fungi: damp house -- health

Many research programs and studies had been conducted to relating the water/moisture damaged houses with the health issues for the occupancy. General consensus is that moisture damage to a house increases health risks for its occupants.

[CDC: Damp indoor spaces and health]: The more detailed issues are:

• effect of damp indoor spaces on health,
• relationship between damp indoor spaces and fungi,
• characterization of fungal growth in homes, including the definition of the specific ecologic niches that fungi exploit in water -damaged areas,
• conditions needed for toxin and allergen production,
• methods of detecting fungi and secondary metabolites in indoor environments,
• metchnisms of expousre to fungi and secondary metabolites,
• respiratory health effects of gunal exposure, including allergic effects,
• etc...,

The evidence for a causal association between dampness and health effects are strong, however the mechanisms are unknown. Bornehag et al., 2001, Dampness in buildings and health provided a review of 61 referred journal publications.

One of the links among: dampness, envelope and house characteristics, indoor biocontamination, health symptoms.

Also see:

A knowledge-based model to relate moisture damage induced exposure and occupant health in residential buildings were studied Haverinen et al., 2001 and Haverinen et al. 2003 through evaluating moisture damage and health questionnaire for 164 houses (association of moisture damage with occupant's health).

Verhoeff AP, Burge HA, Health risk assessment of fungi in home environments, ANNALS OF ALLERGY ASTHMA & IMMUNOLOGY 78 (6): 544-554 JUN 1997

Li DW, Yang CS Fungal contamination as a major contributor to sick building syndrome ADVANCES IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY 55: 31-112 2004

Bioaerosols, Fungi and Mycotoxins, Ed. by Johanning, E.

"papers presented at the September, 1998 Third International Conference in Saratoga Springs, New York. clinical and epidemiological studies and technical reports on an emerging public health topic affecting people in indoor environments at work and at home."




Carleton University fungal metabolite research laboratory

damp housing and health, endophytic fungi in conifer needles and toxins in food ("the role of fungal metabolites in determining population structure"), by Dr. J. David Miller




CMHC- Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

"the federal government's housing agency, is responsible for administering the National Housing", formerly the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation




Mycology at Technical University of Denmark, DTU

"a multi-disciplinary approach our fundamental research today covers all aspects of fungal evolution, secondary metabolism, mycotoxin production, physiology and ecology."




OSH-DB Occupational Safety and Health Database

"OSH-DBTM (Occupational Safety and Health Database) is a web accessible database with over 220,000 original abstracts covering virtually all aspects of the occupational safety and health field. Records contain original abstracts as well as complete bibliographic information."




WHO -- World Health Organization

"the United Nations specialized agency for health, was established on 7 April 1948. WHO's objective, as set out in its Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. Health is defined in WHO's Constitution as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. WHO is governed by 192 Member States through the World Health Assembly. The Health Assembly is composed of representatives from WHO's Member States. The main tasks of the World Health Assembly are to approve the WHO programme and the budget for the following biennium and to decide major policy questions. "

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Building-related illness in occupants of mold-contaminated houses: a case series , by Craner, J., 2001

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Can microbial volatile metabolites cause irritation at indoor air concentrations? , by Pasanen, A., Korpi, A., Kasanen, J.P., Pasanen, P., 2001

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Characteristics of moisture damage in houses and their association with self-reported symptoms of the occupants, by Haverinen, U., Husman, T., Pekkanen, J., Vahteristo, M., Moschandreas, D., Nevelainen, A., 2001

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Characterizing moisture damaged buildings - environmental and biological monitoring, by Hyv?rinen, A., 2002

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Dampness in buildings and health , by Bornehag, C., Blomquist, G., Gyntelberg, F., J?rvholm, B., Malmberg, P. and et al., 2001

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Dampness in buildings and health: building characteristics as predictors for dampness in 8,681 swedish dwellings, by H?gerh, L., C. G. Bornehag and Sundell, B. J., 2002

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Diagnosing the cause of a "sick building:" a case study of an epidemiological and microbiological investigation, by Craner, J., Linda, M. P. H., Stetzenbach, D., 2001

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Exposure measures for studies of mold and dampness and respiratory health , by Miller, J. D., Dales, R., White, I., 1999

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Health risk assessment of fungi in home environments, by Verhoeff, A. P. and Burge, H. A., 1997

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Knowledge-based and statistically modeled relationships between residential moisture damage and occupant reported health symptoms, by Haverinen, U., Vahteristo, M., Moschandreas, D., Nevalainen, A., Husman, T. and Pekkanen, J., 2003

school

Microbial exposure and health in schools - effects of moisture damage and renovation, by Meklin, T., 2002

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Moisture observations and health , by Mikko, V., Jouni, R., Tuula, H., Aino, N., 2001

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Moldy houses: why they are and why we care & additional analysis of Wallaceburg data: the wallaceburg health and housing studies, by CHMC, 2002

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Study finds household moulds' contribution to illness uncertain, by The Vancouver Sun, 2004

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Symptoms associated to work in a water damaged school building, by Sigsgaard, T., Jensen, H. L. C., Nichum, E., Gravesen, S., Larsen, L., Hansen, M. ?., 2001