The dissemination of mold spores and derivatives in water damaged buildings

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Molds are ubiquitous multicellular fungi in outdoor and indoor environments requiring a continuous source of water, oxygen, organic material, and suitable temperature for growth and development. Exposure to mold can occur through inhalation, ingestion, and touching moldy surfaces, while adverse health effects may occur through allergic, infectious, irritant, or toxic processes. While, exposures to toxins via the gastrointestinal tract are well described, the cause-and-effect relationship between inhalational exposure to mold toxins and untoward health effects is controversial and requires extensive investigation. In absence of real data on the release of fungal toxins, the objective of this work is to conduct an experimental study to obtain fundamental answers to vexing questions examining, in particular, the rate of spore release into the air, the emergence of microbiologically derived volatile organic compounds (MVOCs) and mycotoxins from continued damage of building construction materials and the relationships to occupant exposures. Studies will be conducted in an environmentally controlled chamber simulating a water damaged basement wall. Various general chemical and biological parameters will be incorporated, including carbon dioxide and particulates as tracers of indoor environmental conditions and endotoxin and erogsterol concentrations as surrogate biomarkers. Air samples for mold spores in the chamber will be collected with slit impactors for direct microscopic analysis. MVOCS will be collected on charcoal sorbent tubes and analyzed for total VOCs by gas chromatography. This research will help to understand the emission of different toxins due to mold growth and possible remediation processes.