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Danish Mould Research Programme

IEA ECBCS Annex 41Trondheim Meeting26-28 August 2005

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Introduction

• During the years 1998-2002 a major research campaign was carried out by altogether 13 institutions in Denmark to uncover a wide range of scientific and practice oriented issues related to the problem of mould in buildings.

• The total budget for the campaign was 18 million DKK(around 2.5 million EUR).

• The research campaign was followed by the publication of guidelines and information leaflets directed towards the consultants and other actors in the building industry as well as to the general public (building owners, building “users” and caretakers).

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Main Areas of ResearchThree main areas with projects defined within the areas (some of the projects had further subdivision - thus a total of 13 research projects):• Health aspects

– Mould and health – an epidemiological investigation,– The impact of mould on human subjects,

• Microbiological - and building aspects– Characterization of mould in moist buildings,– The exposure of people to mould in buildings,– Fast methods to measure mould in buildings,

• Moulds and building materials– Collection of experiences on critical and safe building

constructions,– Investigation and assessment of mould growth in buildings,– The resistance of building materials to mould attack,– Renovation of materials and building constructions.

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Participants and Dissemination

• 13 research institutes and some consultants participated in the programme.

• E.g.: Universities and occupational health institutes.• The Danish Building Research Institute has been a

central actor in the research and dissemination activity. Much of the publications come from this institute.

• More information can be found on the homepage of the Danish Building Research Institute www.sbi.dk.

• The publication Documentation 026, Moulds in buildings gives a survey of the programme.

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g Documentation 026: Moulds in buildings - A survey of the

projects of the programme • This report presents the results of a multidisciplinary research

programme that lasted four years: “Moulds in buildings, 1998–2002”. The purpose of the programme was to gain more knowledge of the conditions that affect mould growth and human health. Furthermore the aim was to create basic knowledge of safe and cost efficient solutions for solving problems and for preventing mould growth in buildings during planning, operation, maintenance and renovation.

• The programme comprised 13 projects covering health aspects, microbiological aspects and building aspects.

• 13 Danish research institutes and 6 private consulting firms implemented the research programme. The budget of the programme was around DKK18 million and was supported by funds from the Danish Ministry of Research of around DKK 13 million.

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Health aspects – resultsFrom clinical examinations and results from questionnaires of adolescents and young pupils, teachers and others employed in schools, as well as from laboratory investigations, the following was found:

• A clear and statistically significant correlation between the level of moulds in floor dust and the number of irritation symptoms from eyes and upper airways along with general symptoms such as headaches, dizziness and difficulties with concentrating was demonstrated. The higher the level of moulds, the higher the level of symptoms.

• The correlation between exposure to moulds from floor dust and symptoms was significantly stronger among pupils with asthma and hay fever. This condition was especially pronounced for irritation of the mucous membranes of the eyes.

• The prevalence of airway allergies (hay fever and asthma) and the presence of airway infections was, however, not related to the level of moulds in floor dust.

• Laboratory investigations indicate that moulds affect the organism via the immune system. Activation of the immune system may actually induce the general symptoms observed in this study.

• A larger number of water damages and an increasing extent of mould growth on walls and in building constructions were neither associated with an increasing frequency of the symptoms investigated nor with susceptibility to infections, hay fever or asthma.

• The laboratory investigations as well as the field studies indicate that the exposure routes for moulds are sedimentation of spores to floor dust either liberated from mould growth on building materials or brought in by footwear. The sedimentedfungal particulates along with other dust particles may be re-suspended to the ambient air and inhaled when reaching the breathing zone.

• Accumulation of dust and mould must be minimized in rooms and buildings, as this can have adverse effects on human health.

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Microbiological - and building aspects – results

• 15-20 % of Danish homes show visible signs of moisture or mould growth. Spot checks in owner-occupied apartments revealed that 13 % had visible mould growth but in most of these apartments the extent of the mould growth was small.

• The presence of moisture and mould in Danish public schools was recorded and showed that 9 % had water damages. 20 % showed indications of earlier water damage. However, spot checks revealed that half of the schools were actually water damaged. The water damages were generally of a limited extent and were primarily found in roof constructions.

• Roof constructions are generally vulnerable due to lack of maintenance and especially complicated roof constructions are vulnerable to bad workmanship or poor planning. Bathrooms with light constructions, basement constructions, e.g. crawl spaces; older buildings with rising damp and poorly maintained fronts are vulnerable constructions.

• Schools or other buildings with water damage do not necessarily have mould problems. This depends on the time of humidification; the resistance of the material used and on the infestation of materials prior to their installation. Humidified materials will, however, always present a risk of mould growth.

