Explores the science behind the headlines & courtroom drama & profiles Stachybotrys, a toxin-producing mold that is most often singled out as the worst of the mold culprits. This puzzling microbe was first discovered on damp wallpaper in Prague in the 19th cent. & has since colonized all of N. Amer. The same fungus was linked to the deaths of thousands of horses in the 1930s, & its toxins may have been utilized in biological warfare. Indeed, no other fungus produces such a range of toxins in such high concentrations. But, medical evidence linking Stachybotrys to specific illnesses is sketchy. Money highlights the mold's history, preferred habitats, effects on humans, & practical methods for its identification & eradication.

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