Fungal Contamination in Public Buildings: Health Effects and Investigation Methods

2004
ISBN: 0-662-37432-0
Cat. No.: H46-2/04-358E

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Table of Contents

• Abstract
• Preamble
• 1.0 Introduction
  • 1.1 Indoor Air as a Public Health Issue
  • 1.2 What Is Mold?
• 2.0 Health Effects of Indoor Molds
  • 2.1 Epidemiological Studies of Respiratory Illness
    • 2.1.1 Cross-sectional studies
    • 2.1.2 Case-control studies
    • 2.1.3 Building investigations
    • 2.1.4 Cohort studies
  • 2.2 Effects of Molds in Sensitive Groups
    • 2.2.1 Pulmonary hemorrhage
    • 2.2.2 Invasive mycoses
    • 2.2.3 Allergic bronchopulmonary mycoses and allergic fungal sinusitis
  • 2.3 Animal Studies
  • 2.4 Discussion
    • 2.4.1 Summary of findings
    • 2.4.2 Limitations
      • 2.4.2.1 Exposure assessment
      • 2.4.2.2 Outcome assessment
      • 2.4.2.3 Confounding factors
      • 2.4.2.4 Bias
      • 2.4.2.5 Study design
    • 2.4.3 Conclusion
• 3.0 Investigation of Fungal Contamination of the Non-industrial Workplace
  • 3.1 Background
  • 3.2 General Principles
  • 3.3 Objectives of a Mold Investigation
  • 3.4 Methodological Considerations
    • 3.4.1 Informed inspection
    • 3.4.2 Culturable air samples
    • 3.4.3 Sticky surface samplers
    • 3.4.4 Documentation of visually moldy area
    • 3.4.5 Mycological analysis of bulk samples
    • 3.4.6 Microscopic techniques
  • 3.5 Conclusion
• References