In a recent study of the fungal species Penicillium brevicompactum, Aspergillus versicolor,
and Stachybotrys chartarum, French researchers discovered that adverse reactions to mold, which cause one form of “sick building syndrome”, are unlikely to be caused by spores alone.
Flora spores are known to cause allergic reactions without the presence of mycotoxins, think of seasonal allergies, and so it is not surprising that people assumed spores alone caused illness in the case of mold.
This turns out not to be the case.
In this study [1] it was discovered that mycotoxins mycophenolic acid, sterigmatocystin and macrocyclic trichothecenes were carried on particles that correspond to mold spores (3 micrometers in diameter) and smaller. While these three mycotoxins were the only ones tested, it’s safe to expect other substances are also hitching a ride.
To put that into perspective, bacteria tend to be between 0.5 and 5.0 micrometers.
This phenomenon is not something new to science, however, since it has been known for a few years that dust[2] and even small molecules such as acetone can carry other molecules through the air. Acetone transport of another substance is a particular danger for some scientists equipped with insufficient air filtration on laminar flow hoods.
One of the larger issues that might be brought up as we increasingly recognize the need to keep our environment clean is the way in which our buildings are constructed to contain places where things like mold can live and grow. Modern residential construction is almost always done by balloon framing in order to reduce construction costs. This kind of construction is more susceptible to infestation by mold and pests (such as rats in the walls!) compared to mass wall construction like brick.
It might be time to start prioritizing the quality of our buildings over the cost of fabrication.
Notes:
[1] http://aem.asm.org/content/early/2017/06/05/AEM.01001-17.full.pdf
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26142718
Wood-framed house image by Jaksmata
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