Joe Laquatra, the Hazel E. Reed Human Ecology Extension Chair in Family Policy in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell, has been appointed by N.Y. Gov. Eliot Spitzer to the state's first task force focused on toxic mold. The Toxic Mold Task Force, a 14-member panel of experts that met for the first time Dec. 4, will investigate health issues associated with toxic mold.

The task force was formed by a legislative mandate to study this issue and prepare a report for the governor. The group will review scientific research on toxic mold and the illnesses it causes. Legislators urged the panel be formed after hearing complaints of debilitating exposure to potentially lethal indoor air and concluding toxic mold is an under-recognized health problem.

Mold problems in homes and offices may stem from a variety of sources, including poor construction, poorly maintained heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, and inadequate ventilation. Mold can cause allergies, trigger asthma attacks, adversely affect the function of vital human organs and increase susceptibility to colds and flu, says Laquatra. People with a genetic predisposition can become allergic if exposed repeatedly to high enough levels of toxic mold. These toxins can also have deleterious effects on humans when ingested or inhaled or come in contact with skin.

Laquatra works with a national program, Healthy Indoor Air for America's Homes, to provide education through 50 extension program specialists who direct the program in their respective states. He also works on various statewide mold-related projects and has taught about keeping homes free of mold problems in affiliation with the Syracuse Healthy Indoor Environment Living Demonstration project that he conducted with CCE/Onondaga, State University of New York Upstate Medical University at Syracuse, SUNY/Environmental Science and Forestry, and the New York State Indoor Environmental Quality Center.

For specific information on how to prevent and treat humidity problems and other information on mold and indoor air quality, see http://www.cce.cornell.edu/housing/.