Temperature versus Relative Humidity: Which Is More Important for Indoor Mold Prevention?
Temperature is known as one of the abiotic factors that can affect mold growth. Many mold growth prediction models consider temperature as one of the parameters that can significantly impact mold growth indoors, and hence temperature has been targeted by different indoor mold prevention strategies o...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Fungi |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/8/7/696 |
| _version_ | 1797433412112351232 |
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| author | Haoxiang Wu Jonathan Woon Chung Wong |
| author_facet | Haoxiang Wu Jonathan Woon Chung Wong |
| author_sort | Haoxiang Wu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Temperature is known as one of the abiotic factors that can affect mold growth. Many mold growth prediction models consider temperature as one of the parameters that can significantly impact mold growth indoors, and hence temperature has been targeted by different indoor mold prevention strategies on different premises. For example, European guidelines for libraries suggest a temperature of 19 °C to preserve books. However, running low temperature air-conditioning (AC) costs substantially more energy, and thus a higher temperature (e.g., 25.5 °C) has been regularly proposed as the recommended indoor temperature for general indoor environments in Hong Kong. It is, therefore, needed to understand whether or not the reduction of indoor temperature would lead to better effectiveness of mold prevention. Using <i>Cladosporium cladosporioides</i> (<i>C. cladosporioides</i>) as the model, its germinating spores were challenged in <i>C. cladosporioides</i> to wet-dry cycles with different combinations of relative humidity (RH, 40%, 60% and 80%) and temperature (19 °C and 28 °C) levels. The survival, lipid peroxidation and catalase (CAT) activity of the treated spores were monitored and compared. <i>C. cladosporioides</i> spores showed similar levels of viability, lipid peroxidation and CAT activity when they were exposed to 19 °C and 28 °C at the same RH, but substantially lower survival and higher oxidative stress were observed under the wet-dry cycles with 40% RH dry periods compared with 60% and 80% RH at both temperatures, suggesting that indoor temperature does not tend to affect the resistance of <i>C. cladosporioides</i> to wet-dry cycles as significantly as the RH level of the dry period. Collectively, this study suggests a more important role for moisture over temperature in indoor mold prevention. The outcome of this study may facilitate the sustainable management of indoor mold problems in buildings. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:16:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b7a66ef433f44c318587dd1288c9d8f6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2309-608X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:16:39Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Fungi |
| spelling | doaj.art-b7a66ef433f44c318587dd1288c9d8f62023-12-01T22:19:58ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2022-06-018769610.3390/jof8070696Temperature versus Relative Humidity: Which Is More Important for Indoor Mold Prevention?Haoxiang Wu0Jonathan Woon Chung Wong1Department of Biology and Institute of Bioresource and Agriculture, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, ChinaDepartment of Biology and Institute of Bioresource and Agriculture, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, ChinaTemperature is known as one of the abiotic factors that can affect mold growth. Many mold growth prediction models consider temperature as one of the parameters that can significantly impact mold growth indoors, and hence temperature has been targeted by different indoor mold prevention strategies on different premises. For example, European guidelines for libraries suggest a temperature of 19 °C to preserve books. However, running low temperature air-conditioning (AC) costs substantially more energy, and thus a higher temperature (e.g., 25.5 °C) has been regularly proposed as the recommended indoor temperature for general indoor environments in Hong Kong. It is, therefore, needed to understand whether or not the reduction of indoor temperature would lead to better effectiveness of mold prevention. Using <i>Cladosporium cladosporioides</i> (<i>C. cladosporioides</i>) as the model, its germinating spores were challenged in <i>C. cladosporioides</i> to wet-dry cycles with different combinations of relative humidity (RH, 40%, 60% and 80%) and temperature (19 °C and 28 °C) levels. The survival, lipid peroxidation and catalase (CAT) activity of the treated spores were monitored and compared. <i>C. cladosporioides</i> spores showed similar levels of viability, lipid peroxidation and CAT activity when they were exposed to 19 °C and 28 °C at the same RH, but substantially lower survival and higher oxidative stress were observed under the wet-dry cycles with 40% RH dry periods compared with 60% and 80% RH at both temperatures, suggesting that indoor temperature does not tend to affect the resistance of <i>C. cladosporioides</i> to wet-dry cycles as significantly as the RH level of the dry period. Collectively, this study suggests a more important role for moisture over temperature in indoor mold prevention. The outcome of this study may facilitate the sustainable management of indoor mold problems in buildings.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/8/7/696temperaturerelative humiditywet-dry cyclesindoor mold prevention |
| spellingShingle | Haoxiang Wu Jonathan Woon Chung Wong Temperature versus Relative Humidity: Which Is More Important for Indoor Mold Prevention? Journal of Fungi temperature relative humidity wet-dry cycles indoor mold prevention |
| title | Temperature versus Relative Humidity: Which Is More Important for Indoor Mold Prevention? |
| title_full | Temperature versus Relative Humidity: Which Is More Important for Indoor Mold Prevention? |
| title_fullStr | Temperature versus Relative Humidity: Which Is More Important for Indoor Mold Prevention? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Temperature versus Relative Humidity: Which Is More Important for Indoor Mold Prevention? |
| title_short | Temperature versus Relative Humidity: Which Is More Important for Indoor Mold Prevention? |
| title_sort | temperature versus relative humidity which is more important for indoor mold prevention |
| topic | temperature relative humidity wet-dry cycles indoor mold prevention |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/8/7/696 |
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