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Moulds and building materials - results

• Experiments have shown that wood and wood-based materials; wallpaper and materials containing glue (starch) have the lowest resistance to mould infestation.

• Plaster and concrete, which have a very modest content of organic material, can be infested with mould growth, provided these have a high moisture content (water activity 0,95) which is a prerequisite for growth.

• High temperatures (up to around 28°C), rough surfaces and dust generally facilitate mould growth.

• A big difference has been demonstrated concerning liberation and dispersal of spores to the ambient air according to morphology of moulds and physical conditions of the buildings. The drying out of fungal growth spots is often a prerequisite for dissemination. This might partly explain why moulds in dust and not the extent of mould growth on the constructions were associated with the described symptoms on the occupants in this study.

• Experiments with controlled dispersal of spores from Penicillium chrysogenumand Trichoderma harzianum cultivated on plaster boards demonstrated fungal particles smaller than spores liberated to the air. During inhalation these particles will more easily reach the lungs compared with larger spores.

• Detailed studies of the toxic mould Stachybotrys chartarum, known to produce mycotoxins (satratoxins) during growth in buildings, have demonstrated that only 40 % of the isolates produce this kind of toxins, but all isolates produced other toxic metabolites.

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Other results• Methods for rapid detection of mould growth have been

developed (MycoMeter).• Guidelines for investigation, evaluation and remediation of

moisture and moulds have been established.• The programme has produced more than 60 publications

referred in this report. The report also includes a catalogue ofideas for future projects to further study moulds in buildings and their effects.

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Other Report Summaries• By og Byg Results 009: Humidity, ventilation, mould and

house dust mites - A cross sectional study in apartments • By og Byg Results 012: Experience-based assessment of risk

of water damage in buildings• Kristian Fog Nielsen, Mould growth on building materials -

Secondary metabolites, mycotoxins and biomarkers, Ph.D. thesis, Danish Building Research Institute, 2002

• Direction 204, Investigation and assessment of moisture and mould growth in buildings, Danish Building Research Institute, 2003

• Direction 205, Renovation of buildings attacked by moulds, Danish Building Research Institute, 2003

• Is your dwelling mouldy? Information folder by Danish Building and Urban Research - and others, www.skimmel.dk (2001?)

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g By og Byg Results 009:Humidity, ventilation, mould and house

dust mitesHigh humidity in homes has been associated with increased prevalence of symptoms and serious diseases like asthma among occupants - in particular among children. The increased growth of moulds and proliferation of house dust mites in moist rooms may partly explain this. Increased moisture levels have been shown to increase the prevalence of both fungi and house dust mites. Moulds and their spores may contain extremely toxic substances and some allergy causing agents. House dust mites are the most important source of inhalation allergens in homes.The purpose of this study was to assess the occurrence of mould growth and house dust mites in Danish apartments and the prevalence of symptoms and the perception of annoying conditions among occupants. A further purpose was to study the impact of ventilation, choice of building materials and moisture content on symptoms, annoyance and infestation. Fungi require substrates containing water and organic matter that can supply them with nutrition and moisture for growing. Fairly high water activity of their substrates is required. Most construction products should at least have water activities comparable to equilibrium with an air humidity of 70-75 % RH to be seriously infested with fungi. This may be the case where indoor surfaces are cold locally or the indoor humidity is very high. The construction products may also be wetted from water leaks, flooding, diffusive transport of water or splashes from activities like bathing. At low (70 %) water activities growth is slow and develops over months or years. At higher activities significant growth can develop in a few weeks. House dust mites require certain temperatures and high humidity in their micro-environment. They feed on human skin scales found abundantly in most homes and thrive from elevated moisture contents. It is difficult to remove mites from protected environments such as mattresses, wall-to-wall carpets or textured upholstered furniture. Normal cleaning procedures are more likely to remove mites from smooth surfaces. The mites move around and in infested rooms they are found on most surfaces. When moisture sources in the home are small, increased ventilation may reduce indoor humidity and hereby eliminate fungi and mites. However, the strength of the moisture sources is crucial for the ability of ventilation to control the moisture content of indoor air. Problems caused by high relative humidity at cold surfaces are only in some cases controllable by ventilation. Problems caused by direct wetting of materials can not be handled by ventilation. Furthermore it is important to consider the behavior of occupants of apartments when they try to control moisture sources and ventilation.Using non-destructive methods, 87 apartments representing the typical range for rented apartments in Denmark were investigated. Occupants of a random sample of approximately 600 rented apartments drawn from the government register of houses were invited to participate. Approximately one out of six accepted to participate. Two trained assistants made a pre-announced visit to the apartments in the winter months January to March 1999. They set up small data loggers that monitored temperature and humidity, they placed small sources of tracer gas and passive samplers for air change measurements and they registered surface materials and other information about the apartments. The area and density of growing moulds on surfaces was measured. Dust samples were taken for mite counting under microscope using a normal vacuum cleaner connected to a special sampling head with filter. A questionnaire concerning annoyance and symptoms was introduced and returned by occupants by mail after one week together with the monitoring equipment.Visual inspection resulted in suspected mould growth in 22 % of the apartments. Significant growth was found in 13 % of the investigated dwellings, mainly in bathrooms and kitchens. House dust mites were found in 57 % of the bedrooms. The concentration of mites was slightly higher on floors than on mattresses. Floors with wall-to-wall carpets had far more mites per square metre than other floor types. Significant correlation was found between absolute humidity in bedroom air and mites on mattresses.

