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001"10 Page 112 <br /> 440 <br /> deemed to have been caused by exposure within that environment. Thus,it is generally <br /> accepted in the scientific community that a temporal relationship between exposure and <br /> subsequent disease alone is insufficient to show that exposure to a chemical has caused a <br /> disease. <br /> G. Mycotoxin testing in biological samples has not been shown to be useful,reflect <br /> exposures,or clinical presentations. <br /> It is my understanding that some individuals had their urine specimens analyzed for the <br /> presence of mycotoxins by Bio-Trek,National Treatment Centers for Environmental Disease, <br /> or North America Institute of Technology. <br /> The "presence"of aflatoxins, ochratoxin A,trichothecenes, and citrinin in the urine <br /> samples is toxicologically meaningless since mycotoxins are found in a number of foods and <br /> are present in everyone from dietary sources. Aflatoxins are found in peanuts,corn, almonds, <br /> and milk(only for aflatoxin M1).4° Ochratoxins are found in measurable quantities in maize, <br /> wheat, barley,and coffee beans and trichothecenes are found in corn and wheat.41 Wheat, <br /> oats, rye, corn, barely, and rice have been reported to contain citrinin.42 <br /> A February 2015 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC)noted <br /> that urine mycotoxin tests have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration <br /> (FDA)for accuracy,diagnostic purposes, or for clinical use. 43 These tests have not been <br /> shown to be useful,reflect exposures, or clinical presentations. It is important to note that <br /> laboratories with Clinical Laboratory Improvement Admendments (CLIA) certifications that <br /> offer mycotoxin testing does not mean the laboratory testing has any clinical validity. CDC <br /> does not recommend biologic testing of persons who work or live in water-damaged buildings <br /> and also does not recommend routine environmental sampling for mold.44 <br /> Bacteria and Endotoxins <br /> H. Bacteria are ubiquitous and the construction and maintenance of a bacteria-free <br /> indoor environment is not possible. <br /> Like mold, bacteria are ubiquitous in the environment. The types of bacteria found in the <br /> sampled Indian River County Fire Stations are the similar to those commonly found in the <br /> environment. <br /> 40 Food and Agriculture Organization.(2004),Food and Agriculture Organization.Worldwide Regulations for <br /> Mycotoxins in Food and Feed in 2003,FAO Food and Nutrition Papers-81,Rome,Italy. <br /> World Health Organization.(1990). /oc. cit. <br /> 42 Bennett,J.W.and Klich, M.(2003)./oc. cit. <br /> 43 Kawamoto,M. and Page,E.(2015).Use of invalidated urine rnycotoxin tests for the clinical diagnosis of <br /> illness- United States,2014.MMWR. 64(6): 157-158. <br /> 44 Kawamoto,M. and Page,E.(2015). /cc. cit. <br /> 64 <br />