In the United States, floods are the most common natural disaster (NFIP, 2013). Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency of precipitation extremes in the Northern Hemisphere, leading to increased flood risks (Min et al., 2011; Pall et al., 2011). Studies suggest both general flooding and extreme flood events will become increasingly frequent as …
As we have ben writing about here, we are planning to do some microbial sampling of the International Space Station as part of our Project MERCURRI. Thus I read with great interest the following headline this morning: ISS Supply Ship Opens Hatch After ‘Bacteria’ Delay | World | RIA Novosti. Uh oh. Seems that some mold …
I just love this. Saw a post on twitter from Glyn Moody Mouldering city built of bread is a metaphor for Earth without humans – bit.ly/19vEkjT striking – Glyn Moody (@glynmoody) June 1, 2013 So I followed the lead to this: Mouldering city built of bread is a metaphor for Earth without humans – Boing Boing. …
The National Toxicology Program (NTP) just released an updated fact sheet on mold in the built environment. Very handy introduction to the subject, including some information on current research on the topic. Thanks to James Scott for bringing this to our attention.
Members of The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) do a lot of investigations of “problem buildings.” Mold has been a hot topic for more than a decade due to numerous lawsuits brought by occupants, tenants, and others against building owners. Large settlements have occurred, and famous plaintiffs and lawyers (Erin Brokavich) have been involved. Whole …
Many reliable and credible scientific journals related to building science most relevant to the microbiology of the built environment are listed here. These are selected based on our personal experience and judgment and do not constitute a comprehensive or definitive list. Indoor Air — International Journal of Indoor Environment and Health Indoor Air provides a …
Personally I think the holiday season starts way too early… but given the fact that Christmas trees are already on sale (at least here in CA) I figured I could post about this article I came across today: Wyse DM & Malloch D. 1970. Christmas tree allergy: mould and pollen studies. CMA Journal 103: 1272-1276. …
French archive employees handling moldy documents were found to be more likely to experience headaches, fatigue, eye or throat irritation, coughing, and rhinorrhea (stuffy nose) than their co-workers breathing the same air but not handling moldy documents . The culture and qPCR-based analysis of air samples showed Penicillium chrysogenum, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, and Aspergillus versicolor were …
Here’s a case of where an interesting piece of basic science, gets written up as a press release that reaches a bit too far, in particular using a headline like “Reason discovered for the toxicity of indoor mould”. That headline is a big stretch from the original article title which was “20-Residue and 11-residue peptaibols …
(The following is a guest post by James Scott, from the University of Toronto) The receding waters of hurricane Sandy left a trail of destruction along the eastern seaboard of North America – demolishing homes and businesses, flooding neighborhoods and transportation systems, disrupting electricity and water supplies. The havoc wrought by Sandy poignantly affirms the brutal …