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Fungi and fungal products in some Canadian houses

Miller, J. D., Laflamme, A. M., Sobol, Y., Lafontaine, P. and Greenhalgh, R.
1988
International Biodeterioration, 24(2), 103-120

Miller, J. D., Laflamme, A. M., Sobol, Y., Lafontaine, P. and Greenhalgh, R., (1988), "Fungi and fungal products in some Canadian houses", International Biodeterioration, 24(2), 103-120.
Abstract:
Building related illness prompted a study in the winter of 1986 to identify and quantify and fungal products present in c. 50 Canadian homes. Of these, 70% had been reputedly associated with health problems. Building parameters, i.e. air change rate and the internal moisture levels, were measured, and the fungi present were characterized and quantified along with their metabolites. Air and dust samples were analyzed and the fungal biomass in the dust was measured by a procedure which involved determination of ergosterol by a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer system. Some 42 fungal species were identified in air, samples of which were further analyzed for fungal volatiles. Penicillium was the most common genus in both air and dust, together with Cladosporium and Alternaria. The potentially hazardous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus was found in only two houses, and Strachybotry atra in only one. New criteria are suggested to define the acceptable standards for indoor fungal levels in air during winter.
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Author Information and Other Publications Notes
Miller, J. D.
J. David Miller, Professor of Biochemistry, Carleton University, Ottawa. NSERC Industrial Research Chair, Fungal Toxins & Allergens, Visiting Scientist, Air Health Effects, Health Canada
  1. A comparison of airborne ergosterol, glucan and Air-O-Cell data in relation to physical assessments of mold damage and some other parameters
  2. Acute pulmonary hemorrhage in infants associated with exposure to Stachybotrys atra and other fungi
  3. Air sampling results in relation to extent of fungal colonization of building materials in some water-damaged buildings
  4. Collection of spores of various fungi by a Reuter centrifugal sampler
  5. Exposure measures for studies of mold and dampness and respiratory health
  6. Field guide for the determination of biological contaminants in environmental samples
  7. Fungi as contaminants in indoor air
  8. Microbial contamination of indoor air
  9. Microbial volatile organic compounds with emphasis on those arising from filamentous fungal contaminants of buildings
  10. Microorganisms in home and indoor work environments
  11. Quantification of health effects of combined exposures: a new beginning
  12. Review of methods applicable to the assessment of mold exposure to children
  13. Significance of fungi in indoor air: report from a working group
  14. The use of ergosterol to measure exposure to fungal propagules in indoor air
  15. Transportation energy embodied in construction materials  
Laflamme, A. M.
     
Sobol, Y.
     
Lafontaine, P.
     
Greenhalgh, R.
     


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