CRDConcept: fungi and molds in buildings and their envelopes

"Fungi are a kingdom of organisms that include mushrooms, mildews, molds, and yeasts. It is estimated that there are between 50,000 and 250,000 species of fungi, and fewer than 200 have been described as human pathogens that can cause infections. Molds are ubiquitous in nature and grow almost anywhere indoors and outdoors. More than 1,000 different kinds of indoor molds have been found in U.S. homes. Molds spread and reproduce by making spores, which are very small and lightweight, able to travel through air, capable of resisting dry, adverse environmental conditions, and hence capable of surviving a long time. Molds need moisture and food to grow, and their growth is stimulated by warm, damp, and humid conditions. " -- Redd, S. C., 2002, State of the science on molds and human health

Fungi comprise approximately one quarter of the biomass of the planet ( Miller 1992 ). Common names of fungi include mushrooms, rusts, smuts, puffballs, truffles, morels, molds, and yeasts.

"Fungi: Neither animals nor plants, fungi are classified in their own kingdom. The fungi kingdom includes a very large group of organisms, including molds, yeasts, mushrooms, and puffballs. There are more than 100,000 accepted fungal speciesˇŞbut current estimates range up to 10 million species. Mycologists (people who study fungi) group fungi into four large groups according to their reproduction method." (source The Facts About Mold)

"Fungi literally mold the Earth. They modify our habitats and are essential in many ecosystem functions. For example they are among the biological agents that form soil, decay wood, enhance plant growth, and cull plants from forests. Some fungi are animal pathogens that in worse cases kill us, while other fungi have perforrmaed miraculous cures. Fungi feed us and poison us. They perform industrial processes, and several are important as model eukaryotic systems that push back the frontiers of biological research. 1.5 million species of fungi interact with all major groups of organisms, and by their decent from an ancestor shared with animals the group constitutes a major eukaryotic lineage equal to that of the animals and exceeding the plants." -- Fungi Mold the World -Special Topics in Biological Sciences

Replacement of biodeteriorated wood in service accounts for about 10% of the annual timber cut in the United States (Zabel and Morrell, 1992 R.A. Zabel and J.J. Morrell, Wood Microbiology: Decay and its Prevention, Academic Press, San Diego, CA (1992).Zabel and Morrell, 1992). Annual losses of over 1 billion US dollars (USD) result from fungal deterioration of untreated or inadequately treated wood (Scheffer, 1973 T.C. Scheffer, Microbiological degradation and the causal organisms. In: D.D. Nicholas, Editor, Degradation and Protection of Wood Vol. 1, Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, NY (1973)).

"Mold: A group of organisms that belong to the fungi kingdom. Although the terms mold and fungi have been commonly referred to interchangeably, all molds are fungi, but not all fungi are molds." (Source (www.aiha.org/GovernmentAffairs-PR/html/oomold.htm) )

"Fifty percent (50%) of homes contain problem molds. A new medical study attributes nearly 100% of chronic sinus infections to mold. A 300% increase in the asthma rate over the past 20 years has been linked to molds." -- as reported in USA WEEKEND, Dec. 3-5, 1999

This database collects many publications, web resources, and information related to the mold issues for building envelope researches. These issues are:

molds in buildings
damage to buildings
health effects:
Relations among dampness in house, molds and health effects. There are three relations within this issue that have received extensive studies. These are:
fungi: remedy, treatment, prevention. Including fungi: preservatives against fungi growth and mold decay
assessment, sampling and analysis
mycology studies, culturing and exposure investigation
growth and growth model. From a research and practical application point of view, it is important to know or predict at what conditions in the wall, the molds will grow and how much molds will grow. The germination and growth are found to be species (or types of species) depends and to be largely influenced by a number of parameters.
legal, law, litigation, insurance issues. Molds have caused many damages, the disputes on who share the burden frequently lead to litigations. Insurance providers are or have already been dropping coverage on molds.

