Advanced search
Publication Cover
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene Volume 18, 2021 - Issue 1
Submit an article Journal homepage
618
Views
3
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

The Environmental Relative Moldiness Index reveals changes in mold contamination in United States homes over time

Stephen Vespera Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio; Correspondence[email protected]
,
Larry Wymera Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio;
,
David Coxb QuanTech, Arlington, Virginia;
,
Gary Dewaltb QuanTech, Arlington, Virginia;
,
Eugene Pinzerc Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC
,
Warren Friedmanc Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC
&
Peter J. Ashleyc Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC
 show all
Pages 35-41 | Published online: 14 Dec 2020

References

  • Fu X, Norbäck D, Yuan Q, Li Y, Zhu X, Hashim JH, Hashim Z, Ali F, Zheng Y-W, Lai X-X, et al. 2020. Indoor microbiome, environmental characteristics and asthma among junior high school students in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Environ Int. 138:105664. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2020.105664
  • Hanson B, Zhou Y, Bautista EJ, Urch B, Speck M, Silverman F, Muilenberg M, Phipatanakul W, Weinstock G, Sodergren E, et al. 2016. Characterization of the bacterial and fungal microbiome in indoor dust and outdoor air samples: a pilot study. Environ Sci Process Impacts. 18(6):713–724. doi:10.1039/c5em00639b
  • Haugland R, Varma M, Wymer LJ, Vesper SJ. 2004. Quantitative PCR of selected Aspergillus, Penicillium and Paecilomyces species. Sys Appl Micro. 27(2):198–210. doi:10.1078/072320204322881826
  • Haugland RA, Vesper SJ. 2002. Identification and quantification of specific fungi and bacteria. Patent 6,387,652. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
  • Kanchongkittiphon W, Mendell MJ, Gaffin JM, Wang G, Phipatanakul W. 2015. Indoor environmental exposures and exacerbation of asthma: an update to the 2000 review by the Institute of Medicine. Environ Health Perspect. 123(1):6–20. doi:10.1289/ehp.1307922
  • Karvonen AM, Hyvärinen A, Rintala H, Korppi M, Täubel M, Doekes G, Gehring U, Renz H, Pfefferle PI, Genuneit J, et al. 2014. Quantity and diversity of environmental microbial exposure and development of asthma: a birth cohort study. Allergy. 69(8):1092–1101. doi:10.1111/all.12439
  • Knibbs LD, Woldeyohannes S, Marks GB, Cowie CT. 2018. Damp housing, gas stoves, and the burden of childhood asthma in Australia. Med. J. Aust. 16(7):299–302.
  • Mendell MJ, Macher JM, Kumagai K. 2018. Measured moisture in buildings and adverse health effects: a review. Indoor Air. 28(4):488–499. doi:10.1111/ina.12464
  • Moses L, Morrissey K, Sharpe RA, Taylor T. 2019. Exposure to indoor mouldy odour increases the risk of asthma in older adults living in social housing. IJERPH. 16(14):2600. doi:10.3390/ijerph16142600
  • Oluwole O, Kirychuk SP, Lawson JA, Karunanayake C, Cockcroft DW, Willson PJ, Senthilselvan A, Rennie DC. 2017. Indoor mold levels and current asthma among school-aged children in Saskatchewan, Canada. Indoor Air. 27(2):311–319. doi:10.1111/ina.12304
  • Osborne NJ, Thornton CR, Sharpe RA. 2015. Indoor fungal exposure and allergic respiratory disease. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 15(12):71. doi:10.1007/s11882-015-0572-7
  • Pekkanen J, Lampi J. 2015. Moisture and mold damages of buildings in relation to health. Duodecim. 131(19):1749–1755.
  • Reboux G, Rocchi S, Laboissière A, Ammari H, Bochaton M, Gardin G, Rame J‐M, Millon L. 2019. Survey of 1012 moldy dwellings by culture fungal analysis: threshold proposal for asthmatic patient management. Indoor Air. 29(1):5–16. doi:10.1111/ina.12516
  • Reponen T, Vesper S, Levin L, Johansson E, Ryan P, Burkle J, Grinshpun SA, Zheng S, Bernstein DI, Lockey J, et al. 2011. High environmental relative moldiness index during infancy as a predictor of age seven asthma. Ann Aller Asthma Immun. 107(2):120–126. doi:10.1016/j.anai.2011.04.018
  • Sharpe RA, Bearman N, Thornton CR, Husk K, Osborne NJ. 2015. Indoor fungal diversity and asthma: a meta-analysis and systematic review of risk factors. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 135(1):110–122. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2014.07.002
  • Shiue I. 2015. Indoor mildew odour in old housing was associated with adult allergic symptoms, asthma, chronic bronchitis, vision, sleep and self-rated health: USA NHANES, 2005–2006. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 22(18):14234–14240. doi:10.1007/s11356-015-4671-8
  • Sylvain IA, Adams RI, Taylor JW. 2019. A different suite: the assemblage of distinct fungal communities in water-damaged units of a poorly maintained public housing building. Plos One. 14(3):e0213355. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0213355
  • Thacher JD, Gruzieva O, Pershagen G, Melén E, Lorentzen JC, Kull I, Bergström A. 2017. Mold and dampness exposure and allergic outcomes from birth to adolescence: data from the BAMSE cohort. Allergy. 72(6):967–974. doi:10.1111/all.13102
  • U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. 1977. Lead-containing paint and certain consumer products bearing lead-containing paint. Fed Reg. 42:44193–44201. www.loc.gov/item/fr042170/.
  • Vesper S, Wymer L. 2016. The relationship between Environmental Relative Moldiness Index values and asthma. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 219(3):233–238. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2016.01.006.
  • Vesper S. 2011. Traditional mould analysis compared to a DNA-based method of mould analysis. Crit Rev Micro. 37(1):15–24. doi:10.3109/1040841X.2010.506177
  • Vesper SJ, McKinstry C, Haugland RA, Wymer L, Bradham K, Ashley P, et al. 2007. Development of an environmental relative moldiness index for homes in the U.S. J Occup Environ Med. 49(8):829–833. doi:10.1097/JOM.0b013e3181255e98

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Order Reprints Request Corporate Permissions

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

Request Academic Permissions

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.

Supercharge Your Next Research Paper: Research and write your next paper with Jenni AI.

Related research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.