Microparticles from Moulds

It is well known that moulds growing in buildings, produce and emit spores to the indoor air. Moulds, however, can also emit very large numbers of microparticles, much smaller than spores. Because of their diminutive size these particles can penetrate deeply into the lungs and are expected to cause many of the health issues, experienced by people occupying damp and mouldy buildings. Unfortunately, these particles cannot be identified by traditional methods used for revealing moulds, still used in many building investigations.

A pilot project, formerly conducted by HouseTest, showed that microparticles from a few mould species tested, contained DNA, and thus they can be detected using HouseTest’s DNA-analysis. Together with Anne Mette Madsen from The National Research Centre for The Working Environment HouseTest now analyses the DNA-content in microparticles emitted from a large number of mould species, to see which species can be detected.