From: houndpup23x@gmail.com   
      
   Seen a ghost? Then you may have inhaled toxic mould: Poor air quality in old   
   buildings may lead to haunting hallucinations   
      
   By Sophie Freeman For Mailonline   
   09:58 02 Apr 2015, updated 12:49 02 Apr 2015   
      
      
   Clarkson University experts are probing the link between mould and ghosts   
   They are carrying out their investigations in old buildings in New York    
   Think spores in old 'haunted' buildings may affect people's brains   
   Psychoactive effects of mould are unclear but cause cognitive impairment    
   If you think you have seen a ghost, you may have been suffering the effects of   
   exposure to mould, according to a group of scientists.   
      
   Researchers claim that older buildings where hauntings are usually reported,   
   often have poor air quality from pollutants like toxic mould, which can affect   
   our brains.   
      
   Exposure to the mould can cause mood swings, irrational anger and cognitive   
   impairment.   
      
   All an illusion? Researchers claim that older buildings where hauntings   
   (illustrated by a stock image) are usually reported, often have poor air   
   quality from pollutants like toxic mould, which can affect our brains	+5   
   All an illusion? Researchers claim that older buildings where hauntings   
   (illustrated by a stock image) are usually reported, often have poor air   
   quality from pollutants like toxic mould, which can affect our brains   
   'Experiences reported in many hauntings are similar to mental or neurological   
   symptoms reported by individuals exposed to toxic moulds,' said Professor   
   Shane Rogers of Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York.   
      
   'Psychoactive effects of some fungi are well-known, whereas the effects of   
   others such as indoor moulds are less researched.   
      
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   'Although allergy and asthma symptoms and other physiological effects are well   
   established, there has long been controversy over the effects of indoor mould   
   exposure on cognitive and other functioning of the brain.   
      
   'Reports of psychiatric symptoms including mood swings, hyperactivity, and   
   irrational anger, as well as cognitive impairment are prevalent among those   
   exposed to moulds.    
      
   Brain drain: Exposure to the mould can cause mood swings, irrational anger and   
   cognitive impairment, among other problems. A stock image of toxic mould in   
   the firm of Stachybotrys chartarum spores, is shown	+5   
   Brain drain: Exposure to the mould can cause mood swings, irrational anger and   
   cognitive impairment, among other problems. A stock image of toxic mould in   
   the firm of Stachybotrys chartarum spores, is shown   
   WHY MIGHT MOULD MAKE PEOPLE SEE GHOSTS?    
      
   'Ghosts' tend to be sighted in old buildings, which are often more likely to   
   have damp and mould problems.   
      
   No-one is exactly sure of the psychoactive effects of indoor moulds on the   
   brain.   
      
   But spores have been linked with mood swings, hyperactivity, and irrational   
   anger, as well as cognitive impairment.   
      
   Recent reports indicate that exposure to toxic mould spores may cause brain   
   inflammation and memory loss.   
      
   A team of researchers are exploring whether the mould may cause people to   
   think they have seen ghosts, by comparing conditions in 'haunted' and   
   non-haunted old buildings.    
      
   'Other reports include depression and loss of memory function.   
      
   'More recent work is emerging that supports brain inflammation and memory loss   
   in mice exposed to Stachybotrys charatarum, a common indoor air mould, as well   
   as increased anxiety and fear.'   
      
   Professor Rogers is currently leading a team of researchers measuring air   
   quality in several reportedly haunted places around New York State.   
      
   The group will compare samples taken from several buildings where ghost   
   sightings have been reported with samples taken from properties with no   
   paranormal activity, to see if there is a difference in the types of fungi.   
      
   Professor Rogers said: 'I have long been a fan of ghost stories and shows   
   related to investigation of haunted places and have to admit to some strange   
   occurrences in my own past.   
      
   'Many of the places under investigation and from my own experiences may be   
   prime environments for mould and other indoor air quality issues.   
      
   'We would like to see if we can parse out some commonality between the mould   
   microbiome in places that are haunted relative to those that are not.'    
      
   The real ghost busters: Here, undergraduate environmental engineering students   
   (from left to right) Thomas O'Rourke and Daniel C. Schwab work with Professor   
   Shane Rogers to sample air quality in buildings associated with alleged ghost   
   activity	+5   
   The real ghost busters: Here, undergraduate environmental engineering students   
   (from left to right) Thomas O'Rourke and Daniel C. Schwab work with Professor   
   Shane Rogers to sample air quality in buildings associated with alleged ghost   
   activity   
   The team have only just begun their investigations, but have been to a handful   
   of 'haunted' buildings to collect samples, as well as properties with mould,   
   but no connection to ghosts.   
      
   'In one historic house turned into an office building there have been reports   
   of noises, moving ceiling tiles, moving items on shelves and desks,   
   apparitions, and a general feeling of unease among building occupants,' he   
   said.   
      
   'There have been long-standing stories of some of the original family members   
   still occupying the place.   
      
   'In another location, the Remington Art Museum in Ogdensburg New York, there   
   is a long history of ghost stories involving the former occupants and others.   
      
   'A week prior to our visit, they had a visit from a psychic who took a reading   
   in several rooms in the museum that we then used to target our air quality   
   studies.   
      
   'She reported a few "folks" came to speak with her, children running in and   
   out of some of the rooms in the house, and a woman that claimed she was "not   
   won in a poker game", which was related to a long-time story related to the   
   Remington family.   
      
   'So far, we haven't been spooked out of a location, but time will tell.'   
      
      
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