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Introduction

• During the years 1998-2002 a major research campaign was carried out by altogether 13 institutions in Denmark to uncover a wide range of scientific and practice oriented issues related to the problem of mould in buildings.

• The total budget for the campaign was 18 million DKK(around 2.5 million EUR).

• The research campaign was followed by the publication of guidelines and information leaflets directed towards the consultants and other actors in the building industry as well as to the general public (building owners, building “users” and caretakers).

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Main Areas of ResearchThree main areas with projects defined within the areas (some of the projects had further subdivision - thus a total of 13 research projects):• Health aspects

– Mould and health – an epidemiological investigation,– The impact of mould on human subjects,

• Microbiological - and building aspects– Characterization of mould in moist buildings,– The exposure of people to mould in buildings,– Fast methods to measure mould in buildings,

• Moulds and building materials– Collection of experiences on critical and safe building

constructions,– Investigation and assessment of mould growth in buildings,– The resistance of building materials to mould attack,– Renovation of materials and building constructions.

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Participants and Dissemination

• 13 research institutes and some consultants participated in the programme.

• E.g.: Universities and Occupational Health institutes.• The Danish Building Research Institute has been a

central actor in the research and dissemination activity. Much of the publications come from this institute.

• More information can be found on the homepage of the Danish Building Research Institute www.sbi.dk.

• The publication Documentation 026, Moulds in buildings gives a list of some 60 research papers and other disseminations of which many have been published in an international context.

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Report Summaries• By og Byg Results 009: Humidity, ventilation, mould and house dust

mites - A cross sectional study in apartments • By og Byg Results 012: Experience-based assessment of risk of

water damage in buildings• Documentation 026, Moulds in buildings - A survey of the projects of

the programme, Danish Building Research Institute, 2002• Kristian Fog Nielsen, Mould growth on building materials - Secondary

metabolites, mycotoxins and biomarkers, Ph.D. thesis, Danish Building Research Institute, 2002

• Direction 204, Investigation and assessment of moisture and mould growth in buildings, Danish Building Research Institute, 2003

• Direction 205, Renovation of buildings attacked by moulds, Danish Building Research Institute, 2003

• Is your dwelling mouldy? Information folder by Danish Building and Urban Research - and others, www.skimmel.dk (2001?)

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Questionnaire based study: The purpose of this study was to quantify the extent of moistureproblems in Danish homes. It was part of a more comprehensive study of environmental factors of everyday life in Denmark.

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5802 Danish citizens of 16 years or older were randomly drawn from the Centralized Civil Register.

4357 of these were successfully Interviewed in their homes.

3800 of these (65% of total sample) returned the questionnaire.

Area of dwelling were acquired from Danish Building and Housing Register.

Replies were obtained during all seasons of year 2000.

Method

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Questions in this study

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Cumulative chart of time spent at home for different age groups

Danes spend in average 16.3 hours at home on a weekday

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Average number of hours at home per weekday

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16-24 25-44 45-66 67-79 80+

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Area per occupant (m 2/person)

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Cumulative chart of dwelling area

Average dwelling area is 48,9m2 per person and 123,9m2

per household

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Yes, with a combined extent of 50 cmx 50 cm or more

Yes, with a smaller extent

Persons (%)

Are there moisture or mould spots on walls, ceilings or floors at the moment?

17.7% reported to have moisture or mould spots in their home

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0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Penetration of water through floors orwalls

Leaky roof

Leaky plumbing

Spilling of water from drain or sewer

Others

Persons (%)

Have there been any moisture damages in your home during the last five years?

