Re: Re: EMISSIONS FROM MOLD & FUNGUS MAY BE CULPRITS IN INDOO...

[Guest guest]

Very interesting article. This coincides with my experience of having rented

a recently built (2 year old) townhouse apartment that smelled just like

fresh paint (that it turned out the odor was due to mold growth).

The odor was a very distinct chemical smell that I had first assumed was due

to off gasing from Pergo floors, and as it turned out was due to mold growth

that was hidden and shortly after exposed. I now know the smell of the

breakdown of organic materials (in a new building) as a result of mold growth.

Needless to say I moved.

I have no doubt that many manufactures are being blamed for emissions from

their products for these VOCs that it turns out in some situations are due to

mold. I was very glad to see an article on this.

In a message dated 8/19/2006 2:29:34 PM Central Standard Time,

darlenesb2000@... writes:

THANK YOU, KC this is just the information I have been trying to get

across to a number of persons outside of the group. Will pass this

info on to others with the same known air handling system problems, I

am sure they will appreciate this.

Darlene

>

> August 3, 1995

>

> BEWARE THE FUNGUS AMONG US: EMISSIONS FROM MOLD & FUNGUS MAY BE

> CULPRITS IN INDOOR AIR PROBLEMS

>

> _http://gtresearchnehttp://gtrhttp://gtresearchttp://gtre_

(http://gtresearchnews.gatech.edu/newsrelease/FUNGUS.html)

>

> Metabolic gases emitted from molds and fungi growing inside

> buildings may be a significant source of airborne volatile organic

> compounds (VOCs) that can cause indoor air quality problems known

> collectively as the " Sick Building Syndrome, " a new study suggests.

>

> Indoor air quality problems have long been blamed on a variety of

> causes, including emissions from particleboard partitions, paints,

> carpets and cleaning supplies. The new research suggests that

> control measures prescribed for sick buildings may need to be

> altered to address microbial problems as well as building materials.

>

> " As molds and fungi grow, they give off metabolic gases that contain

> VOC emissions, " said Dr. Charlene Bayer, principal research

> scientist and director of the Georgia Institute of Technology's

> Indoor Environment Research Program. " Some of the volatile compounds

> that we are finding are primary solvents, and we think some of the

> manufacturers are being blamed for emissions from their products

> when the emissions may actually be coming from the microbes. Because

> the VOCs have usually been attributed to other types of sources, the

> source control may be incorrect. "

>

> In research funded by the Georgia Environmental Technology

> Consortium -- a division of the Georgia Research Alliance -- Bayer

> and biologist Sidney Crow at Georgia State University investigated a

> number of " sick " buildings in the Southeast, collecting fungi

> samples from buildings afflicted with microbial contamination. The

> samples were allowed to grow in the laboratory, and the VOCs

> released from the microbial broths were collected and identified.

> These VOCs were then compared to those detected in the ambient air

> within the buildings.

>

> " Many of the volatile compounds produced by the cultured fungi are

> identical to those originating from solvent-based building materials

> and cleaning supplies, " Bayer explained. " These VOCs included

> hexane, methylene chloride, benzene, and acetone. "

>

> The microbial VOCs may contribute heavily to the overall level of

> ambient VOCs in buildings, Bayer says. In one building the

> researchers investigated, for example, the microbial contamination

> was clearly evident on the walls, the carpets, and other locations.

>

> " The concentration of hexane -- a solvent commonly used in cleaning

> fluids, paints, and adhesives -- was extremely high, " said

> Bayer, " but no source of the hexane could be found. The

> microbiological contamination could have been the source of the

> hexane. "

>

> Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Aspergillus are among the host of

> commonly occurring microbes that can infest homes, schools, and

> offices. Usually, the first indication of their presence is a foul,

> musty odor. When growth runs rampant, then the headaches, itchy

> eyes, rashes, and respiratory problems begin.

>

> Conditions favorable for microbial growth include heat and moisture,

> says Bayer. In the Southeast's semi-tropical climate, buildings are

> prime targets for microbial contamination.

>

> Molds and fungi are not particular about what they eat. They will

> happily devour just about any organic material, including the dirt

> and dust trapped within ventilation systems. What can be done to

> lessen the risk of microbial contamination? First of all, look for

> ways to reduce the necessary nutrient base.

>

> " Under ideal conditions, a building's ventilation system should

> filter out both the microbes and the dirt they feed upon, " added

> Bayer. " Unfortunately, however, many homes, schools, and small

> office buildings use cheap, throwaway filters in their ventilation

> systems. "

>

> Cheap furnace filters are merely " boulder catchers, " Bayer

> notes. " They only catch the big stuff -- they don't catch the fine

> dust particles and they don't catch the microbes. So, they really

> don't do anything to help human health. "

>

> Bayer's advice: simply throw away the cheap filters and replace them

> with more efficient, albeit more expensive, filters.

>

> But, the bigger the building, the bigger the problems with

> ventilation systems become. In larger office buildings, fiberglass-

> lined ductwork is often used for noise control, says Bayer. The

> fibers tend to trap dirt, and that provides a rich nutrient base for

> microbes.

>

> " Add a little moisture, and you can have a mold garden growing in

> your ductwork, " Bayer explained. " The microbes grow and multiply,

> and then get blown all over the building to infest other areas. "

>

> Moisture control is extremely important in preventing microbial

> contamination, says Bayer. When the humidity goes up, microbial

> growth can skyrocket.

>

> " Many buildings erected in the Southeast simply were not designed to

> handle the heavy humidity loads we have, particularly during our

> hot, muggy summers, " Bayer noted. " And most building owners don't

> run their ventilation systems continuously. run t

>

> Schools typically turn their systems off during the summer months,

> and most office buildings cycle their systems over nights and

> weekends, often resulting in an unpleasant " Monday morning cocktail "

> for the workers. Such intermittent operation allows the humidity to

> increase and the molds to multiply.

>

> Preventive maintenance involves proper filtration, correct moisture

> control, and periodic cleaning of the entire ventilation system --

> including the humidifier assembly on residential furnaces.

>

> " Typical reservoir humidifiers are little mold factories, " says

> Bayer. " They are just pools of standing, stagnant water throughout

> much of the year that allow mold to grow and infiltrate the ducts.

> They should be cleaned regularly. "

>

> A great deal of research remains to be done, including identifying

> individual metabolic gases and their respective odors, and acquiring

> a better understanding of the microbes that are producing them. Once

> a knowledge base is developed in these areas, the human response to

> molds and fungi and the sources of complaints in buildings can be

> better understood.

>

> " Ultimately, we want to identify the microbial contamination on the

> basis of the odors which are present, " says Bayer. " That way, we

> will be able to identify the source much more quickly and

> accurately, and deal with the problem faster and more

> effectively. effectively.<WBR>..before it becomes a major problem re

> remediation. r

>

>

>

>

> ------------ ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

> -----------

>

>

> RESEARCH NEWS AND PUBLICATIONS OFFICE

> Georgia Institute of Technology

> 75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 100

> Atlanta, Georgia 30308

>

>

> MEDIA RELATIONS CONTACTS:

> Toon (404-894-6986)

> Internet: john.toon@.. I

> FAX: (404-894-4545)

>

> TECHNICAL:

> Dr. Charlene Bayer (404-894-3825)

> Internet: charlene.bayer@ In

>

>

> WRITER: E. Kloeppel

>