Health Symptoms Caused by Molds in a Courthouse

Lee, Tang G.

doi:10.1080/00039896.2003.11879145

Cited by 18 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…On the other hand, fungal growth deteriorates 15 to 40% of North America and Northern European homes [5]. The symptoms reported by occupants in mouldy buildings are many and diverse, such as allergic respiratory diseases, including asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis [6,7]; and the relationship between fungal exposure and development of type I allergy has been proven [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Automatic detection of moistures in different construction materials from thermographic images

Garrido

Lagüela

Сфарра

et al. 2019

J Therm Anal Calorim

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Moisture is a pathology that damages all type of construction materials, from materials of building envelopes to materials of bridges. Its presence can negatively affect the users' conditions of indoor comfort. Furthermore, heating and cooling energy demand can be increased by the presence of moist materials. Infrared thermography (IRT) is a common technique in the scientific field to detect moisture areas, because of its non-destructive, non-contact nature. In addition, IRT allows an earlier moisture detection compared to the analysis using visible images. In order to optimize thermographic inspections, this paper presents one of the first methodologies for the automatic detection of moisture areas affecting the surface of construction materials. The methodology is based on the application of visible image processing techniques adapted to thermographic images through the consideration of an image conversion format, a thermal criterion and a thermal and a geometric filter. The precision, recall and F-score parameters obtained are around 83.5%, 73.5% and 72.5%, respectively, considering the false positives/negatives through a series of 12 tests made in different construction materials and ambient conditions, comparing the preliminary results with existing methodologies. Keywords Moisture Á Infrared thermography Á Automation Á Adapted visible image processing Á Construction materials Á Different environmental conditions & I. Garrido

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Automatic detection of moistures in different construction materials from thermographic images

Garrido

Lagüela

Сфарра

et al. 2019

J Therm Anal Calorim

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“…The causality between fungal exposure and development of type I allergy has been proven (18), but clinical evidence linking specific fungal spores, hyphal fragments, and/or metabolites to particular health complaints is lacking. The symptoms reported by occupants in moldy buildings are many and diverse (20,23), as are the fungal species found on moldy building materials (14,19). The fact that some people are hypersensitive to fungi while others do not react at all further complicates the issue.…”

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confidence: 99%

Associations between Fungal Species and Water-Damaged Building Materials

Andersen

Frisvad

Søndergaard

et al. 2011

Appl Environ Microbiol

305

280

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Fungal growth in damp or water-damaged buildings worldwide is an increasing problem, which has adverse effects on both the occupants and the buildings. Air sampling alone in moldy buildings does not reveal the full diversity of fungal species growing on building materials. One aim of this study was to estimate the qualitative and quantitative diversity of fungi growing on damp or water-damaged building materials. Another was to determine if associations exist between the most commonly found fungal species and different types of materials. More than 5,300 surface samples were taken by means of V8 contact plates from materials with visible fungal growth. Fungal identifications and information on building material components were analyzed using multivariate statistic methods to determine associations between fungi and material components. The results confirmed that Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus versicolor are the most common fungal species in water-damaged buildings. The results also showed Chaetomium spp., Acremonium spp., and Ulocladium spp. to be very common on damp building materials. Analyses show that associated mycobiotas exist on different building materials. Associations were found between (i) Acremonium spp., Penicillium chrysogenum, Stachybotrys spp., Ulocladium spp., and gypsum and wallpaper, (ii) Arthrinium phaeospermum, Aureobasidium pullulans, Cladosporium herbarum, Trichoderma spp., yeasts, and different types of wood and plywood, and (iii) Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus melleus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus ochraceus, Chaetomium spp., Mucor racemosus, Mucor spinosus, and concrete and other floor-related materials. These results can be used to develop new and resistant building materials and relevant allergen extracts and to help focus research on relevant mycotoxins, microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs), and microparticles released into the indoor environment.Most water damage indoors is due to natural disaster (e.g., flooding) or human error (e.g., disrepair). Water can seep into a building as a result of melting snow, heavy rain, or sewer system overflow. Water vapor can be produced by human activities like cooking, laundering, or showering and then condense on cold surfaces like outer walls, windows, or furniture. Damp or water-damaged building materials are at high risk of fungal growth (mold growth), possibly resulting in health problems for the occupants and the deterioration of the buildings. The water activity (a w ) (a w ϫ 100 ϭ % relative humidity at equilibrium) of a building material is the determining factor for fungal growth and varies with the temperature and the type of material (27). The longer a material's a w is over 0.75, the greater the risk of fungal growth (49), though different fungi have different a w preferences (11). Some filamentous fungi can grow on a material when the a w is as low as 0.78 (26), while others can survive 3 weeks at an a w of 0.45 (30). The severity of indoor dampness varies with the climate, but WHO (52) estimates that in Austral...

