Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Canadian Family Physician logoLink to Canadian Family Physician
. 2002 Feb;48:298–302.

Indoor air quality, fungi, and health. How do we stand?

Norman King 1, Pierre Auger 1
PMCID: PMC2213985  PMID: 11889889

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To equip medical practitioners with up-to-date scientific and medical information on the health effects of exposure to fungi in indoor air, clinical evaluation of these health problems, and possible preventive measures. QUALITY OF EVIDENCE: MEDLINE was searched from 1985 to 2000 using the MeSH words mould (mold), fungus, indoor air, and health effects. Nearly all studies were case reports, case-control studies, and cross-sectional studies. Evidence of an association between respiratory problems and the presence of fungi and dampness is strong. MAIN MESSAGE: Recent well designed studies and literature reviews indicate that exposure to dampness and fungi in indoor air brings on or exacerbates asthma and other respiratory complaints. More studies are required, however, before a definite conclusion on other potential effects of such exposure (such as systemic and long-term effects and pulmonary hemorrhage in infants) is possible. The various health problems that can result from exposure to dampness and fungi in indoor air make such exposure unacceptable from a public health perspective. Physicians are important in treating and preventing such problems; various resources are available to help them. CONCLUSION: Even though some scientific issues remain to be resolved concerning the health effects of exposure to dampness and fungi in indoor air, family physicians can identify potential problems and refer patients to appropriate resources.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (259.9 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Dales R. E., Miller D. Residential fungal contamination and health: microbial cohabitants as covariates. Environ Health Perspect. 1999 Jun;107 (Suppl 3):481–483. doi: 10.1289/ehp.99107s3481. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Dales R. E., Zwanenburg H., Burnett R., Franklin C. A. Respiratory health effects of home dampness and molds among Canadian children. Am J Epidemiol. 1991 Jul 15;134(2):196–203. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a116072. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dearborn D. G., Yike I., Sorenson W. G., Miller M. J., Etzel R. A. Overview of investigations into pulmonary hemorrhage among infants in Cleveland, Ohio. Environ Health Perspect. 1999 Jun;107 (Suppl 3):495–499. doi: 10.1289/ehp.99107s3495. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Elidemir O., Colasurdo G. N., Rossmann S. N., Fan L. L. Isolation of Stachybotrys from the lung of a child with pulmonary hemosiderosis. Pediatrics. 1999 Oct;104(4 Pt 1):964–966. doi: 10.1542/peds.104.4.964. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Etzel R. A., Montaña E., Sorenson W. G., Kullman G. J., Allan T. M., Dearborn D. G., Olson D. R., Jarvis B. B., Miller J. D. Acute pulmonary hemorrhage in infants associated with exposure to Stachybotrys atra and other fungi. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1998 Aug;152(8):757–762. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.152.8.757. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Flappan S. M., Portnoy J., Jones P., Barnes C. Infant pulmonary hemorrhage in a suburban home with water damage and mold (Stachybotrys atra). Environ Health Perspect. 1999 Nov;107(11):927–930. doi: 10.1289/ehp.99107927. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fung F., Clark R., Williams S. Stachybotrys, a mycotoxin-producing fungus of increasing toxicologic importance. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 1998;36(1-2):79–86. doi: 10.3109/15563659809162592. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Husman T. Health effects of indoor-air microorganisms. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1996 Feb;22(1):5–13. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Novotny W. E., Dixit A. Pulmonary hemorrhage in an infant following 2 weeks of fungal exposure. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000 Mar;154(3):271–275. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.154.3.271. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Page E., Trout D. Mycotoxins and building-related illness. J Occup Environ Med. 1998 Sep;40(9):761–764. doi: 10.1097/00043764-199809000-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Rylander R., Etzel R. Introduction and summary: workshop on children's health and indoor mold exposure. Environ Health Perspect. 1999 Jun;107 (Suppl 3):465–468. doi: 10.1289/ehp.99107s3465. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Verhoeff A. P., Burge H. A. Health risk assessment of fungi in home environments. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 1997 Jun;78(6):544–556. doi: 10.1016/S1081-1206(10)63214-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Verhoeff A. P., van Strien R. T., van Wijnen J. H., Brunekreef B. Damp housing and childhood respiratory symptoms: the role of sensitization to dust mites and molds. Am J Epidemiol. 1995 Jan 15;141(2):103–110. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a117398. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Williamson I. J., Martin C. J., McGill G., Monie R. D., Fennerty A. G. Damp housing and asthma: a case-control study. Thorax. 1997 Mar;52(3):229–234. doi: 10.1136/thx.52.3.229. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Canadian Family Physician are provided here courtesy of College of Family Physicians of Canada

RESOURCES