See Fungi - A concise Description for a jump start on mold and building mycology

See Non-Technical Introduction to the World of Fungi and Mycology for basic information.
tidbits

The Facts About Mold by AIHA

MOLD TIMELINE

Indoor fungi resources Details of many fungi.

Mold: Cause, Effect and Response by Foundation of the Wall and Ceiling Industry.

Common Questions and Answers about Mold and Wood-based Products

What Is Household Mold & How Common Is It?, with several good quotes

References for the Industrial Hygienist Product Data Bulletin (PDF)

Mold lab resources

Mold articles

Fungi in buildings - The University of Minnesota

fungus definition and taxonomy by Wikipedia

Web Links (52):

Notes

A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home - EPA: "Guide provides information and guidance for homeowners and renters on how to clean up residential mold problems and how to prevent mold growth. "
Aerobiology- Fungal Populations in Indoor Air by Megan Hargreaves: A nice article about fungal stuff in indoor, toxin, and health
Air Sampling Guides: Links to Guide to NIOSH, OSHA and ASTM Air Sampling Methods; Guide to EPA Air Sampling Standards; Guide to HSE Air Sampling Standards; Passive (Diffusive) Sampling Guide. Other aerosol sampler information
Airborne Allergens - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease's: an online chapter on allergens
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."
Common Questions and Answers about Mold: What is mold? How do molds get into the indoor environment and how do they grow? Is mold happening now because buildings are too tight? The homeowner had a water leak - what is the potential for growing mold in the leak area? What about moisture in the crawl space? At what moisture content should someone be worried about mold? ...
database of fungi collection: of their own collection (28,000)
Dr. Fungi: Extensive collection of non-technical info on fungi, 2000+ references. Emphasis on discausing species.
Dr. Fungi, list of 2000+ references: a long list of 2220 references on fungi and mold related
Environmental Mould-Related Resources
Facts About Mold by New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene: A short article with answers for a few questions
FAQ ¨C Mould - CWC: Answers to several questions on molds related particular to wood
Fungal Biodiversity Center - Utrecht, The Netherlands: has a database (www.cbs.knaw.nl/DATABASE.HTML) of their own collection
fungal research group pub-abs: More than 60 references with abstract on mold, house, and health, also see the other half of the list
Fungal Research Group.com: Few articles related to mold (by Dorctors)
Fungal Resources and Glossary - Univ. of Minnesota, Environmental Health & Safety: Basics, images, in buildings, and A "Fungal Glossary" gives basic facts and references for five pages of genera & species.
Fungi in buildings - The University of Minnesota: Intro, info, images of fungi. By Department of Environmental Health and Safety (DEHS)
Fungi in indoor enviroments - Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures (CBS): focus "fungal biodiversity through the study of taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships, especially of filamentous fungi and yeasts"
Fungi Mold the World -Special Topics in Biological Sciences: Information and resources on fungi for a cource work.
Fungi properties and cassifications-Diversity of Living Organisms: "at Kennesaw State University to provide information and links related to biological diversity"-brief
Hyper dictionary: online, linked dictionary
IEA Annex 14: Condensation and Energy: "provided architects, building owners, practitioners as well as researchers, with a better knowledge and understanding of the physical background of these phenomena (critical) conditions for mould growth, material characteristics related to the problems, it has also provided them with better computation models taking air, heat and moisture transfer into account in order to predict properly the phenomena of surface condensation and possible solutions to avoid it."
Indoor Air - Mold/Moisture: Mold resources: basic, clean up, health, building, indoor air, Asthma.
List of journals by Dr. Fungi
