Dr. John Santilli Jr.

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  www.mcall.com/features/health/all-treeallergy.6164666de - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 12/11/2007    Last Visited: 12/12/2007  

  "I've been in practice for 30 years and, every year, between Christmas and New Year, we have everybody come in with recurring sinus infections," says Dr. John Santilli, a Connecticut allergy specialist.
  
  "We tell them, 'Take down the tree,' but we never had the proof to show them."
  
  Determined to prove his point, Santilli placed a live Christmas tree inside an intern's apartment and took air samples for two weeks. (Santilli keeps his Christmas tree on a porch until Christmas Eve.)
  
  For the first three days, the mold counts inside the apartment hovered around 800 spores per cubic meter of air, compared with a normal range of 500 to 700 spores per cubic meter.But by day 14, the mold count had skyrocketed to 5,000 spores per cubic meter.
  
  "The longer you keep the tree up, the worse it gets," says Santilli, who presented his study at a recent national meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in Dallas."By the second week, the tree was putting out a bucket of spores.That's when it gets to be a problem, especially if you have asthma or are prone to sinus infections."
  
  Though most of us don't associate mold with Christmas trees, Santilli says the dead tree begins decaying shortly after it's cut.
  
  "Mother Nature's cleanup crew is the mold," he says.
  ...
  Santilli, on the other hand, thinks his new research proves that mold may be the biggest problem.

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  www.orlandosentinel.com/features/lifestyle/holidays/orl - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 11/23/2007    Last Visited: 11/24/2007  

  "I've been in practice for 30years, and, every year, between Christmas and New Year, we have everybody come in with recurring sinus infections," said Dr. John Santilli, a Connecticut allergy specialist."We tell them, 'Take down the tree,' but we never had the proof to show them."
  
  Determined to prove his point, Santilli placed a live Christmas tree inside an intern's apartment and took air samples for two weeks. (Santilli keeps his Christmas tree on a porch until Christmas Eve.)
  
  For the first three days, the mold counts inside the apartment hovered around 800 spores per cubic meter of air, compared with a normal range of 500 to 700 spores per cubic meter.But by Day14, the mold count had skyrocketed to 5,000 spores per cubic meter.
  
  "The longer you keep the tree up, the worse it gets," said Santilli, who presented his study at a national meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in Dallas last week."By the second week, the tree was putting out a bucket of spores.That's when it gets to be a problem, especially if you have asthma or are prone to sinus infections."
  
  Though most of us don't associate mold with Christmas trees, Santilli says the dead tree begins decaying shortly after it's cut.
  ...
  Santilli, on the other hand, thinks his new research proves mold may be the biggest problem.

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  www.rochesterdandc.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071 - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 12/19/2007    Last Visited: 12/19/2007  

  The mold on those trees is the primary cause, says Dr. John Santilli, a Connecticut allergy specialist.Though most of us don't associate mold with Christmas trees, Santilli says the dead tree begins decaying shortly after it's cut.
  
  "Mother Nature's cleanup crew is the mold," he says."The molds take over and start decaying it."
  
  The longer you keep the tree up, the worse it gets, says Santilli, who measured the molds from a live Christmas tree he placed in an intern's apartment for two weeks. (Santilli keeps his Christmas tree on a porch until Christmas Eve.)
  
  For the first three days, the mold counts inside the apartment hovered around 800 spores per cubic meter of air, compared with a normal range of 500 to 700 spores per cubic meter.But by day 14, the mold count had skyrocketed to 5,000 spores per cubic meter.
  
  "By the second week, the tree was putting out a bucket of spores.That's when it gets to be a problem, especially if you have asthma or are prone to sinus infections," says Santilli, who presented his study at a recent national meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in Dallas.

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  www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18165994&BRD=12 - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 4/4/2007    Last Visited: 4/7/2007  

  Don't blame flowering plants just yet, said Dr. John Santilli, chief of the allergy section at St. Vincent's Medical Center.
  
  Most of the already sneezy are probably breathing moldy indoor air, he said.Dust mites and animal dander could be aggravating the irritation.Fungi are hard at work outdoors, too, he said.
  
  "The trouble now is mold," Santilli said.
  
  Mold was happily chewing up leaf litter when the Valentine's Day ice storm hit.After the ice melted Cladosporium and Alternaria species went back to work, filling the air with all-but-invisible spores.
  
  "More people are also living and working in 'sick buildings,'" Santilli said."Buildings are built with flat roofs and people put buckets under the leaks.There are many aging buildings in Connecticut," said Santilli.
  
  Water leaks in houses are also a potent source of spores.Many people simply wait for damp cellulose-based wallboard to dry out, unaware that this material is a mold magnet, he said.
  
  A lot of cold viruses are still going around, too, Santilli said.Colds can be confused with allergies, but upper respiratory infections usually resolve after a few days, while allergies go on and on, he said.
  
  To figure out whether a building is a problem, keep a record of your symptoms, Santilli said.If you feel great on weekends and all stuffed up after a day or two at work, you may be toiling in a sick office.
  
  More people are aware of mold allergy, prompting additional visits to the doctor, Santilli said.

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  www.sunshinehf.com/common/news/news_results.asp?task=Fe - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 12/5/2007    Last Visited: 12/9/2007  

  "I've been in practice for 30years, and, every year, between Christmas and New Year, we have everybody come in with recurring sinus infections," said Dr. John Santilli, a Connecticut allergy specialist."We tell them, 'Take down the tree,' but we never had the proof to show them."
  
