Research — Moisture & Mold

Entries filed under this domain. Each reports one study.

How to read this

This library reports what studies found. An entry describes a study's design, its findings in its own terms, and its limits. Nothing here is a claim about what a Sage Co. home does, delivers, or prevents.

Read the Moisture & Mold domain page

[ESTABLISHED]Established
Meta-analyses of respiratory health outcomes reported in damp or moldy homes
Pooled analyses of building-dampness studies reported increased odds of several respiratory outcomes among occupants of homes classified as damp or moldy.
Fisk WJ, Lei-Gomez Q, Mendell MJ, 2007 · Indoor Air 17(4):284–296
[ESTABLISHED]Established
Review of epidemiologic evidence on dampness, mold, and dampness-related agents
A review of the epidemiologic literature reported consistent associations between indoor dampness or mold and respiratory and allergic outcomes, without identifying a single causal agent.
Mendell MJ, Mirer AG, Cheung K, Tong M, Douwes J, 2011 · Environmental Health Perspectives 119(6):748–756
[EMERGING]Emerging
Bacteria, molds, and toxins measured in water-damaged building materials
Laboratory analysis of water-damaged building materials reported mixed bacterial and fungal colonization and higher cytotoxicity of extracts than extracts from undamaged materials.
Andersson MA, Nikulin M, Köljalg U, Andersson MC, Rainey F, Reijula K, Hintikka E-L, Salkinoja-Salonen M, 1997 · Applied and Environmental Microbiology 63(2):387–393
[EMERGING]Emerging
Actinomycetes and non-tuberculous mycobacteria measured against respiratory findings in a water-damaged office building
In a field investigation of one water-damaged office building, measured thermophilic actinomycetes were associated with respiratory findings among occupants while measured fungi were not.
Park J-H, Cox-Ganser JM, White SK, Laney AS, Caulfield SM, Turner WA, Sumner AD, Kreiss K, 2017 · Indoor Air 27(1):24–33
[EMERGING]Emerging
Review of actinobacteria in indoor environments and reported respiratory effects
A review of indoor actinobacteria reported their occurrence in moisture-damaged buildings, methods for measuring them, and documented respiratory effects including allergic alveolitis.
Rintala H, 2011 · Frontiers in Bioscience (Scholar Edition) 3(4):1273–1284
[EMERGING]Emerging
Culture and molecular methods compared for actinobacteria on water-damaged building material
Molecular analysis of mold-colonized water-damaged wall material identified more actinobacterial genera than culture-based methods on the same samples.
Schäfer J, Jäckel U, Kämpfer P, 2010 · Systematic and Applied Microbiology 33(5):260–268
[EMERGING]Emerging
Inflammatory response in mice after instillation of Streptomyces spores from a moldy building
Mice given intratracheal Streptomyces californicus spores isolated from indoor air of a moldy building showed dose-dependent lung inflammation.
Jussila J, Komulainen H, Huttunen K, Roponen M, Hälinen A, Hyvärinen A, Kosma V-M, Pelkonen J, Hirvonen M-R, 2001 · Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 171(1):61–69
[EMERGING]Emerging
Co-occurrence of bacterial and fungal secondary metabolites measured in moisture-damaged homes
Multi-analyte analysis of samples from moisture-damaged indoor environments detected both bacterial and fungal secondary metabolites in the sampled materials.
Täubel M, Sulyok M, Vishwanath V, Bloom E, Turunen M, Järvi K, Kauhanen E, Krska R, Hyvärinen A, Larsson L, Nevalainen A, 2011 · Indoor Air 21(5):368–375
[EMERGING]Emerging
Chaetomium globosum prevalence in surveyed water-damaged buildings and metabolite production on building materials
A survey of water-damaged buildings reported Chaetomium globosum in about half of the buildings sampled, and laboratory growth on building materials produced cytotoxic metabolites.
Fogle MR, Douglas DR, Jumper CA, Straus DC, 2007 · Mycopathologia 164(1):49–56
[EMERGING]Emerging
Metabolites of Wallemia sebi measured at water activity below common mold-growth thresholds
Laboratory work on Wallemia sebi, a fungus common in house dust, reported growth and metabolite production at water activity levels below the thresholds commonly cited for indoor mold growth.
Desroches TC, McMullin DR, Miller JD, 2014 · Indoor Air 24(5):533–542
[ESTABLISHED]Established
Associations between fungal species and specific water-damaged building materials
Analysis of more than 5,000 surface samples from water-damaged materials reported which fungal species were most common overall and which were associated with particular substrates.
Andersen B, Frisvad JC, Søndergaard I, Rasmussen IS, Larsen LS, 2011 · Applied and Environmental Microbiology 77(12):4180–4188
[ESTABLISHED]Established
Systematic review of fungal exposure and hypersensitivity pneumonitis
A systematic review reported that Penicillium and Aspergillus were the fungi most frequently identified in cases of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, often in association with moisture-damaged buildings.
Dias P, Matos C, Apolinario D, 2021 · Porto Biomedical Journal 6(1):e117
[ESTABLISHED]Established
Review of Stachybotrys chartarum, trichothecene mycotoxins, and damp building–related illness
A review examined how Stachybotrys chartarum grows on wet cellulosic materials, how its toxins aerosolize, and what the toxicological literature reports about pulmonary effects.
Pestka JJ, Yike I, Dearborn DG, Ward MDW, Harkema JR, 2008 · Toxicological Sciences 104(1):4–26
[EMERGING]Emerging
Immune response measured after single versus repeated Stachybotrys lung exposures in mice
In mice, a single Stachybotrys chartarum lung exposure produced acute neutrophilic inflammation while repeated exposures over seven weeks produced a different, eosinophil-associated pattern.
Rosenblum Lichtenstein JH, Molina RM, Donaghey TC, Hsu Y-H, Mathews JA, Kasahara DI, Park J-A, Bordini A, Godleski JJ, Gillis BS, Brain JD, 2016 · American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology 55(4):521–531
[EMERGING]Emerging
Nasal and olfactory effects of satratoxin G measured in rhesus monkeys
In a primate model, single high-dose and repeated low-dose intranasal satratoxin G were reported to produce rhinitis and loss of olfactory sensory neurons.
Carey SA, Plopper CG, Hyde DM, Islam Z, Pestka JJ, Harkema JR, 2012 · Toxicologic Pathology 40(6):887–898
[EMERGING]Emerging
Olfactory neuron loss and inflammation measured in mice after intranasal satratoxin G
Intranasal satratoxin G in mice was reported to cause dose-dependent olfactory sensory neuron loss, rhinitis, and cytokine expression extending to the olfactory bulb.
Islam Z, Harkema JR, Pestka JJ, 2006 · Environmental Health Perspectives 114(7):1099–1107
[EMERGING]Emerging
Lung inflammation measured in mice exposed to Aspergillus versicolor spores from a moisture-damaged building
Mice exposed to Aspergillus versicolor spores collected from a moisture-damaged building showed dose-dependent acute lung inflammation that persisted at higher doses.
Jussila J, Komulainen H, Kosma V-M, Nevalainen A, Pelkonen J, Hirvonen M-R, 2002 · Inhalation Toxicology 14(12):1261–1277
[EMERGING]Emerging
Inflammatory gene expression measured in macrophages exposed to toxins from damp-building fungi
Purified toxins from five fungi common on damp building materials each produced distinct inflammatory gene-expression profiles in a macrophage cell line.
Rand TG, Chang CT, McMullin DR, Miller JD, 2017 · Toxicology In Vitro 43:16–20
[EMERGING]Emerging
Lung responses measured in mice exposed to purified toxins from building-isolated Penicillium species
Purified toxins from two Penicillium species isolated from buildings produced lung inflammation in mice within hours of instillation.
Rand TG, Mahoney M, White K, Miller JD, 2006 · Toxicological Sciences 87(1):213–222
[EMERGING]Emerging
Human brain cell responses measured at satratoxin concentrations reported from water-damaged buildings
Human brain-derived cell cultures exposed to satratoxin H at concentrations the authors drew from water-damaged building measurements showed activation of inflammatory and apoptotic pathways.
Karunasena E, Larrañaga MD, Simoni JS, Douglas DR, Straus DC, 2010 · Mycopathologia 170(6):377–390
[EMERGING]Emerging
Time-series and clinical-trial data reported on illness in water-damaged building occupants
A combined time-series and clinical-trial report described multi-system symptoms and biomarker changes in occupants of water-damaged buildings, with changes reported on removal from exposure and treatment.
Shoemaker RC, House DE, 2006 · Neurotoxicology and Teratology 28(5):573–588
[EMERGING]Emerging
Review of proposed injury mechanisms from exposure to water-damaged buildings
A review summarized proposed biological pathways linking water-damaged building exposure to reported illness, covering mycotoxins, bacterial agents, and immune dysregulation.
Hope J, 2013 · The Scientific World Journal 2013:767482
[EMERGING]Emerging
Neuropsychological and electrocortical measures compared between mold-exposed subjects and controls
A comparison study reported differences in psychological, neuropsychological, and EEG measures between people reporting mixed mold exposure and control subjects.
Crago BR, Gray MR, Nelson LA, Davis M, Arnold L, Thrasher JD, 2003 · Archives of Environmental Health 58(8):452–463

