Since approximately 2005, a broad international consensus has been reached that mold and dampness in buildings significantly increases disease risk and is a public health hazard. Table 1 lists the WHO primary indicators of dampness and microbial growth. The percentage is higher in river valleys and coastal areas.
In 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a comprehensive guideline, “Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and Mould.” 2 In this 248-page report, the WHO estimated that 10% to 50% of indoor environments in Europe, North America, Australia, India, and Japan have clinically significant mold problems. Many terms have been used to describe this phenomenon, such as sick building syndrome (SBS). This came up a quite a bit in my research searches and looks like a good topic for a future editorial.) (Note, I am not considering in these 2 editorials the clinical significance of food-born mycotoxins. A relative humidity more than 90% is ideal for proliferation. 1 In general, any area with a relative humidity of greater than 80% in the presence of metabolizable organic materials supports their growth. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the most common indoor molds are of the Cladosporium, Penicillium, Alternaria, and Aspergillus genera. There are tens of thousands of species that spread and reproduce by making spores that can survive harsh environmental conditions. Molds are fungi that grow best in warm, damp, and humid conditions.
0 kommentar(er)
