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An approach to management of critical indoor air problems in school buildings

Haverinen, U., Husman, T., Toivola, M., Suonketo, J., Pentti, M., Lindberg, R., Leinonen, J., Hyvarinen, A., Meklin, T. and Nevalainen, A.
1999
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES, 107: 509-514 Suppl. 3

Haverinen, U., Husman, T., Toivola, M., Suonketo, J., Pentti, M., Lindberg, R., Leinonen, J., Hyvarinen, A., Meklin, T. and Nevalainen, A., (1999), "An approach to management of critical indoor air problems in school buildings", ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES, 107: 509-514 Suppl. 3.
Abstract:
This study was conducted in a school center that had been the focus of intense public concern over 2 years because of suspected mold and health problems. Because several attempts to find solutions to the problem within the community were not satisfactory, outside specialists were needed for support in solving the problem. The study group consisted of experts in civil engineering, indoor mycology, and epidemiology. The studies were conducted in close cooperation with the city administration. Structures at risk were opened, moisture and temperature were measured, and the causes of damage were analyzed. Microbial samples were taken from the air, surfaces, and materials. Health questionnaires were sent to the schoolchildren and personnel. Information on the measurements and their results was released regularly to school employees, students and their parents, and to the media. Repairs were designed on the basis of this information. Moisture damage was caused mainly by difficult moisture conditions at the building site, poor ventilation, and water leaks. Fungal genera (concentrations <200 colony-forming units (cfu)/m(3), <3000 cfu/cm(2)) typical to buildings with mold problems (e.g., Aspergillus versicolor, Eurotium) were collected from the indoor air and surfaces of the school buildings. Where moisture-prone structures were identified and visible signs of damage or elevated moisture content were recorded, the numbers of microbes also were high; thus microbial results from material samples supported the conclusions made in the structural studies. Several irritative and recurrent symptoms were common among the upper secondary and high school students. The prevalence of asthma was high (13%) among the upper secondary school students. During the last 4 years, the incidence of asthma was 3-fold that of the previous 4-year period.
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Author Information and Other Publications Notes
Haverinen, U.
  1. Analysis of moisture findings in the interior spaces of Finnish housing stock
  2. Characteristics of moisture damage in houses and their association with self-reported symptoms of the occupants
  3. Comparison of two-level and three-level classifications of moisture-damaged dwellings in relation to health effects
  4. Knowledge-based and statistically modeled relationships between residential moisture damage and occupant reported health symptoms
  5. Modeling moisture damage and its association with occupant health symptoms  
Husman, T.
National Public Health Institute, Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Kuopio, Finland.
  1. Analysis of moisture findings in the interior spaces of Finnish housing stock
  2. Characteristics of moisture damage in houses and their association with self-reported symptoms of the occupants
  3. Comparison of two-level and three-level classifications of moisture-damaged dwellings in relation to health effects
  4. Control of exposure to airborne viable microorganisms during remediation of moldy buildings; report of three case studies
  5. Effect of building frame and moisture damage on microbiological indoor air quality in school buildings
  6. Health effects of indoor-air microorganisms
  7. Indoor air microbes and respiratory symptoms of children in moisture damaged and reference schools
  8. Knowledge-based and statistically modeled relationships between residential moisture damage and occupant reported health symptoms
  9. Moisture damage in schools - symptoms and indoor air microbes
  10. Moisture, mold and health in apartment homes
  11. Size distributions of airborne microbes in moisture-damaged and reference school buildings of two construction types
  12. The relationship between moisture or mould observations in houses and the state of health of their occupants  
Toivola, M.
  1. Effect of building frame and moisture damage on microbiological indoor air quality in school buildings
  2. Induction of Cytotoxicity and Production of Inflammatory Mediators in RAW264.7 Macrophages by Spores Grown on Six Different Plasterboards
  3. Isolation and identification of Aspergillus fumigatus mycotoxins on growth medium and some building materials
  4. Personal exposures and microenvironmental concentrations of particles and bioaerosols  
Suonketo, J.
  1. Microbial growth in insulation of external walls: modeling the indoor air biocontamination sources
  2. Microbial growth inside insulated external walls as an indoor air biocontamination source
  3. The air flows and microbial contamination to indoor air from sandwich facade -- case study  
Pentti, M.
  1. Microbial growth in insulation of external walls: modeling the indoor air biocontamination sources
  2. Microbial growth inside insulated external walls as an indoor air biocontamination source  
Lindberg, R.
  1. Moisture behavior of timber-framed external wall structures in Nordic climate
  2. Moisture transport in timber-framed external wall structures in Nordic climate - laboratory tests
  3. The effect of air leakage through the moisture damaged structures in a school building having mechanical exhaust ventilation  
Leinonen, J.
     
Hyvarinen, A.
  1. Comparison of concentrations and size distributions of fungal spores in buildings with and without mould problems
  2. Effect of building frame and moisture damage on microbiological indoor air quality in school buildings
  3. Fungi and actinobacteria in moisture-damaged building materials - concentrations and diversity
  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  
Meklin, T.
  1. Effect of building frame and moisture damage on microbiological indoor air quality in school buildings
  2. Fungi and actinobacteria in moisture-damaged building materials - concentrations and diversity
  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  
Nevalainen, A.
Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, National Public Health Institute, Kuopio, Finland, and Department of Health Evaluation Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
  1. Analysis of moisture findings in the interior spaces of Finnish housing stock
  2. Comparison of concentrations and size distributions of fungal spores in buildings with and without mould problems
  3. Comparison of two-level and three-level classifications of moisture-damaged dwellings in relation to health effects
  4. Control of exposure to airborne viable microorganisms during remediation of moldy buildings; report of three case studies
  5. Effect of building frame and moisture damage on microbiological indoor air quality in school buildings
  6. Effect of growth medium on potential of Streptomyces anulatus spores to induce inflammatory responses and cytotoxicity in RAW264.7 macrophages
  7. Effect of indoor sources on fungal spore concentrations and size distributions
  8. Effect of liner and core materials of plasterboard on microbial growth, spore-induced inflammatory responses, and cytotoxicity in macrophages
  9. Everyday activities and variation of fungal spore concentrations in indoor air
  10. Fungal spores as such do not cause nasal inflammation in mold exposure
  11. Fungi and actinobacteria in moisture-damaged building materials - concentrations and diversity
  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  


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