A Critique of the ACOEM Statement on Mold: Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest in the Creation of an “Evidence-based” Statement
 
JAMES CRANER, MD, MPH
 
Abstact
 
In 2003, the American College of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) published its evidence-
based statement, “Adverse Human Health Effects
Associated with Molds in the Indoor Environment,” in
its Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
(JOEM). ACOEM’s author selection, development, peer
review, and publication of its mold position paper
involved a series of seemingly biased and ethically dubious
decisions and ad hoc methods. The resulting position
paper resembled a litigation “defense report”
which omitted or inadequately acknowledged research
validating the association between mold and building-related
symptoms. ACOEM nonetheless released the
paper as an “evidence-based” statement and then published
it in JOEM without any further changes or conflict
disclosure. The Mold Statement has been relied
upon by attorneys and expert witnesses representing
defendants in mold litigation to disclaim and invalidate
individuals’, families’, and workers’ claims of buildingrelated
health effects from indoor mold exposure.
 
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International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, Vol 14, No 4 (2008)