Comparison of work-related symptoms and visual contrast sensitivity between employees at a severely water-damaged school and a school without significant water damage

Details

• Personal Author:
  Clark-Burton, Nancy ; Mueller, Charles A. ; Page, Elena H. ; Thomas G ; Vesper S
• Description:
  Background: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a health hazard evaluation (HHE) of a water-damaged school in New Orleans (NO), Louisiana. Our aim in this evaluation was to document employee health effects related to exposure to the water-damaged school, and to determine if VCS testing could serve as a biomarker of effect for occupants who experienced adverse health effects in a water-damaged building. Methods: NIOSH physicians and staff administered a work history and medical questionnaire, conducted visual contrast sensitivity (VCS) testing, and collected stickytape, air, and dust samples at the school. Counting, culturing, and/or a DNA-based technology, called mold-specific quantitative PCR (MSQPCR), were also used to quantify the molds. A similar health and environmental evaluation was performed at a comparable school in Cincinnati, Ohio which was not water-damaged. Results Extensive mold contamination was documented in the water-damaged school and employees (n = 95) had higher prevalences of work-related rashes and nasal, lower respiratory, and constitutional symptoms than those at the comparison school (n = 110). VCS values across all spatial frequencies were lower among employees at the water-damaged school. Conclusions: Employees exposed to an extensively water-damaged environment reported adverse health effects, including rashes and nasal, lower respiratory, and constitutional symptoms. VCS values were lower in the employees at the water-damaged school, but we do not recommend using it in evaluation of people exposed to mold. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollution, Indoor Digestive System Digestive System Diseases Environmental Health Fungi Irritants Microbiology Nervous System Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Skin Skin Diseases

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• Keywords:
  Asthma Author Keywords: Mold Gastrointestinal-system-disorders Health Hazard Evaluation HETA 2005-0135-3116 Immune-system-disorders Indoor-air-pollution Indoor-environmental-quality Microorganisms Molds Neurological-reactions Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiratory Respiratory-irritants Respiratory-system-disorders School Skin-diseases Skin-disorders Skin-infections Skin-irritants Visual Contrast Sensitivity

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  55
• Issue:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20040808
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2012 Sep; 55(9):844-854
• Contact Point Address:
  Elena Page, MD, MPH, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 4676 Columbia Parkway,Mailstop R-10, Cincinnati,OH 45226
• Email:
  epage@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a30ae811b307354a13ba38b399dfe850067c24c477032de959d448ac2351ca815112ff0b1939c29b194180f6d96685e627985f0d7c932a82f27ec41a04b70985
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/193540/cdc_193540_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 162.99 KB ]