-08-31/real_estate/53417212_1_toxic-mold-mold-awareness-month-landlord)