Following its work on molds in indoor air, ANSES examined which molds were present in outdoor air (in particular Cladosporium, Alternaria, Aspergillus) and their effects on health. As with those found indoors, ANSES’s expertise shows that they exacerbate asthma in children.
The development of molds in the outdoor air being mainly linked to the climate and vegetationthe source reduction main factors in their proliferation is complex. In its opinion, the Agency nevertheless stresses the need:
- improve outdoor air mold monitoring through an optimization of the existing monitoring system, the harmonization of analyzes and measurement periods or even the dissemination of information on moulds;
- train health professionals on the health effects of molds in outdoor air, in particular on the risks of exacerbation of asthma in children.