National Evaluation of MOuld contamination in French Dwellings – NEMoD

Indoor exposure to mould and dampness in dwellings are a risk factor for the development and/or evolution of several respiratory diseases (including asthma and rhinitis). Added to the negative effects on health, strong social inequalities are related to mould exposure.
In order to design effective policies to prevent development of indoor mould and reduce its impacts on public health in France, it is essential to gain a better understanding of this issue. In this context, we propose to investigate mould contamination in dwellings in France using two sources of data, i.e. i) dwelling, geographical, socio-economic characteristics and health outcomes collected using standardized questionnaires in ~118 000 participants of the National French Constances cohort (www.constances.fr), ii) a large scale quantitative and qualitative objective assessment of mould contamination using electrostatic dust collectors (EDCs) which will be exposed several weeks in dwellings among 2000 Constances participants’ dwellings, selected according to the presence or absence of visible moulds or of factors associated with mould development.
In fine, this holistic approach will bring new data on mould contamination in French dwellings, spatial distribution of mould contaminations, population at risk, as well as a clarification of the determinants of mould contamination and of the respiratory health effects of mould exposure, especially in diseases poorly documented other than asthma and rhinitis. These data will be used to set-up an online training platform on the assessment and management of mould in dwellings, in order to improve the knowledge of the general public and professionals involved in the field.