Mold exposure and respiratory health in damp indoor environments

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cox-Ganser, Jean M. ; Park, Ju-Hyeong
• Description:
  Almost all modern buildings experience at least minor, and sometimes serious, water damage during their life span. Excess moisture in buildings becomes a critical factor for mold (fungal) proliferation in nutrient-rich environments. As a result, building occupants may be exposed to increased levels of microbial agents such as fungal spores, cell fragments, cell wall components, or toxins. Such exposures may result in various diseases and symptoms, both respiratory and non-respiratory. Respiratory health complaints are common in damp buildings and have been more thoroughly studied than non-respiratory complaints. Respiratory diseases and symptoms which may be produced by exposure to indoor fungi include asthma development, exacerbation of asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, cough, wheeze, dyspnea (shortness of breath), nasal and throat symptoms, and respiratory infections. In addition to these illnesses, rhinosinusitis and sarcoidosis in water-damaged building occupants are also drawing more scientific attention. In this article, we explore the evidence for adverse effects of fungal exposure on respiratory health in damp indoor environments and potential disease mechanisms related to the exposure. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollution, Indoor Environmental Health Fungi Hazardous Substances Lung Diseases Microbiology Occupational Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Biological-effects Diseases Health-hazards Indoor-air-pollution Indoor-environmental-quality Lung-disorders Microorganisms Molds Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiratory-system-disorders
• ISSN:
  1093-9946
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20038250
• Citation:
  Front Biosci 2011 Jan; E3:757-771
• Contact Point Address:
  Ju Hyeong Park, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505 USA
• Email:
  gzp8@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Frontiers in Bioscience
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f0324a0f375f0de16da07dfa6a61c43bf938b4ded6bdfdf3b7fc7aa7a8dbba7bb1a97811015afc0174763d78953cfbc1f114f775ef140c43806198bbaab57715
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/192021/cdc_192021_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 10.81 MB ]