NIH website: Study on molds producing carcinogenic mycotoxins

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http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/1999/suppl-3/505-508gravesen/gravesen-full.html

Abstract

To elucidate problems with microfungal infestation in indoor environments, a

multidisciplinary collaborative pilot study, supported by a grant from the

Danish Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, was performed on 72 mold-infected

building materials from 23 buildings. Water leakage through roofs, rising damp,

and defective plumbing installations were the main reasons for water damage with

subsequent infestation of molds. From a score system assessing the

bioavailability of the building materials, products most vulnerable to mold

attacks were water damaged, aged organic materials containing cellulose, such as

wooden materials, jute, wallpaper, and cardboard. The microfungal genera most

frequently encountered were Penicillium (68%), Aspergillus (56%), Chaetomium

(22%), Ulocladium, (21%), Stachybotrys (19%) and Cladosporium (15%). Penicillium

chrysogenum, Aspergillus versicolor, and Stachybotrys chartarum were the most

frequently occurring species. Under field conditions, several

trichothecenes were detected in each of three commonly used building materials,

heavily contaminated with S. chartarum. Under experimental conditions, four out

of five isolates of S. chartarum produced satratoxin H and G when growing on new

and old, very humid gypsum boards. A. versicolor produced the carcinogenic

mycotoxin sterigmatocystin and 5-methoxysterigmatocystin under the same

conditions. Key words: allergy, Aspergillus versicolor, building materials,

mold, mycotoxins, Penicillium chrysogenum, Stachybotrys chartarum. -- Environ

Health Perspect 107(suppl 3):505-508 (1999).

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