Since I did not stay in the meeting hotel in Vancouver and take medication
daily to handle the mold toxins and environmental allergens in general, I
didn't have this experience and I react negatively to all the more common
types of mold. Given the amount of rain in Vancouver, it is not surprising
that folks might have been exposed to water damaged buildings and thus mold
spores and the toxins they produce. I did have a very bad reaction to the
mold when we had the meeting in Dallas and the flooding in the building.
It can be very difficult in general to find hotels that have good air and
are mold-free. And, certainly, while I'd love to have that on the list of
requirements, I know that isn't feasible, although given that 25% of the
population have the genetic predispositon to be made ill from mold exposure,
maybe it's not such a far out idea. A mold test in the main meeting area and
one of the hotel rooms could be done for around $400. Of course, if folks
were reacting to the outdoor levels of mold, then there's not much to be
done unless the air quality index is also considered as a factor. In that
case, don't even think of returning Dallas. And, as an FYI for folks that
weren't in Prague the last time that had these reactions in Vancouver, you
might want to consider bringing an asthma inhaler to Prague given the issue
we had last time with the smoke (from the casino). Fortunately, I was able
to borrow one at that meeting. Given this isn't something I've typically
had to use since I got my asthma under contol, I'll plan on bringing several
varieties so I know I'll have one that will work since the effectiveness of
the various medication varies over time for most of us.
I totally agree, you can't please everyone, however, I do think criteria
like this are far more important a consideration than whether a city is a
nice place to visit.
Mary.
On Thu, Aug 12, 2010 at 3:17 PM, Peter Saint-Andre
<stpeter(_at_)stpeter(_dot_)im>wrote:
On 8/12/10 12:47 PM, Mary Barnes wrote:
I think Vancouver would be an excellent city for a recurring North
American meeting.
During conversations in Maastricht, I mentioned Vancouver as a good
place for recurring North American meetings and someone pointed out that
about 10% of attendees at past meetings there experienced horrible
allergic reactions to some kind of mold spores or somesuch. I don't know
the details, but it just goes to show how difficult it is to please all
the people all the time...
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