mold and law: an excellent site on issues of insurance, law and litigation issues of molds; links to molds in homes, schools, and buildings;
Mold help: "mold website with complete information on toxic mold (stachybotrys, penicillium, aspergillus, fusarium, chaetomium, cladosporium). Complete with images, physicians list, symptoms, medical updates, descriptions, discussion board, and several topics."
mold info and articles by a law firm: images of molds, article from law viewpoint, and many links to other sites
mold info at Environmental Testing & Technology: "to provide an investigative and consulting service for indoor environmental problems in commercial and residential buildings"
mold info by McGregor Pearce, MPH: short article on "mold biology, health, moisture, remediating and sampling"
Mold info-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC/US): A tree of authentical articles on molds and diseases.
Mold Links - PLRB: by Property Loss Research Bureau -- a not-for-profit, national association at the leading edge of claims information.
Mold Reporter: "will cover the causes, remedies and nature of mold problems, providing news and reliable info", issued six times a year by Abbey Publications, Inc.
Mold Resources - EPA: A great starting point for exploring.
MOLD RESOURCES-Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA): IAQA-promote uniform standards, procedures and protocols in the Indoor Air Quality industry.
Mold survivor: Some articles on molds_health, with links.
Mold/Fungi links - EntertainmentMagazine Media Resources: Links to some references and web sites
Molds, Mycotoxins, and Human Health: Discusion paper (long) by Michael R. Gray
MoldUpdate: "the mold issue, including litigation, legislation, regulations, media coverage, mold science, expert witness services, maintained by the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies.
Mycological Resources on the Internet: internet resources of interest to mycologists (biologists who study fungi) of moderate size
Mycologue Publications - all about fungi, at mycolog.com: "over 800 images of fungi online as an introduction to our compact mycological encyclopedia, The Fifth Kingdom. "
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."
Mycology Online by David Ellis: Info on mycology, mycoses, lab methods, with great slide shows (~12) downloadable, from the medical viewpoint. Not for general readers
Mycotoxins in water damaged buildings: for many fungal species and chemical composition "Determination of the mycotoxins actually produced in water-damaged buildings can most adequately be done by analyzing contaminated building materials."
National Association Of Toxic Mold Remediators, NATMR: "... mold solution resource... primary goal is the complete elimination of all indoor mold issues where people work, live, and play... has a network of professionals in all areas of indoor air quality, the environment, construction, mold remediation, air & surface sampling, fire & water damage restoration, accredited laboratories, environmental & tort law, medicine, biology & microbiology, insurance and public adjusters, chemistry, the bio-sciences, and more."
pathogenic fungi database - Institute of Medical Mycology (TIMM): The database includes list of 1631 species related to toxic fungi
Sampling methodology for fungal bioaerosols and amplifiers in cases of suspected indoor mold: an article on sampling
Science and Technology of Mould in the Indoor Environment: "A three-stage consultation forum will bring together stakeholders and experts to identify gaps in knowledge and research. "
Systematic Botany and Mycology databases: Searchable of fungi
The Canadian society for engineering in agricultural, food and biological systems: also some well organized links to university research
The Tree of Life: for "locating information about a particular group of organisms, identification keys, figures, phylogenetic trees, and other systematic information for a group of organisms, and by educators teaching about organismal diversity. ", including fungi
Timeline of mold research: An artile by Everette Lee Herndon, on mold awareness, litigations, policies, etc.
Types_of_Mold - by a home inspector: About mold and owning your home. Site also has selling tips, Buying Tips, Newsletters, etc.

