What health agencies conclude about damp buildings

In plain English

Chapter 3 reviews what national and international bodies had concluded about damp, moldy buildings and health. R520 reports that the Institute of Medicine found enough evidence to link damp indoor spaces with cough, wheeze, upper respiratory symptoms, and asthma symptoms in people who already have asthma or allergies. The IOM found too little evidence on several other conditions, and R520 stresses that this means more research is needed, not that no link exists.

R520 also summarizes positions from EPA, Health Canada, ACGIH, ISIAQ, AIHA and CDC. Across them, the common message is that persistent dampness reliably leads to microbial growth, and that mold growth should be prevented and cleaned up even though the science on exact causes and doses is incomplete. CDC's guidance after floods is that heavy exposure can harm susceptible people whatever the type of mold.

The chapter separates sick building syndrome, a pattern of nonspecific symptoms that ease away from the building, from building-related illnesses that doctors can diagnose with specific tests. R520 notes that measured airborne spore counts often do not line up with symptoms, which is one reason air numbers alone are a weak guide to health risk.

Key points

• Dampness is linked with respiratory symptoms and with asthma flare-ups in people who already have asthma.
• Insufficient evidence for other conditions means more study is needed, not proof of safety.
• Agencies agree: prevent dampness and remediate growth.
• Symptoms often track visible dampness better than air spore counts.
• R520 is not medical advice; health questions belong with a physician.

Official text

This topic is covered in our own words because the standard behind it is copyrighted; we cite it below rather than reproduce it.

Citations

• IICRC S520 Reference Guide, IICRC S520 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation — Reference Guide — Ch. 3, pp. 18–21. Best practice

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