ScienceDaily (May 1, 2008) — Surely your bathroom
is fungus-free once you’ve wiped the mould off the tiles? Not according to a
study by French scientists in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Journal of
Environmental Monitoring. They report that almost one in five rooms studied
with no visible mould was in fact “highly contaminated” by fungus which could
aggravate conditions such as asthma.
The study also found that bedrooms and living rooms were no less
contaminated than bathrooms and kitchens – “hidden” fungus was not only
airborne but found in carpets and soft furnishings, and behind wallpaper, and
was often colourless and odourless.
When assessing a building’s level of contamination, many authorities rely on
trained investigators to see or smell the fungus – Sandrine Roussel, lead
author of the article, and collaborators say this is not enough. By completing
questionnaires and sampling the air in hundreds of homes in France, they found
that what you see is not always what you get.
“Nowadays, no one would agree to live in housing which presents any risks
towards lead or carbon monoxide. Tomorrow, moulds and other chemical substances
will probably follow,” says Roussel.
Mould in the home is not just unsightly and indicative of poor hygiene
standards; it is known to aggravate a range of medical conditions, such as
asthma, rhinitis and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. This study set out to
establish if more could be done to identify fungus as exacerbating these
complaints.
Surprisingly, the study found that factors commonly held to increase mould
contamination had relatively little effect. The age of the building, presence
of pets and even outdoor and indoor temperature had little bearing on fungus
concentration.
As for airborne fungi, it made little or no difference if the room was
regularly used to dry clothes, or contained indoor plants – factors that public
health inspectors had previously highlighted as key issues.
The researchers found that significant factors in levels of contamination
were structure, such as lack of ventilation or a ground floor apartment, or
accidental damage, such as water damage.
Journal reference: Roussel et al., J. Environ. Monit., 2008, DOI:
10.1039/b718909e
Adapted from materials provided by Royal Society of Chemistry.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430123552.htm
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