Rising damp. Mold, growing here in
flooded school basement, can aggravate asthma
This is the nightmare of every owner :. Mold hidden inside a house. It is also the cause of many insurance claims and lawsuits against the manufacturers, in which people attribute a variety of ailments in the mold. Now a report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) found that the wet conditions can aggravate asthma and cause coughing and wheezing in healthy people. But it found no evidence of a convincing link with other symptoms, including acute pulmonary hemorrhage in infants, as has been proposed.
In response to growing concerns about mold, called Centers for Disease Control and Prevention IOM to examine the scientific evidence of health effects in 01. The Panel found that moisture aggravates symptoms asthma for those sensitive to mold. But he failed to support arguments about his role in other health problems. The evidence is only suggestive that dampness or visible mold causes a disease of the lower respiratory tract, such as bronchitis and asthma in healthy children, the report said. And because of a lack of studies done well, the panel could not say if there was a link to oblivion, chronic fatigue, cancer, or other conditions.
Part of the challenge of linking adverse health effects wet conditions is that, in addition to mold, bacteria and they host mites; moisture also causes chemicals to be released from the decomposition of furniture and building materials. Most studies have not teased apart these variables, the panel found. The committee calls for better ways to measure what people are exposed to agents and called for national guidelines to prevent excess moisture or eliminate existing buildings.
Perhaps as much as 10% of homes in North America is moist enough to lead to infections of asthma or minor, said David Miller of Carleton University in Ottawa. This adds a significant burden on public health, he said, one that is focused by people who can not afford to repair leaky roofs or other problems. But it is difficult to quantify exactly how big the problem is compared to other types of indoor air pollution, or where it should stand on the agenda of public health, said epidemiologist Jonathon Samet Johns Hopkins School of Public Health University in Baltimore.
Related Sites
the IOM report
pan on information from the Environmental Protection Agency
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