Modem building materials, once moistened, may provide ecological niches for various microbes that have not been well characterized. The aim of the current study was to determine whether fungal genera and actinobacteria were associated with seven types of moisture-damaged building materials by systematically describing the mycobiota and enumerating fungi and bacteria in these materials. Microbial analyses were obtained from 1140 visibly damaged samples of building material, viz. wood, paper, non-wooden building boards, ceramic products, mineral insulation materials, paints and glues, and plastics. Fungal and bacterial concentrations correlated well (r = 0.6). The range of fungi and bacteria numbers was between 10(0) and 10(8) cfu g(-1) in all materials, but significant differences in counts were observed between materials. Highest median concentrations of fungi were observed in wooden and paper materials, and lowest in samples of mineral insulation, ceramic products, and paints and glues. Concentrations of viable bacteria in mineral insulation materials were significantly lower than in wood, paper, ceramic products and plastics. A rich variety of fungi was found in wooden materials, with Penicillium and yeasts occurring most frequently. In paper materials, a clear difference from wood was the more frequent occurrence of Cladosporium and Stachybotrys. The most distinctive finding in gypsum boards was that Stachybotrys was common. Ceramic products and paints and glues seemed to favour Acremonium and Aspergillus versicolor. Yeasts and members of the Sphaeropsidales occurred often in parallel in most materials. This study confirms that microbial growth occurs in many different building materials and shows associations between fungal genera and the type of material.

• fungi: mycology studies, culturing

1. An approach to management of critical indoor air problems in school buildings
2. Comparison of concentrations and size distributions of fungal spores in buildings with and without mould problems
3. Effect of building frame and moisture damage on microbiological indoor air quality in school buildings
4. Size distributions of airborne microbes in moisture-damaged and reference school buildings of two construction types
5. Temporal and spatial variation of fungal concentrations in indoor air  

1. An approach to management of critical indoor air problems in school buildings
2. Effect of building frame and moisture damage on microbiological indoor air quality in school buildings
3. Indoor air microbes and respiratory symptoms of children in moisture damaged and reference schools
4. Microbial exposure and health in schools - effects of moisture damage and renovation
5. Moisture damage in schools - symptoms and indoor air microbes
6. Moisture, mold and health in apartment homes
7. Rain penetration control - applying current knowledge (rpc-00)
8. Size distributions of airborne microbes in moisture-damaged and reference school buildings of two construction types
9. Skin-prick test findings in students from moisture- and mould-damaged schools: A 3-year follow-up study
10. Temporal and spatial variation of fungal concentrations in indoor air
11. The relationship between moisture or mould observations in houses and the state of health of their occupants  

1. An approach to management of critical indoor air problems in school buildings
2. Analysis of moisture findings in the interior spaces of Finnish housing stock
3. Comparison of concentrations and size distributions of fungal spores in buildings with and without mould problems
4. Comparison of two-level and three-level classifications of moisture-damaged dwellings in relation to health effects
5. Control of exposure to airborne viable microorganisms during remediation of moldy buildings; report of three case studies
6. Effect of building frame and moisture damage on microbiological indoor air quality in school buildings
7. Effect of growth medium on potential of Streptomyces anulatus spores to induce inflammatory responses and cytotoxicity in RAW264.7 macrophages
8. Effect of indoor sources on fungal spore concentrations and size distributions
9. Effect of liner and core materials of plasterboard on microbial growth, spore-induced inflammatory responses, and cytotoxicity in macrophages
10. Everyday activities and variation of fungal spore concentrations in indoor air
11. Fungal spores as such do not cause nasal inflammation in mold exposure
12. Indoor air microbes and respiratory symptoms of children in moisture damaged and reference schools
13. Induction of Cytotoxicity and Production of Inflammatory Mediators in RAW264.7 Macrophages by Spores Grown on Six Different Plasterboards
14. Inlet sampling efficiency of bioaerosol samplers
15. Knowledge-based and statistically modeled relationships between residential moisture damage and occupant reported health symptoms
16. Microbes and moisture content of materials from damaged building
17. Moisture, mold and health in apartment homes
18. Performance of bioaerosol samplers: collection characteristics and sampler design considerations
19. Personal exposures and microenvironmental concentrations of particles and bioaerosols
20. Size distributions of airborne microbes in moisture-damaged and reference school buildings of two construction types
21. Skin-prick test findings in students from moisture- and mould-damaged schools: A 3-year follow-up study
22. Temporal and spatial variation of fungal concentrations in indoor air
23. The relationship between moisture or mould observations in houses and the state of health of their occupants
24. Validity of detection of microbial growth in buildings by trained dogs