The Danish National Board of Health offers advice on health-related aspects of dampness and mould. For this purpose, material has been prepared and published, for example recommendations for healthcare counselling of people staying in buildings affected by dampness and mould and a brochure on mould and health.
People in buildings with dampness and mould
- Recommendations for health advice 2009
Constant dampness and mould in buildings can cause health problems and should be prevented or minimised. However, knowledge about causes and effects is scanty. Therefore it is not possible to provide scientifically backed guidelines or limits for how or when spending time in buildings with dampness or mould can cause problems. Moreover, health problems depend on whether or not a person is particularly susceptible to the effects of dampness and mould. Often decisions need to be made on how long people can spend in buildings affected by dampness and mould.
The risk assessment will usually be based on a combined evaluation of health factors, building factors and a causal relationship. Therefore, the Danish National Board of Health has, based on existing knowledge on the subject, prepared recommendations for the healthcare counselling of people spending time in buildings with dampness and mould.
The recommendations also include a brief description of the roles of the various players involved. The recommendations are general, and it will always be necessary for a specific assessment to be made in each particular case. The recommendations also focus on the ways in which dampness and mould can be prevented, especially by ensuring proper building hygiene. The target group for the recommendations is primarily health professionals who encounter the problem in the course of their work. It will also be possible for technicians, public authorities and others to use the recommendations in cases involving dampness and mould in buildings.