Indoor molds and lung function in healthy adults

Hernberg, Samu; Sripaiboonkij, Penpatra; Quansah, Reginald; Jaakkola, Jouni J. K.; Jaakkola, Maritta S.

doi:10.1016/j.rmed.2014.03.004

Cited by 32 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…In contrast to this finding, Flamant [3] found that increased mVOC concentrations (a quantitative measure of odour) were associated with increased risk of non-allergic asthma in children, which may be due to differences in exposure definitions and health outcomes. In support of our findings, Hernberg and Sripaiboonkij [41] reported that odour was associated with lower lung function levels in healthy adults, which may be due to non-allergenic symptoms. Although non-allergic symptoms may be confounded by other risk factors such as lower SES and occupation exposures, as exemplified by our participants who had a low PIR and living in poverty (PIR ranging between 0.00 and 0.99) having an increased risk of non-allergic adult asthma.…”

Section: Synthesis With Existing Literaturesupporting

confidence: 91%

Variable risk of atopic disease due to indoor fungal exposure in NHANES 2005–2006

Sharpe

Thornton

Tyrrell

et al. 2015

Clin Experimental Allergy

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Section: Synthesis With Existing Literaturesupporting

confidence: 91%

Variable risk of atopic disease due to indoor fungal exposure in NHANES 2005–2006

Sharpe

Thornton

Tyrrell

et al. 2015

Clin Experimental Allergy

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“…Ineligible studies or metrics included those reporting unadjusted correlation coefficients; those reporting no estimates of strength of association; metrics combining D/M assessments far apart in time; metrics based on instrument‐measured wall moisture; and studies of non‐residential buildings …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…and studies of non-residential buildings. [47][48][49][50][51][52] We identified 33 eligible metrics in the 22 studies. Table 1 summarizes findings for eight researcher-assessed metrics (from nine studies) considered simple enough for practical use and with estimates that generally increased monotonically with increasing index levels.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observation‐based metrics for residential dampness and mold with dose–response relationships to health: A review

Mendell

Kumagai

2016

Indoor Air

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An important proportion of respiratory illness is considered attributable to residential dampness or mold (D/M). Developing health-protective D/M guidelines has been challenging, in part because unhealthy levels of indoor D/M cannot be defined using available microbiological measurements. This review paper explores reported multilevel, observation-based (eg visual or olfactory) D/M metrics for potential in defining unhealthy levels of residential D/M. For many of the 33 multilevel residential D/M metrics identified, health risks generally increased as observed D/M increased. Although some metrics seemed too complex for practical use, simple metrics had among the strongest associations with health outcomes. Available findings suggest the feasibility of setting observation-based D/M thresholds to trigger remedial action, using further improved D/M metrics without microbiological measurements (at least until the actual dampness-related agents that cause illness are better quantified). Additional data would allow setting health-protective D/M thresholds more precisely. Also, metrics could better reflect hidden D/M by more strongly emphasizing mold odor, which has demonstrated strong associations with health effects.

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“…We also found a relationship between the musty odor in house and the frequency of reports for muscular pain, expectorations, flu-like symptoms, dyspnea and anxiety. Herneberg et al [60] previously observed a lower forced expiration volume and forced vital capacity for non-asthmatic adults exposed to moldy odor in comparison to non-asthmatic adults living in mold-free houses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Relationships between Exposure to Bioaerosols, Moldy Surface and Symptoms in French Mold-Damaged Homes

et al. 2020

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Air quality in homes is a major concern in Europe, where people spend most of their time indoors. According to the World Health Organization, numerous houses are subject to dampness that can lead to mold growth, with associated health and economic consequences. Our goal was to characterize the human exposure to bioaerosols in French mold-damaged houses but also to study the effects of these bioaerosols as suffered by the inhabitants of these houses. A global approach including both field study and laboratory experimentation was used to investigate 48 mold-damaged homes. Among a wide fungal diversity, 101 viable species, Aspergillus versicolor, Penicillium chrysogenum and P. crustosum were observed as recurrent species and could be used as microbial indicators of indoor air quality. Statistical analyses highlighted a relationship between the concentrations of these recurrent molds and the levels of surface contamination by molds in homes. Fever, cough, dyspnea, flu-like symptoms were observed with several fungal strains (A. versicolor, P. chrysogenum and P. crustosum) or in relation to moldy odor. Relationships between particles of 2 to 15 µm diameter and headaches and dizziness were also observed. In our study, we identified a cutaneous effect (itching) in relationship to the airborne concentration of A. versicolor.

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Indoor molds and lung function in healthy adults

Abstract: Mold odor exposure was related to lower lung function levels among non-asthmatic adults, especially among women.

Cited by 32 publications

References 23 publications

Variable risk of atopic disease due to indoor fungal exposure in NHANES 2005–2006

Variable risk of atopic disease due to indoor fungal exposure in NHANES 2005–2006

Observation‐based metrics for residential dampness and mold with dose–response relationships to health: A review

Relationships between Exposure to Bioaerosols, Moldy Surface and Symptoms in French Mold-Damaged Homes

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