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Damp Indoor Spaces and Health (2004) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Pages 1-16

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From page 1...
... Excessive indoor dampness is not by itself a cause of ill health, but it is a determinant of the presence or source strength of several potentially problematic exposures. Damp indoor environments favor house dust mites and microbial growth, standing water supports cockroach and rodent infestations, and excessive moisture may initiate chemical emissions from building materials and furnishings.
From page 2...
... . • The means available for assessing exposure to microorganisms and microbial agents that occur in damp indoor environments (Chapter 3)
From page 3...
... Reduction or elimination of any health outcomes related to dampness-related exposures FIGURE ES-1 A framework describing the potential for water and moisture sources to lead to excessive indoor dampness and to exposures that may result in adverse health outcomes. geoning, and important new papers are constantly being published.
From page 4...
... THE COMMITTEE'S EVALUATION Damp Buildings The term dampness has been used to define a variety of moisture problems in buildings, including high relative humidity, condensation, water ponding, and other signs of excess moisture or microbial growth. While studies report that dampness is prevalent in residential housing in a wide array of climates, attempts to understand its scale and significance are hampered by the fact that there is no generally accepted definition of dampness or of what constitutes a "dampness problem." There is no single cause of excessive indoor dampness, and the primary risk factors for it differ across climates, geographic area, and building types.
From page 5...
... Any efforts to establish common definitions must be international in scope because excessive indoor dampness is a worldwide problem and research cooperation will promote the generation and dissemination of knowledge. Research is also needed to better characterize the dampness-related emissions of fungal spores, bacteria, and other particles of biologic origin and their role in human health outcomes; the microbial ecology of buildings, that is, the link between dampness, different building materials, microbial growth, and microbial interactions; and dampness-related chemical emissions from building materials and furnishings, and their role in human health outcomes.
From page 6...
... -glucans, fungal extracellular polysaccharides, fungal spores, and other particles and emissions of microbial origin. These needs include further improvement of light and portable personal airborne exposure measurement technology, more rapid development of measurement methods for specific microorganisms that use DNA-based and other technology, and rapid and direct-reading assays for bioaerosols for the immediate evaluation of potential health risks.
From page 7...
... Damp indoor spaces may also facilitate the growth of bacteria that can have toxic and inflammatory effects. Little information exists on the toxic potential of chemical releases resulting from dampness-related degradation of building materials, furniture, and the like.
From page 8...
... Human Health Effects Associated with Damp Indoor Environments The committee used a uniform set of categories to summarize its conclusions regarding the association between health outcomes and exposure to indoor dampness or the presence of mold or other agents in damp indoor environments, as listed in Box ES-1. The distinctions among categories reflect the committee's judgment of the overall strength, quality, and persuasiveness of the scientific literature evaluated.
From page 9...
... Skin symptoms Mucous membrane irritation syndrome Gastrointestinal tract problems Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Fatigue Inhalation fevers (nonoccupational exposures) Neuropsychiatric symptoms Lower respiratory illness in otherwise-healthy adults Cancer Acute idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage in infants Reproductive effects Rheumatologic and other immune diseases aThese conclusions are not applicable to immunocompromised persons, who are at increased risk for fungal colonization or opportunistic infections.
From page 10...
... Asthma development Mucous membrane irritation syndrome Gastrointestinal tract problems Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Fatigue Inhalation fevers (nonoccupational exposures) Neuropsychiatric symptoms Lower respiratory illness in otherwise-healthy adults Cancer Rheumatologic and other immune diseases Reproductive effects Acute idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage in infants aThese conclusions are not applicable to immunocompromised persons, who are at increased risk for fungal colonization or opportunistic infections.
From page 11...
... Inadequate or insufficient information was identified to determine whether damp indoor environments or the agents associated with them are related to a variety of health outcomes listed in Tables ES-1 and -2. Included among these is acute idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage in infants (AIPHI)
From page 12...
... When water intrusion or moisture accumulation is discovered, the source should be identified and eliminated as soon as practicable to reduce the possibility of problematic microbial growth and buildingmaterial degradation. The most effective way to manage microbial contaminants, such as mold, that are the result of damp indoor environments is to eliminate or limit the conditions that foster its establishment and growth.
From page 13...
... The amount of containment and worker personal protection and the determination of whether occupant evacuation is appropriate depend on the magnitude of contamination. Notwithstanding the interest in the topic, very few controlled studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of remediation actions in eliminating problematic microbial contamination in the short and long term or on the effect of remediation actions on the health of building occupants.
From page 14...
... It is also not possible to objectively rank dampness-related health problems within the larger context of threats to the public's health because there is insufficient information available to confidently quantify the overall magnitude of the risk resulting from exposures in damp indoor environments. Institutional and social barriers may hinder the widespread adoption of technical measures and practices that could prevent or reduce problematic indoor dampness.
From page 15...
... Among the recommendations the committee offers for implementing the actions it suggests are these: • CDC, other public-health-related, and building-managementrelated funders should provide new or continuing support for research and demonstration projects that address the potential and relative benefit of various strategies for the prevention or reduction of damp indoor environments, including data acquisition through assessment and monitoring, building code modification or enhanced enforcement, contract language changes, economic and other incentives, and education and training. These projects should include assessments of the economic effects of preventing building dampness and repairing damp buildings and should evaluate the savings generated from reductions in morbidity and gains in the useful life of structures and their components associated with such interventions.
From page 16...
... • Government and private entities with building design, construction, and management interests should provide new or continuing support for research and demonstration projects that develop education and training for building professionals (architects, home builders, facility managers and maintenance staff, code officials, and insurers) on how and why dampness problems occur and how to prevent them.


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