ABSTRACT
In recent years there has been much public interest in the health effects of living, attending school, or working in damp buildings with accompanying microbial contamination (especially mold contamination). At the present time, scientific knowledge is not adequate to estimate dose-response relationships between dampness-related exposures and any of the different types of health outcomes suspected to be problems. In fact, the causal agents themselves and effects of being exposed to mixtures of contaminants are not yet understood. Nonetheless, epidemiologic studies have gathered evidence that damp indoor environments are a threat to the health of occupants. A broad range of building-related symptoms and illnesses have gained attention including headache; irritation of eyes, nose, and throat; lack of concentration; rhinitis; lower respiratory symptoms; asthma exacerbation and onset; hypersensitivity pneumonitis; sarcoidosis; infections; nausea; and neurologic effects. Some
2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 11 2.2 Background ..................................................................................................... 12 2.3 Scope and Limitations .................................................................................... 13 2.4 Findings of Recent Reviews ........................................................................... 13 2.5 Sick Building Syndrome and Other Building-Related Symptoms ................. 14 2.6 Building-Related Illness ................................................................................. 16
2.6.1 Rhinitis and Sinusitis .......................................................................... 16 2.6.2 Asthma ................................................................................................ 16 2.6.3 Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP) .................................................... 18 2.6.4 Sarcoidosis .......................................................................................... 18 2.6.5 Possible Mycotoxin-Related Health Effects ....................................... 19
References ................................................................................................................20
