ReviewEnvironmental health perspectives2011
Respiratory and allergic health effects of dampness, mold, and dampness-related agents: a review of the epidemiologic evidence.
Review in Environmental health perspectives, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 291 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
291 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 953 citations in OpenAlex.
- Indoor air quality in day-care centers, kindergartens, and primary schools: a pediatric health-oriented operational framework aligned with European and U.S. IAQ standards.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Childhood asthma and mould in homes-A meta-analysis.Wiener klinische Wochenschrift · 2025Pooled it
- Time-trends for eczema prevalences among children and adults from 1985 to 2015 in China: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2022Pooled it
- Trial
- Fungi in Asthma: From Epidemiology and Airway Mycobiome to Molecular Mechanisms and Novel Allergenic Phytopathogens.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Review
- Impact of Biodeterioration on the Structural and Thermal Insulation Properties of Plant Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Biocomposites for Construction Applications.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Age-specific climate sensitivity of respiratory hospitalizations in a tropical coastal city: 20-year Random Forest forecasts.International journal of biometeorology · 2026Article
- Beyond Infection-Indoor Airborne Pathogens as Contributors to Respiratory Inflammation and Immune Dysregulation: A Narrative Review.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Prevalence and Spatial Distribution of Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Hydrological and Household Influences.GeoHealth · 2026Article
- Damp housing conditions as a determinant of psychological distress: a longitudinal analysis of the British Household Panel Survey.American journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- The effect of damp housing on psychological distress: does respiratory health matter?American journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Unveiling microbial risks in Chinese household dust: a comprehensive analysis from absolute abundance to virulence unit.Microbiome · 2026Article
- Hurricanes, Neighborhood Disadvantage, and Cardiopulmonary Health in US Veterans.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Housing quality and school outcomes in England: a nationally representative linked cohort study.Journal of epidemiology and community health · 2026Article
- Indoor air bacterial and fungal burden in the environment of an atopic child: implications for elevated urine mycotoxin levels.Arhiv za higijenu rada i toksikologiju · 2026Article
- Environmental exposure to air pollution and climate: Intersecting the impact on ear and nose health and chemosensory function (Review).International journal of molecular medicine · 2026Review
- Within-summer variation in the heat-related emergency department visits among older adults in South Korea: a population-based case-crossover study.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2026Article
- Prevalence of housing structure and quality indicators in India: An assessment of changes across 720 districts between 2016 and 2021.SSM - population health · 2026Article
- Toxicological interactions between biotic and abiotic components of indoor air: Mold and air fresheners.Journal of hazardous materials · 2026Article
231 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesMany studies have shown consistent associations between evident indoor dampness or mold and respiratory or allergic health effects, but causal links remain unclear. Findings on measured microbiologic factors have received little review. We conducted an updated, comprehensive review on these topics. DATA SOURCES: We reviewed eligible peer-reviewed epidemiologic studies or quantitative meta-analyses, up to late 2009, on dampness, mold, or other microbiologic agents and respiratory or allergic effects. DATA EXTRACTION: We evaluated evidence for causation or association between qualitative/subjective assessments of dampness or mold (considered together) and specific health outcomes. We separately considered evidence for associations between specific quantitative measurements of microbiologic factors and each health outcome. DATA SYNTHESIS: Evidence from epidemiologic studies and meta-analyses showed indoor dampness or mold to be associated consistently with increased asthma development and exacerbation, current and ever diagnosis of asthma, dyspnea, wheeze, cough, respiratory infections, bronchitis, allergic rhinitis, eczema, and upper respiratory tract symptoms. Associations were found in allergic and nonallergic individuals. Evidence strongly suggested causation of asthma exacerbation in children. Suggestive evidence was available for only a few specific measured microbiologic factors and was in part equivocal, suggesting both adverse and protective associations with health.
conclusionsEvident dampness or mold had consistent positive associations with multiple allergic and respiratory effects. Measured microbiologic agents in dust had limited suggestive associations, including both positive and negative associations for some agents. Thus, prevention and remediation of indoor dampness and mold are likely to reduce health risks, but current evidence does not support measuring specific indoor microbiologic factors to guide health-protective actions.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.