Asthma and Allergies Linked to Mold

A study released this month says children who live in homes with visible mold are more likely to suffer from asthma and allergies. According to the following article posted on FoxNews.com:

Researchers found that across 61 international studies since the 1990s, children living in water-damaged, moldy homes were more likely to have asthma, wheezing problems or nasal allergies than their peers.

The findings do not prove that mold is the culprit, according to the study's lead researcher.

However, lab research has suggested that exposure to mold and airborne mold spores can create inflammation in the airways, added Dr. Christina Tischer, of the German Research Center for Environmental Health in Neuherberg.

These latest findings underscore the importance of not only getting rid of visible mold, but also preventing it in the first place, Tischer told Reuters Health in an email.

People often believe that mold is bad news for their lung health, and many studies have supported that idea. But some recent studies have linked certain proteins in mold "components" in the home to a lower risk of asthma and allergies in children. Those components are particular fungus cells that can mix in with house dust.

So for their review, Tischer and her colleagues separated studies that examined visible mold -- the most obvious sign of a mold problem -- from the smaller number in which researchers measured mold components in household dust samples.

They found that overall, children in homes with visible mold were 49 percent more likely to have asthma than kids not exposed to the problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 10 percent of all American kids have asthma.

Meanwhile, the children's risk of nasal allergies was 39 percent higher.

Exposure to mold components in house dust was linked to a lower risk of those respiratory ills, the researchers report in the European Respiratory Journal.

In theory, that finding could be due to differences between visible mold and the mold components that are part of the normal mix of bacteria, fungus and other microbes in indoor air.

"Visible mold patches at the walls, or a moldy odor, is indicating that the normal microbial composition is out of kilter, which is most often due to dampness, excessive moisture or building damages," Tischer explained.

According to one theory -- the "hygiene hypothesis" -- living with the normal mix of microbes helps young children's immune systems develop in a way that makes allergic reactions less likely.

Tischer said that getting rid of visible mold "might be a first important step in order to create a healthy environment at home."

But, she added, the reasons for the mold problem have to be addressed too. That means steps like repairing leaky plumbing or other sources of water damage, and lowering humidity in the home with better ventilation.

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New Asthma Study

A study released September 16 links the development of childhood asthma to indoor air quality. The following abstract appears in the Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health:

Asthma has become the most common childhood chronic disease in the industrialized world, and it is also increasing in developing regions. There are huge differences in the prevalence of childhood asthma across countries and continents, and there is no doubt that the prevalence of asthma was strongly increasing during the past decades worldwide.

Asthma, as a complex disease, has a broad spectrum of potential determinants ranging from genetics to lifestyle and environmental factors. Environmental factors are likely to be important in explaining the regional differences and the overall increasing trend towards asthma's prevalence. Among the environmental conditions, indoor factors are of particular interest because people spend more than 80% of their time indoors globally.

Increasing prices for oil, gas and other sources of primary energy will further lead to better insulation of homes, and ultimately to reduced energy costs. This will decrease air exchange rates and will lower the dilution of indoor air mass with ambient air. Indoor air quality and potential health effects will therefore be an area for future research and for gaining a better understanding of asthma epidemics.

This strategic review will summarize the current knowledge of the effects of a broad spectrum of indoor factors on the development of asthma in childhood in Western countries based on epidemiological studies. In conclusion, several epidemiological studies point out, that indoor factors might cause asthma in childhood. Stronger and more consistent findings are seen when exposure to these indoor factors is assessed by surrogates for the source of the actual toxicants. Measurement-based exposure assessments for several indoor factors are less common than using surrogates of the exposure. These studies, however, mainly showed heterogeneous results.

The most consistent finding for an induction of asthma in childhood is related to exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, to living in homes close to busy roads, and in damp homes where are visible moulds at home. The causing agents of the increased risk of living in damp homes remained uncertain and needs clarification. Exposure to pet-derived allergens and house dust mites are very commonly investigated and thought to be related to asthma onset. The epidemiological evidence is not sufficient to recommend avoidance measures against pet and dust mites as preventive activities against allergies.

More research is also needed to clarify the potential risk for exposure to volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds due to renovation activities, phthalates and chlorine chemicals due to cleaning.

The full abstract can be found by clicking here.

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Mold, Asthma, and School Attendance

Environmental awareness can prove cost effective for school districts. Take San Antonio, Texas' North East Independent School District, for instance. Faced with state education funding cuts in 2005, Superintendent Richard Middleton set out to maximize revenue. He looked at the attendance rate. Increased attendance rate means increased money for the district. Middleton knew that if he could increase the number of kids coming to school every day by just 1 percent, NEISD would get an additional $3.4 million in funding.

What caused kids to miss two to three weeks (or more) of school each year? Asthma. What is one of asthma's contributing factors? Exposure to toxic mold. (A 2004 study conducted by an Institute of Medicine expert panel concluded that an association exists between damp buildings and upper respiratory tract symptoms, wheeze, cough, and exacerbation of chronic lung diseases such as asthma.)

In 2002, mold was discovered in three of NEISD’s elementary schools. The cause: a combination of flawed construction, contractor error and failure of maintenance to notice. “It became clear to me that the construction management and maintenance departments did not share the common goal of understanding environmental health,” recalls Middleton.

Ironically, the mold discovery was the first of three events Middleton calls “a positive perfect storm” toward NEISD’s wellness overhaul. From there, Middleton created a new Department of Environmental Health to oversee air quality issues and advocate and maintain a healthy environment for staff and students. He promoted Ron Clary, his first-in-command custodian, to executive director for facilities and maintenance to run that department. Says Middleton, “We then had departmental leadership that equally understood both their role and responsibility in building health.”

Clary’s department conducts classroom evaluations, removes mold on ceilings and handles teacher concerns regarding more absenteeism or respiratory-related issues among students. In 2008, the district was honored by the federal Environmental Protection Agency for implementing successful indoor air quality programs.

In 2006, Rhodes approached Middleton about state and nationwide data showing how asthma affects school attendance and shared ideas for how to combat the district’s condition. Middleton hired her that year as the district’s director of asthma education for the new department.

Under Rhodes’ guidance, communitywide “Asthma Blow-Outs” would inform parents and students about asthma and fostering wellness at home. School nurses, physical education teachers and asthma professionals ran those evening information sessions.

The effect of the Middleton-Clary-Rhodes trifecta of asthma prevention has been staggering. According to Rhodes, in early fall 2006, the number of inhalers used districtwide due to asthma during the first six weeks of school was more than 9,000. After implementing education outreach and classroom strategies, in early fall 2007 inhaler use dropped to 4,500.

Surprisingly, these changes and improvements haven’t increased NEISD’s overall budget. “We’re the ninth-largest district in the state,” Middleton says, “and of 100 districts in Texas, 97 spend more than we do on maintenance and custodial costs, yet we’re achieving excellent results.” In addition, Middleton says the district’s attendance-based revenue from the state has significantly increased.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

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