Summary of Findings Regarding Association Between Health Outcomes and Presence of Mold or Other Agents in Damp Indoor Environments

Sufficient Evidence of an Association

• Upper respiratory (nasal and throat) tract symptoms
• Cough
• Hypersensitivity pneumonitis in susceptible persons
• Wheeze
• Asthma symptoms in sensitized persons

Limited or Suggestive Evidence of an Association

• Lower respiratory illness in otherwise healthy children

Inadequate or Insufficient Evidence to Determine Whether an Association Exists

• Dyspnea (shortness of breath)
• Asthma development
• Airflow obstruction (in otherwise healthy persons)
• Mucous membrane irritation syndrome
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Inhalation fevers (nonoccupational exposures)
• Lower respiratory illness in otherwise healthy adults
• Acute idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage in infants
• Skin symptoms
• Gastrointestinal tract problems
• Fatigue
• Neuropsychiatric symptoms
• Cancer
• Reproductive effects
• Rheumatologic and other immune diseases

Source: Institute of Medicine’s Damp Indoor Spaces and Health