Concentration and determinants of molds and allergens in indoor air and house dust of French dwellings
Open accessAbstract
Molds and allergens are common indoor biocontaminants. The aims of this study were to assess the concentrations of common molds in indoor air and floor dust and the concentrations of house dust mite, cat and dog allergens in mattress dust in French dwellings, and to assess predictors of these concentrations. A sample of 150 houses in Brittany (western France) was investigated. Airborne Cladosporium and Penicillium were detected in more than 90% of the dwellings, Aspergillus in 46% and Alternaria in only 6% of the housings. Regarding floor dust samples, Cladosporium and Penicillium were detected in 92 and 80% of the housings respectively, Aspergillus in 49% and Alternaria in 14%. House dust mite allergens Der p1 and Der f1 were detected in 90% and 77% of the mattress dust samples respectively and Can f1 and Fel d1 in 37% and 89% of the homes. Airborne and dustborne mold concentrations, although not statistically correlated (except for Aspergillus) shared most of their predictors. Multivariate linear models for mold levels, explaining up to 62% of the variability, showed an influence of the season, of the age of the dwelling, of aeration habits, presence of pets, smoking, signals of dampness, temperature and relative humidity. Allergens in the dust of the mattress were strongly related to the presence of pets and cleaning practices of bedsheets, these factors accounting for 60% of the variability. This study highlights ubiquitous contamination by molds and underlines complex interaction between outdoor and indoor sources and factors.
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Within residential settings, mattress dust presents one of the dominant determinants of overall Fel d 1 concentration.
“Within residential settings, mattress dust presents one of the dominant determinants of overall Fel d 1 concentration.”
From Advance in Managing Indoor Cat Allergen Proteins: Molecular Insights, Detection, and Control (2025) · cites this paper as [65]
Considerable levels of Fel d 1 are still measurable in cat-free environments.
“Nevertheless, considerable levels of this allergen are still measurable in cat-free environments [13,19,65].”
From Advance in Managing Indoor Cat Allergen Proteins: Molecular Insights, Detection, and Control (2025) · cites this paper as [65]
Dwellings constructed after 1948-particularly those built between 1975-1989 and 1990-2000-show significantly lower Fel d 1 levels in mattresses compared to those built before 1948 (p < 0.05).
“Building age also shows a significant association; dwellings constructed after 1948—particularly those built between 1975–1989 and 1990–2000—show significantly lower Fel d 1 levels in mattresses compared to those built before 1948 (p < 0.05) [65].”
From Advance in Managing Indoor Cat Allergen Proteins: Molecular Insights, Detection, and Control (2025) · cites this paper as [65]
Infrequent washing of bed linens (<1 × week−1) and low bedroom ventilation rates (<1 × day−1) promote allergen accumulation, reduce dispersal, and indirectly contribute to higher Fel d 1 concentrations.
“Furthermore, infrequent washing of bed linens (<1 × week−1) and low bedroom ventilation rates (<1 × day−1) promote allergen accumulation, reduce dispersal, and indirectly contribute to higher Fel d 1 concentrations [65].”
From Advance in Managing Indoor Cat Allergen Proteins: Molecular Insights, Detection, and Control (2025) · cites this paper as [65]
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Felipo, R., & Charpin, D. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph192416692 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Advance in Managing Indoor Cat Allergen Proteins: Molecular Insights, Detection, and Control
Jiang, Y., Tian, X., Fu, X., Ma, B., Wang, Z., Han, B., Tao, H., Wang, J., & Wang, X. (2025) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms262210913 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Nevertheless, considerable levels of this allergen are still measurable in cat-free environments [13,19,65].”
Influential
- Authors
- Dallongeville, A., Le Cann, P., Zmirou-Navier, D., Chevrier, C., Costet, N., Annesi-Maesano, I., & Blanchard, O.
- Affiliations
- Inserm (FR)
- Corresponding author
- Dallongeville, Arnaud
- Venue
- Science of The Total Environment
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-12
- Volume
- 536
- Pages
- 964-972
- ISSN
- 0048-9697 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1678989328
- Cited by
- 69
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2
- FWCI
- 2.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Licence
- Locations
- The Science of The Total Environment (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- ADEME
- French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (Anses) (1194C0063)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Immunology and Allergy › Allergic Rhinitis and Sensitization
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Asthma and respiratory diseases
- Keywords
- indoor mold, house dust mite allergens, cat allergen, dog allergen, indoor air quality, floor dust, mattress dust, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, Alternaria, Der p 1, Der f 1, Fel d 1, dampness, household smoking, PET, Brittany
- MeSH terms
- Air Microbiology, Allergens, Dust, Environmental Monitoring, France, Fungi, Air Pollution, Indoor
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