Moldy whiff kills brain cells

From San Diego, at a meeting of the Society of Toxicology

Watch out, Hurricane Katrina and Rita cleanup crews. A common black mold that blooms on moist cellulose-based materials—from wallboard and ceiling tiles to cardboard—creates a toxin that can kill certain brain cells. In an experiment with mice, the chemical, satratoxin, targeted neurons running from the inside of the nose to the brain’s smell center.