Structural Home Defects Are the Leading Cause of Mold in Buildings: The Housing and Health Service Experience.

The study aimed to evaluate the contribution of building problems to mold proliferation in dwellings. We investigated 503 dwellings of patients suffering from respiratory diseases, whose attending physicians had requested a home inspection if the area of mold was equal to at least one square meter. After careful visual evaluation and basic environmental measurements performed by a trained technician, environmental issues were classified into building defects, accidental water damage, and condensation. Data analysis demonstrated that building defects were the pre-eminent cause of mold proliferation. Among the building defects, water infiltration through leaks in roofs or walls was the leading cause. These results highlight the need for health professionals managing patients with respiratory diseases to be able to request a home inspection, and for city health authorities to commission professionals who can focus on building problems and find ways to address them.

[Unhealthy homes: possible interventions and their efficacy]. / Risques liés à l'habitat: les interventions possibles et leur efficacité.

Numerous health risks have been identified in dwellings and are a public health priority. Homes most often accumulate several different risks. Intervention programs must take this reality into account. Identification of a source of chemical pollution in the home makes it possible to correct indoor air quality quickly and inexpensively and provides immediate health benefits. Extermination of mites requires implementation of a group of complementary techniques in all contaminated areas, with help, when possible, from an indoor environment counselor. A team of multidisciplinary indoor habitat and health advisors must assess the health risks of the home. This inexpensive strategy reduces risks, although its effectiveness still requires confirmation. When the building has structural defects or abnormalities, more complex methods of renovation, or even moving, are necessary. There again, a complete assessment of their benefits to occupants' health is necessary.

Mycotoxin identification in moldy dwellings.

The objective of this study was to assess the level of macrocyclic trichothecenes (MCT), one of the most potent mycotoxins, on wall surfaces, floor dust and air samples from moldy dwellings. The study was based on an index group comprising 15 flooded dwellings contaminated by Stachybotrys chartarum or Chaetomium and a control group comprising nine dwellings without molds on visual inspection and mold sampling. Three samples were collected from each dwelling: a sample from the moldy wall, using a swab, a floor dust sample on a 0.5 m(2) surface with a cloth and an air sample using a pump comprising a 1 microm Teflon filter. The MCT level was measured using a monoclonal, antibody-based ELISA test. Compared with measurements performed in index dwellings, higher MCT values were measured on floor dust samples from moldy dwellings (P = 0.02). Samples from wall surfaces demonstrated nearly significant differences (P = 0.06). No significant differences were observed for air samples (P = 0.15), but some samples showed increased MCT levels. Significant correlations were observed between the levels measured on wall surfaces, floor dust and air samples (P = 0.02 to 0.05). In contrast, no correlation was observed between moldy surface and MCT levels. In conclusion, this paper reports for the first time direct evidence for the presence of MCT in moldy dwellings.