Related References (63)

--------: A Brief Guide to Mould in the Workplace , by U. S. Department of Labor, 2003
growth of model: A mathematical model of mold growth on wooden material, by Hukka, A. and Viitanen H., 1999
--------: Analysis of possibilities to amend or delete Art. 59 of the international code of botanical nomenclature to achieve a unified nomenclature and classification of the fungi, by Hennebert, G. L. and Gams, W., 2002
Gliocladium viren against decay fungi in wood: Antagonistic properties of Gliocladium virens against wood attacking fungi, by Highley, T. L., H.S. Anantha Padmanabha and C.R. Howell, 1996
bio damage: Bacteria, molds, and toxins in water-damaged building materials, by Andersson, M. A., M. Nikulin, U. Ko Ljalg, M. C. Andersson, F. Rainey, K. Reijula, E.-L. Hintikka, And M. Salkinoja-Salonen, 1997
--------: Bioaerosols: assessment and contro, by Macher, J. (Ed), 1999
brown rot: Biodegradative mechanism of the brown rot Gloeophyllum trabeum: evidence for an extracellular fenton reaction, by Kerem, Zohar; Jensen, Kenneth A.; Hammel, Kenneth E., 1999
--------: Biodeterioration of wood in houses, by Cooperative Extension Service - Clemson University, 1991
brown rot, white rot: Biotechnology in the study of brown-and white-rot decay, by Highley, T. L. and Dashek, W. V., 1998
workshop: Bugs, mold & rot II, by Bales, E. and Rose, W. B., 1994
--------: Bugs, Mold & Rot III Conference, by Anon, 1999
mycology of building: Building mycology -- management of decay and health in buildings, by Singh, J., 1994
--------: Characterizing moisture damaged buildings - environmental and biological monitoring, by Hyv?rinen, A., 2002
--------: Colonization of fiberglass insulation used in heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, by Price D. L. ; Simmons R. B. ; Ezeonu I. M. ; Crow S. A. ; Ahearn D. G., 1994
--------: D6329-98 standard guide for developing methodology for evaluating the ability of indoor materials to support microbial growth using static environmental chambers, by ASTM, 2002
--------: Danish Research Program on "Moulds in buildings" 1998-2001, by Anon, 2001
Decay of wood: Decay of wood and wood-based products above ground in buildings, Mechanism of Brown-Rot Decay: Paradigm or Paradox, by Carll, C. G. and Highley, T. L., 1999
--------: Development of experimental procedure to evaluate potential movement of mold spores from wall cavity to indoor environment, by Fazio, P., Bartlett, K., Yang, D., Rao, J. and Miao, G., 2005
dry rot, Serpula lacrymans: Development of model systems for investigations of the dry rot fungus Serpula lacrymans (Schumach. ex Fr.) Gray: Use for analysis of the environmental sensitivity of the organism, by Low, G. A., Palfreyman, J. W., White, N. A. and Sinclair, D. C. R., 1999
--------: Distribution of various fungi reported on different indoor substrates, by Thiagarajan, S., Fallah, P., Burge, H. and Gallup, J., 2005
airborne fungi: Exposure to airborne fungi, MVOC and mycotoxins in biowaste-handling facilities, by Fischer, G., M¨ąller, T., Schwalbe, R., Ostrowski, R. and Dott, W., 2000
--------: Fundamentals of mycology, 2nd Ed, by Burnett, J. H., 1994
glossary: Fungal contamination in public buildings: a guide to recognition and management, by Davies, R., Summerbell, R. C., Haldane, D., Dufour, A., Yu, K., Broder, I., Dales, R., Kirkbride, J., Kauri, T. and Robertson, W., 1995
Fungal defacement: Fungal defacement in buildings: a performance related approach, by Hens, H., 2000
measurement, dust sample: Fungal extracellular polysaccharides, (13)-glucans and culturable fungi in repeated sampling of house dust , by Chew, G. L., Douwes, J., Doekes, G., Higgins, K. M., Strien, R. V., Spithoven, J. and Brunekreef, B., 2001
black lung disease: Fungi & Indoor Air Quality, by McNeel, S. V. and Kreutzer, R. V., 1996
--------: Fungi in moisture-damaged building materials, by Hyv?rinen, A. et al, 2001
--------: Guidelines on assessment and remediation of fungi in indoor environments, by New York City Department of Health, 0
Stachybotrys chartarum: Health effects of toxin-producing indoor molds in California, by California Department of Health Services, 1998
