Almost all homes, apartments, and commercial buildings will experience leaks, flooding, or other forms of excessive indoor dampness at some point. Not only is excessive dampness a health problem by itself, it also contributes to several other potentially problematic types of situations. Molds and other microbial agents favor damp indoor environments, and excess moisture may initiate the release of chemical emissions from damaged building materials and furnishings. This new book from the Institute of Medicine examines the health impact of exposures resulting from damp indoor environments and offers recommendations for public health interventions.

Damp Indoor Spaces and Health covers a broad range of topics. The book not only examines the relationship between damp or moldy indoor environments and adverse health outcomes but also discusses how and where buildings get wet, how dampness influences microbial growth and chemical emissions, ways to prevent and remediate dampness, and elements of a public health response to the issues. A comprehensive literature review finds sufficient evidence of an association between damp indoor environments and some upper respiratory tract symptoms, coughing, wheezing, and asthma symptoms in sensitized persons. This important book will be of interest to a wide-ranging audience of science, health, engineering, and building professionals, government officials, and members of the public.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• COMMITTEE ON DAMP INDOOR SPACES AND HEALTH
• Reviewers
• Acknowledgments
• Executive Summary
• 1. Background and Methodologic Considerations
  • INTENT AND GOALS OF THE STUDY
  • RESEARCH APPROACH
  • EVALUATING THE EPIDEMIOLOGIC EVIDENCE
  • SUMMARIZING CONCLUSIONS REGARDING EPIDEMIOLOGIC EVIDENCE
  • REFERENCES
• 2. Damp Buildings
  • MOISTURE DEFINITIONS
  • MOISTURE DYNAMICS IN BUILDINGS—HOW BUILDINGS GET WET
  • PREVALENCE, SEVERITY, LOCATION, AND DURATION OF BUILDING DAMPNESS
  • RISK FACTORS FOR MOISTURE PROBLEMS
  • FROM MOISTURE TO MICROBIAL GROWTH
  • MICROORGANISMS OCCURRING IN INDOOR SPACES AND ON BUILDING MATERIALS
  • DAMPNESS-RELATED PROBLEMS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH BIOLOGIC SOURCES
  • SUMMARY
  • FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND RESEARCH NEEDS
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Exposure Assessment
  • INTRODUCTION
  • DEFINITIONS
  • SAMPLING STRATEGIES
  • ASSESSING MICROORGANISMS
  • ASSESSING MICROBIAL CONSTITUENTS
  • ASSESSING BIOALLERGENS
  • INDIRECT EXPOSURE-ASSESSMENT METHODS
  • CONCENTRATIONS IN THE ENVIRONMENT
  • EVALUATION OF EXPOSURE DATA
  • FINDINGS, RESEARCH NEEDS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 4. Toxic Effects of Fungi and Bacteria
  • CONSIDERATIONS IN EVALUATING THE EVIDENCE
  • BIOAVAILABILITY AND ROUTE OF EXPOSURE
  • TOXIC EFFECTS OF INDOOR MOLDS AND BACTERIA
  • FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND RESEARCH NEEDS
  • REFERENCES
• 5. Human Health Effects Associated with Damp Indoor Environments
  • INTRODUCTION
  • EVALUATING HEALTH EFFECTS
  • RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS
  • RESPIRATORY TRACT DISORDERS
  • OTHER HEALTH COMPLAINTS AND DISORDERS
  • FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND RESEARCH NEEDS
  • REFERENCES
• 6. Prevention and Remediation of Damp Indoor Environments
  • PREVENTION
  • PUBLISHED GUIDANCE FOR MOLD REMEDIATION
  • TASKS INVOLVED IN REMEDIATION
  • EFFECTS OF AIR AND SURFACE CLEANING AND VENTILATION
  • FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND RESEARCH NEEDS
  • REFERENCES
• 7. The Public Health Response
  • PUBLIC HEALTH AND HOUSING
  • BARRIERS TO THE ADOPTION OF DAMPNESS PREVENTION AND REDUCTION MEASURES
  • PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACHES TO DAMP INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS
  • FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND RESEARCH NEEDS
  • REFERENCES
• Appendix A Workshop Presentations and Speakers
• Appendix B Committee, Consultant, and Staff Biographies

This study was supported by Contract No. 200-2000-0629, TO #08 between the National Academy of Sciences and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.