Housing conditions and ill health

Martin, Carrie; Platt, Stephen; Hunt, Summer

doi:10.1016/0378-8741(88)90268-1

Cited by 21 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 0 publications

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“…A similar association has also been reported in several other studies (table 1). The only report where this association was not verified for adults, though it was present in children, was that of MARTIN et al [10]. In their study, the socioeconomic structure of the study population was not equivalent to the average of the country; unemployment was high and a third of all households were receiving supplementary benefit.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Most studies indicate that living in a damp or mouldy home is associated with respiratory infections and various other symptoms, both among children and adults. MARTIN et al [10] found such an association in children, but not in adults.…”

mentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Adverse health effects have been reported among children and adults due to dampness and moulds in buildings in Britain [8][9][10][11][12][13][14], The Netherlands [15,16], USA [17,18], Canada [18,19] and Scandinavia [20,21]. A summary of some of these studies is presented in table 1.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Home dampness, moulds and their influence on respiratory infections and symptoms in adults in Finland

Pirhonen¹,

Nevalainen²,

Husman³

et al. 1996

Eur Respir J

137

124

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H Ho om me e d da am mp pn ne es ss s, , m mo ou ul ld ds s a an nd d t th he ei ir r i in nf fl lu ue en nc ce e o on n r re es sp pi ir ra at to or ry y i in nf fe ec c--t ti io on ns s a an nd d s sy ym mp pt to om ms s i in n a ad du ul lt ts s i in n F Fi in nl la an nd d The prevalence of homes with visible mould was 4%; with the odour of mould 5%; with damp spots, visible mould or the odour of mould 15%; and with moisture/water damage, damp spots, visible mould or the odour of mould 23%. The number of reports of bronchitis, common cold, atopy, allergic rhinitis, rhinitis, fever and chills, hoarseness, fatigue, difficulties in concentration, lumbar backache and stomach ache were strongly associated with living in a damp home. Bronchitis, hoarseness and difficulties in concentration had the strongest associations, with adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence limits) of: 2.04 (1.49-2.78), 2.23 (1.37-3.63) and 2.17 (1.35-3.50), respectively. After controlling for a possible reporting bias by excluding those subjects reporting lumbar bachache and recurrent stomach pain, eye irritation and tiredness remained significant.In conclusion, living in a home with mould problems may increase the risk of respiratory infections and symptoms in adults.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

mentioning

confidence: 93%

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Home dampness, moulds and their influence on respiratory infections and symptoms in adults in Finland

Pirhonen¹,

Nevalainen²,

Husman³

et al. 1996

Eur Respir J

137

124

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“…Fig. 1 shows the odds ratios from the studies which have investigated an association between damp or mould in the home and wheeze in children (32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39), and Fig. 2 shows the odds ratios for cough (32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41).…”

Section: Association Between Indoor Damp or Mould Growth And Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of damp and mould in the home on respiratory health: a review of the literature

Peat

Dickerson

1998

Allergy

283

164

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This review examines whether there is a direct or indirect relation between damp or mould in the home and respiratory health. Home dampness is thought to have health consequences because it has the potential to increase the proliferation of house‐dust mites and moulds, both of which are allergenic. The results from the many studies conducted to investigate whether damp and mould are associated with health outcomes are diffecult to compare because the methods of measuring exposures and helth outcomes have not been standardized. However, the studies that have been conducted in children are probably the most reliable because the confounding effects of active smoking or occupational exposures are absent, and because the presence of symptoms of cough and wheeze have been consistently investigated in many studies. The increased risk of children having these symptoms if the home has damp or mould is fairly small with an odds ratio that is generally in the range 1.5–3.5, these estimates being statistically significant when the sample size has been large enough. This range is consistent with the measured effects of other environmental exposures which are considered important to helth, such as environmental tobacco smoke or outdoor air pollutants. The potential benefits or reducing mould in the home have not been investigated, and the few studies that have investigated health improvement as a result of increasing ventilation or reducing damp in order to reduce house‐dust mite levels suggest that this intervention is expensive, requires a large commitment, and is unlikely to be successful in the long term. This implies that houses need to be specifically designed for primary prevention of respiratory problems associated with indoor allergen proliferation rather than using post hoc procedures to improve indoor climate and reduce allergen load as a secondary or tertiary preventive strategy.

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“…Indoor dampness, water damage, and fungi have been associated with respiratory complaints (Martin 1987;Andrae 1988;Brunekreef 1989;Dales 1991;Dales 1991b;Brunekreef 1992;Summerbell 1992;Jaakkola 1993;Joki 1993;Husman, Meklin et al 2002), and with both allergic and non-allergic respiratory disease (Salvaggio 1981;Lehrer 1983;Licorish 1985;Flannigan 1994;Spengler 1994;Verhoeff 1995;Jarvis and Morey 2001) in several industrialized nations. Asthma was associated with 'damp houses and fenny countries' three centuries ago by Sir John Floyer (Sakula 1984).…”

Section: Causes Of Poor Iaq and Desiccation As An Iaq Control Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the Quality of the Indoor Environment Utilizing Desiccant-Assisted Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Systems

Straus¹,

Larrañaga²,

Karunasena³

et al. 2011

Chemistry, Emission Control, Radioactive Pollution and Indoor Air Quality

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Housing conditions and ill health

Cited by 21 publications

References 0 publications

Home dampness, moulds and their influence on respiratory infections and symptoms in adults in Finland

Home dampness, moulds and their influence on respiratory infections and symptoms in adults in Finland

Effects of damp and mould in the home on respiratory health: a review of the literature

Improving the Quality of the Indoor Environment Utilizing Desiccant-Assisted Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Systems

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