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Laboratory study to determine the critical moisture level for mould growth on building materials
RISE, SP – Sveriges Tekniska Forskningsinstitut.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0200-6513
RISE, SP – Sveriges Tekniska Forskningsinstitut.
RISE, SP – Sveriges Tekniska Forskningsinstitut.
RISE, SP – Sveriges Tekniska Forskningsinstitut.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7930-8654
2012 (English)In: International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, ISSN 0964-8305, E-ISSN 1879-0208, Vol. 73, p. 23-32Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The susceptibility of building materials to mould growth varies. Some are tolerant to high relative humidity in the ambient air without mould growth occurring, while others are less tolerant, and mould can grow in relative humidity as low as 75%. Within a building, constructions are exposed to different temperatures and relative humidities. To minimise the risk of microbial growth, building materials should be chosen that are tolerant to the expected conditions. In this study, the critical moisture levels for ten building materials with a range of expected critical moisture levels (wood-based materials, gypsum boards and inorganic boards) were evaluated. Samples of the building materials were inoculated with spores from six species of mould fungi (Eurotium herbariorum, Aspergillus versicolor, Penicillium chrysogenum, Aureobasidium pullulans, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Stachybotrys chartarum) and incubated in test cabinets at specified temperature (10 °C and 22 °C) and relative humidity conditions (75-95%); growth of mould was analysed weekly for at least 12 weeks. One of the conclusions is that two similar building materials or products may have considerably different resistance to mould growth, and so the results from one type of building material cannot be applied to the other. Also, in order to compare results from different tests, it is important to use the same test method. It is also important to state the temperature at which the critical moisture level applies and how long the material is exposed to the temperature and relative humidity conditions during the test.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2012. Vol. 73, p. 23-32
Keywords [en]
Building material, Critical moisture level, Mold, Mold resistance, Relative humidity, Ambient air, Aspergillus versicolor, Aureobasidium pullulans, Cladosporium, Eurotium, Gypsum board, High relative humidities, Humidity conditions, Laboratory studies, Microbial growth, Moisture level, Mould growth, Penicillium chrysogenum, Temperature and relative humidity, Test method, Wood-based materials, Aspergillus, Atmospheric humidity, Building materials, Fungi, Gypsum, Moisture determination, Molds, building construction, fungus, growth rate, inoculation, laboratory method, moisture content, spore, temperature effect, Bacteria (microorganisms), Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Eurotium herbariorum, Stachybotrys chartarum
National Category
Engineering and Technology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-51790DOI: 10.1016/j.ibiod.2012.05.014Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-84863206616OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ri-51790DiVA, id: diva2:1516732
Note

This study was financed by The Swedish Research Council Formas.

Available from: 2021-01-12 Created: 2021-01-12 Last updated: 2023-06-05Bibliographically approved

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Johansson, PernillaBok, Gunilla

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