title: Visually observed mold and moldy odor versus quantitatively measured microbial exposure in homes.
abstract: The main study objective was to compare different methods for assessing mold exposure in conjunction with an epidemiologic study on the development of children's asthma. Homes of 184 children were assessed for mold by visual observations and dust sampling at child's age 1 (Year 1). Similar assessment supplemented with air sampling was conducted in Year 7. Samples were analyzed for endotoxin, (1-3)-β-D-glucan, and fungal spores. The Mold Specific Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction assay was used to analyze 36 mold species in dust samples, and the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) was calculated. Homes were categorized based on three criteria: 1) visible mold damage, 2) moldy odor, and 3) ERMI. Even for homes where families had not moved, Year 7 endotoxin and (1-3)-β-d-glucan exposures were significantly higher than those in Year 1 (p<0.001), whereas no difference was seen for ERMI (p=0.78). Microbial concentrations were not consistently associated with visible mold damage categories, but were consistently higher in homes with moldy odor and in homes that had high ERMI. Low correlations between results in air and dust samples indicate different types or durations of potential microbial exposures from dust vs. air. Future analysis will indicate which, if any, of the assessment methods is associated with the development of asthma.
authors.affiliation: University of Cincinnati, Department of Environmental Health, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0056, USA. Tiina.Reponen@uc.edu
authors.forename: Tiina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reponen
authors.forename: Umesh
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schaffer
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vesper
authors.forename: Elisabet
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: Atin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adhikari
authors.forename: Sergey A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Grinshpun
authors.forename: Reshmi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Indugula
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: Grace
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lemasters
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005658:Fungi / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006798:Housing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D019370:Observation; D009812:Odorants / Q000032:analysis*; D011509:Proteoglycans; D012903:Smell; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000302:isolation & purification; D047071:beta-Glucans / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D011509:Proteoglycans; D047071:beta-Glucans; C010770:polysaccharide-K
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