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If mold can
grow in/on mattresses and box springs, how common is it? Does
sleeping on moldy beds/bedding pose health risks?- Anon.
II.
I have only run into a few cases in
the U.S. where I encountered a “moldy bed”. Such cases have been
associated with some type of unusual circumstance (not unlike what
happened in my own home). I recall one case where the bed overlapped
a heating/cooling supply register that ran through a crawlspace (seen
in the attached digital image; click to enlargen).
 It
is likely that in that case cool, high humidity, mold spore containing
crawlspace passively flowed into the bed where infestation took
place. Beds/bedrooms in high humidity basements are also at high
risk. Humidity levels in basements can easily reach the 70-80%
critical range needed to initiate and support mold growth. As such,
basements whenever portions of them are used for bedrooms or not
should always be dehumidified or heated to maintain relative humidity
levels below 70% (65% or less a target level).
Mattresses/box springs in damp, moist
houses are at relatively high risk of becoming mold infested, that
is, “moldy”. The high humidity levels combined with human
perspiration, and a nutrient food source which includes human skin
scales and cotton fibers provide excellent growing conditions for
mold. Actually moisture from the sleeping person’s body can provide
the environmental conditions necessary if the humidity level in the
basement is too high to allow bedding to dry out.
In my research and consulting
activities in the U.S., I rarely come across “moldy” beds. That is
likely to be due in good measure to the fact that a very large
percentage of homes in the U.S. have central heating. Central heating
increases the likelihood that interior humidity levels during the
cool/cold season will be relatively low.
This is not the case in some
countries where wintertime air temperatures are more moderate. In the
Australian winter of 1992 we conducted an indoor air quality study in
40 homes. The study focused on families that had one or more
asthmatics in the household. In addition to samples for airborne
mold, we inventoried mold/moisture risk factors. These included mold
odor in such items as beds, draperies, carpeting and beds. In the 40
homes we studied we determined that r that 24 beds had been infested
by mold. Mold odor in draperies was even more common. Mold odor in
carpet was also relatively common. Unfortunately I have no digitals to
show you an action shot of our mold sniffing methodology!
Few homes which ranged from
government assisted to more prosperous middle income dwellings had
central heating. Heating was limited to a lounge area and kitchen in
the evening hours. Bedroom temperatures were similar to those
outdoors (when it was 40o F outdoors it was 40o
F indoors!). Heavy condensation on windows was normal (explaining the
high prevalence of mold infested draperies).
In one household 3 young children
were in various stages of developing severe allergies/ asthma. After
the mattresses were encased with a plastic cover made for allergy
sufferers, the children’s symptoms were dramatically reduced. Our
study was conducted in southeastern Australia where the winter-time
climate was relatively moderate and central heating uncommon. In
addition to mold, it is an area that is highly hospitable to dust
mites, a major cause of allergies and asthma. Indeed dust mite levels
in house dust in southeast Australia are among the highest reported
anywhere in the world. Dust mites like mold require high humidity
levels (> 70%) characteristic of many houses in that area.
September 3, 2004
Indoor Environmental Quality (2000), Thad Godish Ph.D.,
C.I.H
Direct E-mail
00tjgodish@bsu.edu
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