Can Mold Contamination of Homes Be Regulated? Lessons Learned from Radon and Lead Policies

Abstract

Increasingly, airborne mold in home environments has been linked with asthma exacerbation and other respiratory diseases in both children and adults. This problem is particularly relevant today, as Hurricane Katrina has resulted in water damage and mold proliferation in numerous homes on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Policies to control indoor moisture and mold can help solve problems of mold contamination and associated adverse health effects, yet very little attention has been given to developing such policies. We address the question of how to develop effective policies by deriving lessons from successful control of other home environmental contaminants; namely, radon and lead. These two agents are being controlled by a variety of policy approaches, including federal regulations and guidelines, public education, and economic incentives among home buyers and sellers. We analyze the mold problem and identify both similarities and differences with the radon and lead situations in the United States. We recommend policy approaches for controlling mold in homes that rely on home marketing incentives, building and housing codes, and maintenance and rehabilitation regulations, as well as public education initiatives.

Relationship Between Fungal Contamination of Indoor Air and Health Problems of Some Residents in Jos

“…Such condition have been reported to include; allergic www.intechopen.com reactions in which mild and occasional, to severe and chronic symptoms caused by most species of fungi may develop in susceptible individuals who may present with hay fever, runny nose, breathing problems, and sinusitis (Bryant, 2002;Moloughney, 2004, Wu et al, 2007Kuhn and Ghannoum,, 2004;Mirabelli et al, 2006). Some people could develop skin diseases and skin rashes as an allergic reaction to toxic mold.…”