17.6% reported to have had a moisture damage -of these 36.4% had not yet been remedied

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8.5% of the persons said they did not air out their dwelling daily

45.9% of the 1270 persons replying during winter said they had mist on the inside of their windows

Airing out and mist on windows

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Yes, noise outside

Yes, air pollution outside

Yes, the risk of burglary

Yes, other conditions

Persons (%)

Are there any conditions reducing your ability to air out your dwelling sufficiently?

10.8% perceive barriers to air out sufficiently

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Conclusions and implications

• Danes spend on a weekday in average more than 2/3 of their time at home.

• One in every six Danes have mould or moisture spots in their dwelling. A similar fraction states that they have had a moisture damage in their dwelling within the last 5 years. More than 1/3 of the reported moisture damages has not been remedied.

• Moisture damages and probably other dampness problems are often neglected by occupants and owners of buildings.

• A joint effort towards ventilation systems, user behavior, source control and building maintenance is required to reduce dampness problems.

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Moisture Problems, Symptoms and their Causes?• Several investigations have shown that moisture

problems in general cause an increased incidence of health symptoms.

• The general investigations show a clear correlation between moisture and health problems.

• E.g.: Moisture stains or condensation on windows are indicators of unhealthy conditions.

• However, specific investigations often give no clear explanations.

• E.g. if you measure for mould in the susceptible buildings, they need not give a clear indication.

• This is still a mystery…

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g By og Byg Results 012: Experience-based assessment of risk of

water damage in buildingsA questionnaire survey was carried out among experienced building investigators to collect data regarding water damage and mould attacks in different types of buildings and in different structural building parts. The questionnaire survey showed that the investigators assessed that 15-22 % of offices and dwellings was water damaged or had mould growth when the buildings were investigated. Mould growth was found in 13-17 %. The highest percentages were found in multi-storey buildings. These figures correspond well with other questionnaire survey results. The investigators assessed that approximately 50 % of the schools had water damage or mould growth. This high percentage was probably not representative of schools in general, because the investigations to a high extent were made precisely to confirm the assumptions that water damage and mould growth exist.The result of the questionnaire survey showed what building parts and structures ran the greatest or the least risk that continued water damages can occur with resulting mould growth. The most important and clear-cut difference between alternative structures was found for roofs, floor coverings and wet room elements.Pitched roofs without dormers or valleys run less risk of water damage than flat roofs or other types of roof with dormers and valleys. However, experience gained over the past 5-10 years from building inspections performed every 5 years in accordance with the buildings defects funds requirements have not revealed flat roofs as being high-risk constructions. Ceramic tile floors ran less risk of water damage than especially vinyl or linoleum resilient flooring not welded together as they are sensitive to wet cleaning procedures.Wet room constructions (bathrooms) with heavy wall and floor structures ran less risk of water damage than rooms with light wall and floor structures. Installations presented a comparatively great risk of water damage and particularly the maintenance of gutters was very important. The investigation was not sufficiently detailed for it to be possible to differentiate between hidden and visible installations.The overall cause for water damage to the assessed constructions was faulty craftmanship in two thirds of the constructions and in the last third it was caused by faulty maintenance.However, for a few constructiontypes up to a third of the assessments gave the design as the most important reason. Experience from the building defects funds indicate that complex roof solutions are high-risk constructions and that defects are often due to poor design.In four fifths of the constructions leakage was the specific main cause of the problems, succeeded by lack of ventilation and only for heavy outer wall constructions cold bridges were found to be the most important reason. The survey showed that it is possible to choose a type of building construction so that the buildings can be expected to run a low risk of water damage.The results of the questionnaire survey were discussed with representatives from practising architect and consulting engineering firms, building defects funds, etc. It was indicated that investigations and research 27 were needed for cold-deck roofs including compact roofs, prefabricated element solutions for roofs and exterior walls, non-traditional insulation materials of organic origin and studies of the resistance to mould growth of materials. There was also need for establishing quality systems for controlling materials sensitivity to moisture and developing constructions easy to assemble and build.During the discussion it was proposed to implement education, information and training courses addressing architects, engineers and the craftsmen about the importance of selecting moisture-proof constructions both for integrated building parts and materials. Attention should also focus on drying out moisture in materials and prefabricated elements and removing waste from construction works before cavities in the constructions are closed.

