Mycotoxins in crude building materials from water-damaged buildings

We analyzed 79 bulk samples of moldy interior finishes from Finnish buildin gs,vith moisture problems for 17 mycotoxins, as well as for fungi that coul d be isolated using one medium and one set of growth conditions. We found t he aflatoxin precursor, sterigmatocystin, in 24% of the samples and trichot hecenes in 19% of the samples. Trichothecenes found included satratoxin G o r H in five samples; diacetoxyscirpenol in five samples; and 3-acetyl-deoxy nivalenol, deoxynivalenol, verrucarol, or T-2-tetraol in an additional five samples. Citrinine was found in three samples. Aspergillus versicolor was present in most sterigmatocystin-containing samples, and Stachybotrys spp. were present in the samples where satratoxins were found. In many cases, ho wever, the presence of fungi thought to produce the mycotoxins was not corr elated with the presence of the expected compounds. However, when mycotoxin s were found, some toxigenic fungi usually were present, even if the specie s originally responsible for producing the mycotoxin was not isolated. We c onclude that the identification and enumeration of fungal species present i n bulk materials are important to verify the severity of mold damage but th at chemical analyses are necessary if the goal is to establish the presence of mycotoxins in moldy materials.