Dampness and Mould - WHO guidelines for indoor air quality - PRWeb

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4 WHO GUIDELINES FOR INDOOR AIR QUALITY: DAMPNESS AND MOULD Figure 1. Pathways linking sources of dampness with health SOURCES OF WATER Ambient/natural Rain Ground moisture/water Melting snow Flooding (surface water) Anthropogenic Plumbing Water supply Sewage Heating systems Fire extinguisher systems DAMPNESS Air Surfaces Roof Floor Walls Structures Roof Floor Walls PROCESSES Biological growth Degradation Normal water emissions indoors Use of water Cooking Cleaning Shower / bath Dishwashing Washing and drying laundry Occupants Breathing, perspiration Animals Plants DRYING Removal of water VENTILATION Ventilation rate Drying capacity Indoor temperature (heating/cooling) Temperature and relative humidity of outdoor/replacement air TEMPORAL PATTERNS Cycles, duration dampness and mould were accepted as a compromise between brevity and precision concerning the content of the guidelines. The need for definitions of terms such as dampness and moisture was discussed extensively during the review. The working group agreed, however, that while it is important to use terms consistently, explicit definitions have limitations. In the scientific studies reviewed, various definitions were used, and even native language speakers could not recognize subtle differences in the different definitions. Therefore, the terms used had to be evaluated separately in each context. The complex causal chain of events that constitute a health hazard links sources of water through excessive moisture to biological growth and physical and chemical degradation and further to emission of hazardous biological and chemical agents (Figure 1). The review of evidence follows this chain, summarizing the issues related to building dampness and its impacts on indoor exposure to biological and non-biological pollutants in Chapter 2, which also presents approaches to exposure assessment. An important determinant of dampness and biological growth in indoor spaces is ventilation, which is discussed in Chapter 3. The working group acknowledged that ventilation plays a major role in building operation and occu-
INTRODUCTION 5 EXPOSURES MECHANISMS SYMPTOMS HEALTH Biologicals β-glucans Toxins Spores Cell fragments MVOC a Chemicals Phtalates Formaldehyde VOC b Immunology Stimulation Suppression Autoimmunity Toxicity Neuro- Geno- Reproductive Inflammation Cough Wheeze Dyspnoea Asthma attacks Irritation Itching Asthma Infections Bronchitis Fungal Allergies Alveolitis TIME ACTIVITY Presence Behaviour Note: a MVOC, methane VOC; b VOC, Volatile organic compounds. Legend Fate of moisture Primary effects of moisture Factors affected by occupant behaviour Health pants’ health and that these aspects should be covered in another volume of the Indoor air quality guidelines (e.g. in guidelines on indoor combustion). Moisture control in building structures is the second important issue summarized in Chapter 3. Unfavourable combinations of air humidity and temperature differences in building structures may lead to condensation of water on surfaces and consequent decomposition of building materials and microbial growth. The evidence for the health effects of indoor exposure to dampness and mould is presented in Chapter 4, which is based on reviews of epidemiological studies and clinical and toxicological research. 1.3 Preparation of the guidelines The planning meeting in 2006 recommended that a steering group 2 be established to guide preparation of the guidelines. The group recommended potential authors and reviewers for the first draft of the background material, which was submitted to WHO in August 2007 and, after compilation, distributed for 2 Steering group members: Ross Anderson, Aaron Cohen, Séverine Kirchner, Lars Mølhave, Aino Nevalainen, Bernd Seifert, Kirk Smith and John Spengler
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When sufficient moisture is availab
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