Mould and dampness in European homes and their impact on health

This report aims at showing the impact of mould and dampness on living in a healthy home. An unhealthy home is supposed to promote illnesses, more or less severe, and leads in consequence to (direct health) costs for medication or even hospital admission and on the other hand to (more indirect) economic costs when employees are sick and could not do their work. In this study report, the scientific foundation for the relationship between mould and dampness and respiratory illnesses of building occupants is shown. To achieve a magnitude about the effect of mould in homes on respiratory diseases, a meta-analytic synthesis is done in order to summarize the available statistical data. Ina further step, a projection about the potential of modernizing the building stock and reducing mould sources on lowering the impact on the occupants' health has been made and measures for improvement are outlined.