Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to share with the House an issue that's of great importance to me and, in doing so, to acknowledge that the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport has announced an inquiry last week into biotoxin related illness and chronic inflammatory response syndrome.

Around one in four people have a genotype that does not allow the body to properly expel biotoxins from concentrated exposure to mould spores from their body. Instead of the body processing the toxins and removing them, for these one in four people, long-term exposure to mould can, in some cases, lead to severe health challenges as these toxins build up in the body, often resulting in a condition known as chronic inflammatory response syndrome, or CIRS. The condition can result in a chaotic and ineffective inflammatory response that creates dysfunction across many bodily systems. Symptoms include nose and throat irritation, fever, cough, headache, nausea, exacerbation of asthma, allergic rhinitis and brain fog. Other symptoms are far worse.

Since sharing my own story last year, having been diagnosed after a tree crashed through my house during a superstorm in April 2015, I've actually heard from hundreds of people from across the nation who have shared with me their own personal struggles and experiences as they have dealt with chronic biotoxin illness or chronic inflammatory response syndrome, as it's more commonly known. I've heard stories like that of Mark McDuffie, who was diagnosed with CIRS after five years of health challenges, including a heart attack, a spinal blockage, paralysis, extreme fatigue, memory and cognition problems and a dysfunctional endocrine system. Mark, an executive at a large organisation, said that his ill health started when he moved into a home that, unbeknown to him, was severely water damaged. He described the experience as his body essentially shutting down and his immune system beginning to attack his own body. Once finally being diagnosed with CIRS caused by this toxic mould poisoning, Mark said he's been able to manage his symptoms with the support of his family and friends.

I've heard from other people, like Judith Medway from West Gosford in my electorate of Robertson on the Central Coast. Judith told me it took her about five years to fully recover from her experience with toxic mould exposure after leasing a shopfront with a severe issue with mould. During this time, she suffered extreme fatigue, sinus issues, vertigo and inflammation. Judith told me she thinks that there needs to be more public awareness of the risks of mould exposure but also more public awareness around the issue of correcting the problem. She said that, for her, legislation and regulation to enforce the standards of healthy airspaces and working and residential environments would be a great step forward.

David and Tanya from Terrigal also shared their story. After buying a property in Terrigal, a two-year-old home, in 2007, they started noticing leaks in the house. They fixed a small leak but in doing so discovered a serious issue with water damage and mould in their home. Tanya tells me that she developed chronic asthma, sinus issues, unexplained body aches and fatigue, and that David developed a chronic cough, allergic rhinitis and unexplained migraines. David and Tanya tell me they believe the issue stemmed from the way in which the property was built, and they suggested building codes should be addressed.

Hayley McGee from the Southern Highlands in New South Wales wrote to me with her story of her 10-year-old daughter, Mariah, who, after being exposed to mould in her classroom, became severely unwell. Hayley said that Mariah became so unwell she couldn't attend school. She suffered from chronic weight-loss, fatigue, muscle cramps and severe inflammation. At first, like in many of these cases, it was difficult for doctors to diagnose Mariah, but, after finding a specialist based in Queensland, Mariah was diagnosed with CIRS and she has been receiving treatment in Queensland. Her story was told recently by A Current Affair.

We've heard the story of Carly in Melbourne, after she shared her experience with 9news.com.au. When Carly first moved into a new apartment in Melbourne, she was a healthy PE teacher. After moving into the apartment, Carly said she started getting what she thought were severe break-outs and skin irritations, which turned out to be painful skin lesions. Carly began suffering from brain fog, fatigue and memory loss. It wasn't until much later that Carly, with the help of her doctor, discovered that her symptoms would ease when she was away from the apartment. It was Carly's GP who suggested she get her apartment tested for mould. Carly said she then discovered there was a large amount of mould growing in the air-conditioning unit which, when turned on, meant that the mould spores were spread around the apartment.

Annalee from the Northern Territory shared her experience with me. She became unwell after moving into a home with visible mould. She told me that of concern to her is the fact that many people don't know about the health impacts of mould. Bronwyn in Hornsby told me of her challenges moving into a rental property after selling a house 18 months ago. She said the rental property has severe black mould in the bedroom and said that her challenge is trying to get the damage repaired.

Mould related illness and CIRS GP specialist Dr Sandeep Gupta estimates there are currently a minimum of around 1,580 Australians who have been diagnosed with CIRS. He said that the problem is likely to go a lot further, with a quarter of the population being susceptible, potentially, to this condition. He said that at least 50 per cent of patients with established biotoxin illness can be incapacitated for work or study and could therefore be reliant on government benefits. He further estimated that the cost of this to the government could be close to $20 million a year for those who are currently diagnosed.

This is why I'm so glad that the government has taken steps towards addressing this issue, with the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport commencing an inquiry into biotoxin related illness in Australia. This was announced by the committee chair, the member for North Sydney. The inquiry will examine the prevalence, geographic distribution, diagnosis and treatment of biotoxin related illness such as CIRS, as well as looking at available research regarding illness stemming from exposure to water damaged buildings. The committee has released the terms of reference on the website, and I am pleased to see this inquiry underway.

As a member of this committee I'm really looking forward to hearing from people who may appear before the inquiry and listening to witnesses across the country on this issue over the next few months. My personal view is that this is a very important inquiry for hundreds, if not thousands, of Australians. In fact, since the announcement last week, hundreds of people have contacted my office to say what this means to them. On the Facebook group set up for people suffering with CIRS and mould related illnesses, I've seen countless comments from people across the nation, saying that they finally feel that their voice is being heard. There are more than 3,000 members of the Toxic Mould Support Australia Facebook group. Kate, on this Facebook group, said, 'Fantastic, it needs to be taken seriously.' Beck said, 'Thank you for actually listening.' Tracy said, 'When I saw a GP about toxic mould she had no idea what I was talking about. More awareness is needed.'

It's my view that more awareness into this condition is certainly needed. Once again, I commend the standing committee for their inquiry that will be underway and encourage people who may wish to make submissions to go to the website and to follow the process outlined there. Submissions close on 2 August.

Andrew Gee (Calare, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Robertson for drawing the attention of the parliament to that issue.