Narrator: This is Science Today. There’s long been some evidence that dampness and mold growth in buildings are associated with various health effects, including asthma. Scientist Bill Fisk, the head of the Indoor Environment Department at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, took part in the National Academy of Sciences committee to review all the scientific literature on the subject.

Fisk: The bottom line, major finding is that dampness and mold in buildings is an important public health problem and it’s also a health problem that we know how to reduce today. The key to doing that is to change how we design, construct, operate and maintain buildings.

Narrator: Although the committee could not determine if the health effects were caused directly by mold growth, they do think it’s a big contributor.

Fisk: But we haven’t done the detailed studies to say it’s clearly mold and it’s not bacteria or it’s not chemicals. So we certainly need a variety of research.

Narrator: The committee identified a long list of research needs pertaining to damp buildings and mold. For Science Today, I’m Larissa Branin.