title: Development of an Environmental Relative Moldiness index for US homes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to establish a national relative moldiness index for homes in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  As part of the Housing and Urban Development's American Healthy Homes Survey, dust samples were collected by vacuuming 2 m in the bedrooms plus 2 m in the living rooms from a nationally representative 1096 homes in the United States using the Mitest sampler. Five milligrams of sieved (300 mum pore, nylon mesh) dust was analyzed by mold-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction for the 36 indicator species in 1096 samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On the basis of this standardized national sampling and analysis, an "Environmental Relative Moldiness Index" was created with values ranging from about -10 to 20 or above (lowest to highest).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Environmental Relative Moldiness Index scale may be useful for home mold-burden estimates in epidemiological studies.
authors: United States Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268, USA. vesper.stephen@epa.gov
authors: Stephen
authors: S
authors: Vesper
authors: Craig
authors: C
authors: McKinstry
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Haugland
authors: Larry
authors: L
authors: Wymer
authors: Karen
authors: K
authors: Bradham
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Ashley
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Cox
authors: Gary
authors: G
authors: Dewalt
authors: Warren
authors: W
authors: Friedman
mesh_terms: D000391:Air Microbiology; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D004391:Dust