References

Building-science articles, agency guidance, and standards we read and work from under this domain. Pointers to the source, not reports of a finding.

Research — Moisture & Mold

How to read this

Meta-analyses of respiratory health outcomes reported in damp or moldy homes

Review of epidemiologic evidence on dampness, mold, and dampness-related agents

Bacteria, molds, and toxins measured in water-damaged building materials

Actinomycetes and non-tuberculous mycobacteria measured against respiratory findings in a water-damaged office building

Review of actinobacteria in indoor environments and reported respiratory effects

Culture and molecular methods compared for actinobacteria on water-damaged building material

Inflammatory response in mice after instillation of Streptomyces spores from a moldy building

Co-occurrence of bacterial and fungal secondary metabolites measured in moisture-damaged homes

Chaetomium globosum prevalence in surveyed water-damaged buildings and metabolite production on building materials

Metabolites of Wallemia sebi measured at water activity below common mold-growth thresholds

Associations between fungal species and specific water-damaged building materials

Systematic review of fungal exposure and hypersensitivity pneumonitis

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

Immune response measured after single versus repeated Stachybotrys lung exposures in mice

Nasal and olfactory effects of satratoxin G measured in rhesus monkeys

Olfactory neuron loss and inflammation measured in mice after intranasal satratoxin G

Lung inflammation measured in mice exposed to Aspergillus versicolor spores from a moisture-damaged building

Inflammatory gene expression measured in macrophages exposed to toxins from damp-building fungi

Lung responses measured in mice exposed to purified toxins from building-isolated Penicillium species

Human brain cell responses measured at satratoxin concentrations reported from water-damaged buildings

Time-series and clinical-trial data reported on illness in water-damaged building occupants

Review of proposed injury mechanisms from exposure to water-damaged buildings

Neuropsychological and electrocortical measures compared between mold-exposed subjects and controls

References