Some molds produce mycotoxins, unavoidable contaminants found in foods such as peanuts, corn and wine.

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They're diagnosing more serious conditions--such as cancer, immune-system disorders and memory loss--that have been linked to specific mycotoxins.

FORBES: Dr. Mold

Exposures to other mycotoxins were at tiny fractions of the levels known to cause effects in humans and animals.

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Furthermore, lower levels of mycotoxins in pest-resistant GE corn mean fewer birth defects, such as spina bifida, and less toxicity to livestock.

FORBES: The New York Times' Mark Bittman Offers Poisoned Food For Thought

Fumonisin and some other mycotoxins are highly toxic, causing fatal diseases in livestock that eat infected corn and esophageal cancer in humans.

FORBES: Bittman of the 'New York Times': Always Out To Lunch

That hasn't stopped Ordog from serving as an expert witness in, by his estimate, hundreds of lawsuits by people alleging they were injured by mold and mycotoxins.

FORBES: Magazine Article

"People are exposed to mycotoxins every day, " says Daniel Sudakin, a toxicologist and mold expert at Oregon State University who has testified for the defense in one mold case.

FORBES: Science Versus Hysteria

Over the centuries, the main culprits in mass food poisoning have often been mycotoxins, such as ergotamine from ergot or fumonisin from Fusarium species, resulting from the fungal contamination of unprocessed crops.

FORBES: Bittman of the 'New York Times': Always Out To Lunch