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“…While poor indoor air quality can be related to a number of issues, the one that has received the most attention in the last 5 to 10 years has been the effects of airborne fungi and their products (2,6,12). It has been acknowledged that damp and moldy structures are potentially harmful to the occupants (16).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These organisms have been found in buildings with indoor air quality problems (3,12,13). We also looked at the effect of the gas treatment on mycotoxins produced by S. chartarum.…”

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confidence: 99%

Effect of Chlorine Dioxide Gas on Fungi and Mycotoxins Associated with Sick Building Syndrome

Wilson

Andriychuk

et al. 2005

Appl Environ Microbiol

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The growth of indoor molds and their resulting products (e.g., spores and mycotoxins) can present health hazards for human beings. The efficacy of chlorine dioxide gas as a fumigation treatment for inactivating sick building syndrome-related fungi and their mycotoxins was evaluated. Filter papers (15 per organism) featuring growth of Stachybotrys chartarum, Chaetomium globosum, Penicillium chrysogenum, and Cladosporium cladosporioides were placed in gas chambers containing chlorine dioxide gas at either 500 or 1,000 ppm for 24 h. C. globosum was exposed to the gas both as colonies and as ascospores without asci and perithecia. After treatment, all organisms were tested for colony growth using an agar plating technique. Colonies of S. chartarum were also tested for toxicity using a yeast toxicity assay with a high specificity for trichothecene mycotoxins. Results showed that chlorine dioxide gas at both concentrations completely inactivated all organisms except for C. globosum colonies which were inactivated an average of 89%. More than 99% of ascospores of C. globosum were nonculturable. For all ascospore counts, mean test readings were lower than the controls (P < 0.001), indicating that some ascospores may also have been destroyed. Colonies of S. chartarum were still toxic after treatment. These data show that chlorine dioxide gas can be effective to a degree as a fumigant for the inactivation of certain fungal colonies, that the perithecia of C. globosum can play a slightly protective role for the ascospores and that S. chartarum, while affected by the fumigation treatment, still remains toxic.Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a broad term for a range of human health symptoms associated with poor indoor air quality. While poor indoor air quality can be related to a number of issues, the one that has received the most attention in the last 5 to 10 years has been the effects of airborne fungi and their products (2, 6, 12). It has been acknowledged that damp and moldy structures are potentially harmful to the occupants (16). Therefore, from a human health standpoint, it is recommended that the conditions that allowed for fungal proliferation inside human occupied structures be addressed and corrected and that existing fungal growth be removed or treated from any affected substrates. However, a problem is the detection of hidden mold growth sites. Invasive investigations can assist in this regard, but these investigations can be costly to effect and there is also the possibility that some growth sites can be overlooked. It is possible that gaseous fungicides may be able to circumvent this problem because the gas can penetrate into crevices, wall cavities and other hard to access areas, thus treating the inaccessible mold colonies. The contents inside a contaminated structure may also be able to be sterilized (10) using this technique as well. A biocide, chlorine dioxide, has been previously been used in a gaseous form for bacterial decontamination (1, 9). It has been also shown to have a degree of fungicidal activi...

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Health Symptoms Caused by Molds in a Courthouse

Cited by 18 publications

References 1 publication

Automatic detection of moistures in different construction materials from thermographic images

Automatic detection of moistures in different construction materials from thermographic images

Associations between Fungal Species and Water-Damaged Building Materials

Effect of Chlorine Dioxide Gas on Fungi and Mycotoxins Associated with Sick Building Syndrome

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