Guest guest Posted July 12, 2004 Report Share Posted July 12, 2004 I have a question. There is a lot of evidence of mold infestations in building cooling systems like air conditioners and swamp coolers. However, there is also a fair amount of speculation that the substrate growth material, such as drywall and plywood, is contributory to degree of toxicicity in secondary metabolites. In the case of HVAC system contamination only, (such as the recent Governors mansion in South Carolina). if it is assumed that the orginating spores come from the ambient environment, then this raises two possibilities. A: If the dust in a HVAC system is largely comprised of material from the interior of the structure, such as bleached paper, carpet fibers, plywood/ glue particles, or even human oils, then this would indicate that the substrate material is the offending agent in promoting toxicity. B: If the dust in the HVAC is primarily from the outside of the building, then this would suggest that the concentration of exposure is the primary factor in causing mycotoxicity in susceptable individuals. As I have found organic mulch piles that caused my reactivity, and others here have made similar references, I am leaning towards the second scenario. Does anyone have any information on the composition of dusts in air handling systems that have been taken from contaminated environments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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