Review of Stachybotrys chartarum, trichothecene mycotoxins, and damp building–related illness

What they studied

A review of the microbiology, chemistry, and toxicology literature on Stachybotrys chartarum.

Mechanisms by which spores and toxins become airborne from wet cellulose-based building materials.

Animal and in vitro evidence on pulmonary responses, plus the epidemiologic record on damp building–related illness.

What they found

The authors reported two chemotypes of Stachybotrys chartarum, one producing macrocyclic trichothecenes and one producing atranones.

Both chemotypes were reported to induce pulmonary inflammation in experimental models.

Aerosolization from wet cellulosic materials was reported as the principal exposure route described in the literature.

What it does not establish

A review of largely experimental evidence; human exposure-response relationships remain unresolved in the cited literature.

The authors note the epidemiologic record on this organism is contested.

No exposure threshold for occupants is established.

This entry reports the study. It is not a statement about any building Sage Co. designs or constructs.