--------: Identification and treatment of toxic molds , by Adams, S., 2002
--------: Immunological detection of wood decay fungi - an overview of techniques developed from 1986, by Clausen, C. A., 1997
--------: Increased prevalence of atopy among children exposed to mold in a school building, by Savilahti, R., J. Uitti, et al., 2001
--------: Indicators of mold growth in indoor environments, by Vice, S.J, 2000
--------: Indoor mold growth: health hazards and remediation, by Kowalski, W. J., 2000
Penicillium: Inflammatory potential of the spores of Penicillium spinulosum isolated from indoor air of a moisture-damaged building in mouse lungs , by Jussila, J., Komulainena, H., Kosma, V., Pelkonen, J. and Hirvonen, M., 2002
mycology book: Introductory mycology, by Alexopoulos, C., C. Mims, and M. Blackwell, 1996
--------: Microbiology on indoor air'99- what is new and interesting? an overview of selected papers presented in Edinburgh, August, 1999, by Gravesen, S., 2000
--------: Microbodies in fungi - a review, by Carson, D. B. and Cooney, J. J., 1990
--------: Mold and law, by Lozano, G. D. A., 2002
--------: Mold performance of some construction products with and without borates, by Fogel, J.L. and J. D. Lloyd, 2002
--------: Mold: Behind the hype, by Kozlowski, D., 2003
--------: MVOC emission patterns of indoor fungi: strain and culture differences, by Horner, W., A. Worthan, B. Epstien, and M. Black, 1999
--------: Mycology lecture course, by Nicklin, J., 2003
airborne: Prevalence of culturable airborne fungi in 100 U.S. office buildings in the building assessment survey and evaluation (BASE) study, by Macher, J.M., F. C. Tsai, L.E. Burton, K.Liu, and J. M. Waldman, 2001
fungi and transient relative humdity: Response of fungi to transient relative humidities, by Adan, O. C. G., 1995
--------: Review of concentration standards and guidelines for fungi in indoor air, by Rao, C., Burge, H. and Chang, J., 1996
--------: Sap stain in hardwood logs and lumber, by Cassens, D. L., 1991
fungi in indoor air,: Significance of fungi in indoor air: report from a working group, by Tobin, R.S., E. Bavoneuslei, A. Gilman, T. Kuiper-Goodman, J.D. Miller, and M. Giddings, Reinikainen, L. M. and Jaakkola, J. J. K., 1987
--------: Sources and exposures to biological particles , by Nevalainena, A., Meklina, T. and Hyv?rinena, A., 1998
--------: The drying potential and risk for mold growth in compact wood frame roofs with built-in moisture, by Geving, S. and Holme, J., 2009
--------: The fifth kingdom, by Kendrick, B., 1985
--------: The fundamentals of fungi, by Armstrong, S.. and Liaw, J., 2002
--------: The illustrated mold handbook, by Professional Equipment, 2003
Penicillium brevicompactum: The relationship between fungal growth in wall cavities and the fungal ecology of indoor environments, by Heinsohn, P., 2002
--------: The relationship between measured moisture conditions and fungal concentrations in water-damaged building materials, by Pasanen, A. L., S. Rautiala, et al., 2000
dry rot, Serpula lacrymans: The use of representative modelling to test the efficacy of environmental control treatments for the dry rot fungus Serpula lacrymans: simulating the infection and the treatment of flooring timber, by Palfreyman, J.W., Smith, D. and Low, G.A, 2001
fungi decay due to high moisture in exterior sheathing: Tri State homes: a case study of extensive decay in the walls of older manufactured homes with exterior vapor retarder, by Tsongas, G. and Olson, J., 1995
--------: Understanding mold in the property restoration industry, by Servpro Industries, Inc, 2001
MVOC: Volatile compounds originating from mixed microbial cultures on building materials under various humidity conditions, by Korpi, A. Pasanen,A.L. and P. Pasanen, 1998
--------: Water potential and wood-decay fungi, by Griffin, D.M., 1977
Chapter 13 Biodeterioration of Wood: Wood handbook - wood as an engineering material, by Forest Products Laboratory, 1999
--------: Wood-based boards : response to attack by mould and stain fungi, by Wang, Q., 1994
--------: Wood-destroying fungi in residential construction, by Smulski, S., 1996

CRDBER, at CBS, BCEE, ENCS, Concordia, June 2014