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Ph.D. thesis: Kristian Fog NielsenMould growth on building materials -Secondary metabolites, mycotoxins and biomarkers

The aim of this study was to document if the moulds produce mycotoxinsand other biologically active metabolites when growing in buildings, as well as investigate the influence of environmental conditions on the production of these metabolites. The growth of moulds under various humidities should also be investigated along with the use of chemical biomarkers for quantitation of mould growth.It was shown that Stachybotrys chartarum produced a number of mycotoxinswhen growing in buildings. These components were produced in significantly higher quantities than by other moulds investigated in this study. Only 35% of the isolates from buildings produced the extremely cytotoxic satratoxins. Actually these metabolites are probably not responsible for idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis in infants, which is probably caused by other S. chartarummetabolites.For the first time ever Stachybotrys metabolites were found in air-samples, where several classes of spiriocyclic drimanes and satratoxins were detected.Aspergillus versicolor produced high quantities of the carcinogenic mycotoxin, sterigmatocystin at water activities (aw) > 0.95. At lower aw more than 10 unknown metabolites were produced, including at least 5 metabolites also produced by A. ochraceus. A. versicolor was often growing in mixed cultures with others moulds where it sporulated poorly, meaning that it may evade detection based on cultivating methods. The A. ustus isolates from buildings were macro-morphologically and chemically very different from the cereal isolates, and should be described as a new species.Penicillium chrysogenum produced few detectable metabolites and often none when growing on materials. Combined with the no observed effects on persons experimentally exposed to high quantities of the spores, these observations implies that this species may not be important and is actually obscuring the detection of more toxic genera and species. P. brevicompactum produced mycophenolic acid and P. polonicum the tremorgenic verrucosidin when they were inoculated on water-damaged materials.Chaetomium globosum produced high quantities of chaetoglobosins whereas Trichoderma species did not produce detectable quantities of trichothecenes when growing on materials. Even on laboratory media <1% of the isolates produced trichodermol or esters of it.Ergosterol content of building materials was quickly and precisely quantified by isotope dilution GC-MS/MS. Determination of ergosterol is only needed as a supplement for assessing mould growth on test materials, as visual assessment, especially supported by dissection microscopy generally was just as sensitive. The minimal RH for growth on wood based materials and material containing starch was just below 80% at room temperature, and increased to about 90% at 5°C. On paper-mineral composites such as gypsum board the minimal RH was approx. 90% RH from room temperature to 5°C. Pure mineral based materials with few

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mould growth in buildings - Direction 204Danish Building Research Institute, 2003

Summary • This publication describes a tool for investigating and assessing the

conditions of buildings. The introduction of the publication informs the reader in general about moulds and their health effects. The following part of the publication presents methods for investigation of buildings. Forms have been developed intended as an aid during the investigation. They are attached as appendices. An outline of recommended aids and protection for investigating engineers and building users are presented.

• The following part of the publication presents a number of measuring instruments and measuring methods as well as the background for criteria and assessments of the significance for moisture and mould growth in buildings. It is a precondition, though, that the investigating engineer possesses fundamental knowledge of building technology and moisture transportation and accumulation.

• Based on the checklist in this publication which lists causes of moisture and mould growth as well as the guideline assessment criteria, investigating engineers can, with great certainty, establish reasons for the presence of moisture and mould growth in the examined building. Moreover, the results of the overall investigation can serve to assess the conditions affecting human health.

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g Renovation of buildings attacked by mouldsDirection 205

Danish Building Research Institute, 2003 Summary

• This publication describes the planning and accomplishment of renovation of buildings attacked by moulds, including the materials and methods to be used. It is directed primarily at consultants, contractors and building surveyors with a profound knowledge of fungi and building technology.

• This publication emphasises the importance of providing the necessary information so that the renovation of a building attacked by moulds can be conducted economically and safely. The publication is made as clear and easy-to-use as possible, which means that many specific details are excluded, e.g. how drying of a building is calculated.

• The introduction describes health-related problems that may be caused by growth of moulds in the buildings, followed by a short description of the growth conditions for moulds. Next all phases of the renovation process are described.

• In the following sections a series of practical descriptions are given. Initially the information and communication process to users and owners of buildings during the different phases of the renovation process are described. Then follows a description of how quality control may be conducted in all phases of the renovation process, including different methods for analysis and measurement. The specifications of the building survey, which must be conducted before renovation is initiated, are described. In addition the safety precautions necessary for both users of the building and workers involved with the renovation is described.

• The publication describes how the need for drying of the building is evaluated. The different methods for cleaning and removing moulds from surfaces of a variety of building materials are described. The removal of odours is also described. Finally cleaning and other factors that must be considered before resuming the use of the renovated building or parts of it are described. This includes a scheme for use and maintenance of the building in order to prevent new fungal attacks.

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Contacts

• Senior researcher Lars Gunnarsen• Senior researcher Henrik KnudsenDanish Building Research Institutewww.sbi.dk