Editing Mycotoxin (section)

===In indoor environments===
Buildings are another source of mycotoxins and people living or working in areas with mold increase their chances of adverse health effects. Molds growing in buildings can be divided into three groups – primary, secondary, and tertiary colonizers. Each group is categorized by the ability to grow at a certain water activity requirement. It has become difficult to identify mycotoxin production by indoor molds for many variables, such as (i) they may be masked as derivatives, (ii) they are poorly documented, and (iii) the fact that they are likely to produce different metabolites on building materials. Some of the mycotoxins in the indoor environment are produced by ''[[Alternaria]]'', ''[[Aspergillus]]'' (multiple forms), ''[[Penicillium]]'', and ''[[Stachybotrys]]''.<ref name= "Mycotoxin production by indoor molds.">{{cite journal|pmid=12781669|year=2003|last1=Fog Nielsen|first1=K|title=Mycotoxin production by indoor molds|volume=39|issue=2|pages=103–17|journal=Fungal Genetics and Biology|doi=10.1016/S1087-1845(03)00026-4}}</ref> ''Stachybotrys chartarum'' contains a higher number of mycotoxins than other molds grown in the indoor environment and has been associated with allergies and respiratory inflammation.<ref name=Pestka08>{{cite journal |vauthors=Pestka JJ, Yike I, Dearborn DG, Ward MD, Harkema JR |title=''Stachybotrys chartarum'', trichothecene mycotoxins, and damp building-related illness: new insights into a public health enigma |journal=Toxicol. Sci. |volume=104 |issue=1 |pages=4–26 |year=2008 |pmid=18007011 |doi=10.1093/toxsci/kfm284|doi-access=free }}</ref> The infestation of ''S. chartarum'' in buildings containing gypsum board, as well as on ceiling tiles, is very common and has recently become a more recognized problem. When gypsum board has been repeatedly introduced to moisture, ''S. chartarum'' grows readily on its cellulose face.<ref name=Godish01>{{cite book |author=Godish, Thad |title=Indoor environmental quality |publisher=Lewis Publishers |location=Chelsea, Mich |year=2001 |pages=183–84 |isbn=978-1-56670-402-1}}</ref> This stresses the importance of moisture controls and ventilation within residential homes and other buildings. The negative health effects of mycotoxins are a function of the [[concentration]], the duration of exposure, and the subject's sensitivities. The concentrations experienced in a normal home, office, or school are often too low to trigger a health response in occupants.

In the 1990s, public concern over mycotoxins increased following multimillion-dollar [[mold health issues|toxic mold]] settlements. The lawsuits took place after a study by the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|Center for Disease Control]] (CDC) in [[Cleveland, Ohio]], reported an association between mycotoxins from ''Stachybotrys'' spores and pulmonary hemorrhage in infants. However, in 2000, based on internal and external reviews of their data, the CDC concluded that because of flaws in their methods, the association was not proven. ''Stachybotrys'' spores in animal studies have been shown to cause lung hemorrhaging, but only at very high concentrations.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Update: Pulmonary hemorrhage/hemosiderosis among infants – Cleveland, Ohio, 1993–1996 |journal=MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. |volume=49 |issue=9 |pages=180–4 |year=2000 |pmid=11795499 |url=https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4909a3.htm |author1= Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)}}</ref>

One study by the Center of Integrative Toxicology at [[Michigan State University]] investigated the causes of Damp Building Related Illness (DBRI). They found that ''Stachybotrys'' is possibly an important contributing factor to DBRI. So far animal models indicate that airway exposure to ''S. chartarum '' can evoke allergic sensitization, inflammation, and cytotoxicity in the upper and lower respiratory tracts. Trichothecene toxicity appears to be an underlying cause of many of these adverse effects. Recent findings indicate that lower doses (studies usually involve high doses) can cause these symptoms.<ref name=Pestka08/>

Some toxicologists have used the Concentration of No Toxicological Concern (CoNTC) measure to represent the airborne concentration of mycotoxins that are expected to cause no hazard to humans (exposed continuously throughout a 70–yr lifetime). The resulting data of several studies have thus far demonstrated that common exposures to airborne mycotoxins in the built indoor environment are below the CoNTC, however agricultural environments have potential to produce levels greater than the CoNTC.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Hardin BD, Robbins CA, Fallah P, Kelman BJ |title=The concentration of no toxicologic concern (CoNTC) and airborne mycotoxins |journal=J. Toxicol. Environ. Health A |volume=72 |issue=9 |pages=585–98 |year=2009 |pmid=19296408 |doi=10.1080/15287390802706389 |bibcode=2009JTEHA..72..585H |s2cid=799085 }}</ref>