  Determined to prove his point, Santilli placed a live Christmas tree inside an intern's apartment and took air samples for two weeks. (Santilli keeps his Christmas tree on a porch until Christmas Eve.)
  
  For the first three days, the mold counts inside the apartment hovered around 800 spores per cubic meter of air, compared with a normal range of 500 to 700 spores per cubic meter.But by Day14, the mold count had skyrocketed to 5,000 spores per cubic meter.
  
  "The longer you keep the tree up, the worse it gets," said Santilli, who presented his study at a national meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in Dallas last week."By the second week, the tree was putting out a bucket of spores.That's when it gets to be a problem, especially if you have asthma or are prone to sinus infections."
  
  Though most of us don't associate mold with Christmas trees, Santilli says the dead tree begins decaying shortly after it's cut.
  ...
  Santilli, on the other hand, thinks his new research proves mold may be the biggest problem.

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  www.earnosethroat-associates.com/ent_news_archive_1107. - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 10/11/2008    Last Visited: 6/12/2008  

  "It is difficult to get an exact handle on the percentage of the population that would be affected by Christmas tree exposure," said Dr John Santilli, chief of St Vincent Medical Centre's Division of Allergy and Immunology, in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
  
  However, he told the Telegraph that the incidence of sneezes and wheezes likely fell in "a range of five-15 per cent based on the fact that 30-40 per cent of the population has some degree of respiratory allergy."
  
  With William Rockwell, chief of Allergy and Immunology Bridgeport Hospital, Dr Santilli decided to study whether the trees trigger allergies because "our patients have consistently experienced a dramatic increase in asthma and sinus complaints occurring every winter.
  ...
  This level is unhealthy, said Dr Santilli."Mould-sensitive patients may experience allergic symptoms due to an increasing spore exposure from having a live Christmas tree in the home."
  
  "Therefore, we would recommend that families with allergies in general and mould allergies in particular not keep a live Christmas tree in their house for more than a few days at most, and remove it sooner if there are signs of increased allergic symptoms."
  
  Mould allergy is a growing problem."In our allergy practice we care for a great many patients who suffer from mould allergy," said Dr Santilli.

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  www.connpost.com/ci_7672999?source=most_emailed - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 12/9/2007    Last Visited: 12/9/2007  

  > Allergy specialists Dr. William J. Rockwell and Dr. John Santilli always felt kind of Grinch-like around the holidays.
  ...
  Santilli and Rockwell told their patients that trees, including the holiday conifers posted in their living rooms, can grow mold.
  ...
  "We kind of felt like Scrooge," said Santilli, also chief of allergy and immunology at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport.
  
  But, he said, patients who took their advice and ditched the tree often found that their symptoms abated, so the doctors felt there was some validity to their theory.What they needed was some hard evidence to back it up.
  
  Rockwell, Bridgeport Hospital chief of allergy and immunology, and Santilli decided to conduct an experiment to see if their mold theory held water.

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  apartmentdallas.dsbraus.net/luxury-apartment-dallas/apa - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 10/11/2008    Last Visited: 7/9/2008  

  Connecticut allergy specialist Dr. John Santilli placed a live Christmas tree inside an intern's apartment and took air samples for two weeks. ...

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  www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/11 - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 7/11/2007    Last Visited: 11/8/2007  

  "It is difficult to get an exact handle on the percentage of the population that would be affected by Christmas tree exposure," said Dr John Santilli, chief of St Vincent Medical Centre's Division of Allergy and Immunology, in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
  
  However, he told the Telegraph that the incidence of sneezes and wheezes likely fell in "a range of five-15 per cent based on the fact that 30-40 per cent of the population has some degree of respiratory allergy."
  
  With William Rockwell, chief of Allergy and Immunology Bridgeport Hospital, Dr Santilli decided to study whether the trees trigger allergies because "our patients have consistently experienced a dramatic increase in asthma and sinus complaints occurring every winter.
  ...
  This level is unhealthy, said Dr Santilli."Mould-sensitive patients may experience allergic symptoms due to an increasing spore exposure from having a live Christmas tree in the home."
  
  "Therefore, we would recommend that families with allergies in general and mould allergies in particular not keep a live Christmas tree in their house for more than a few days at most, and remove it sooner if there are signs of increased allergic symptoms."
  
  Mould allergy is a growing problem."In our allergy practice we care for a great many patients who suffer from mould allergy," said Dr Santilli.

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  www.allerair.net/library_article.php?ret=1474 - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 8/12/2007    Last Visited: 1/8/2008  

  Allergy specialists Dr. William J. Rockwell and Dr. John Santilli always felt kind of Grinch-like around the holidays.
  ...
  Santilli and Rockwell told their patients that trees, including the holiday conifers posted in their living rooms, can grow mold.
  ...
  "We kind of felt like Scrooge," said Santilli, also chief of allergy and immunology at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport.
  
  But, he said, patients who took their advice and ditched the tree often found that their symptoms abated, so the doctors felt there was some validity to their theory.What they needed was some hard evidence to back it up.
  
  Rockwell, Bridgeport Hospital chief of allergy and immunology, and Santilli decided to conduct an experiment to see if their mold theory held water.

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