Possible application of the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index in France: a pilot study in Brittany.
PMID 22841908 · International journal of hygiene and environmental health · 2013 · DOI 10.1016/j.ijheh.2012.06.004
Authors: Delphine Méheust; Pierre Le Cann; Tiina Reponen; Jennie Wakefield; Stephen Vesper; Jean-Pierre Gangneux
Abstract
Our goal was to determine if the US Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) scale might have application in France. Twenty homes in Brittany, north western region of France were classified by inspection as "Moldy" or "Non-Moldy". Dust and air samples were collected (MiTest sampler or Coriolis sampler, respectively) from each home and analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) for the 36 fungi that make-up the ERMI. Inspection and ERMI values provided a consistent assessment for 90% of the homes. Two homes originally classified as "Non-Moldy" were found to fit better into the "Moldy" category based on the QPCR analysis and the ERMI. Dust and air samples analyzed by QPCR provided similar fungal contamination assessments. In conclusion, a metric like the ERMI describes mold burdens in homes on a continuum, as opposed to the frequently used dichotomous approach (moldy vs. non-moldy). Although a larger, random national sampling of French homes is needed, these results suggest that these same 36 fungi may be useful in creating an ERMI for France.
Air Microbiology; Air Pollutants; Air Pollution, Indoor; DNA, Fungal; Dust; Environmental Monitoring; France; Fungi; Housing; Pilot Projects; Polymerase Chain Reaction
Cite
Delphine Méheust; Pierre Le Cann; Tiina Reponen; Jennie Wakefield; Stephen Vesper; Jean-Pierre Gangneux. Possible application of the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index in France: a pilot study in Brittany. International journal of hygiene and environmental health (2013). PMID 22841908. DOI 10.1016/j.ijheh.2012.06.004.