Undesirable effects of mold in living environment

Plesni so večcelični organizmi, ki so prisotni na skoraj vseh površinah ter tudi v zraku. Kadar se pojavijo ugodne razmere, tj. relativna zračna vlažnost nad 75 %, temperatura med 0 °C in 50 °C, se iz spor začnejo tvoriti hife. Večje število hif se nato preprede v micelij. V bivanjskih prostorih je visoka relativna zračna vlažnost pogost pojav, kar neredko vodi do razvoja plesni. Prisotnost prevelike koncentracije spor plesni lahko povzroča respiratorne bolezni, kot so astma, alergijski rinitis, bronhitis ter različne alergije. Najpogostejše plesni, ki povzročajo takšna obolenja, so glive iz rodu Aspergillus in Penicillium. Njihov vpliv na zdravje ljudi je odvisen od starosti ljudi ter njihovega predhodnega zdravstvenega stanja. Namen diplomskega dela je pregled obstoječe literature in raziskav s področja vpliva plesni na zdravje ljudi. Povzeti so možni vzroki za nastanek respiratornih in alergijskih bolezni, ki jih povzročijo plesni v bivanjskem okolju, ter njihove značilnosti. Podana so preventivna ukrepanja za preprečevanje nastanka plesni ter odstranjevanje plesni v notranjih prostorih. Za znanstvenike plesni predstavljajo še zelo neraziskano področje, še posebej, ker vse plesni še niso identificirane. Ker metode za identifikacijo in določanje prisotnosti plesni še niso v celoti uveljavljene, še ne poznamo natančnih koncentracij prisotnosti plesni v zraku, ki povzročijo neželene učinke na zdravje ljudi.Molds are multicellular organisms that are presented in almost all surfaces, as well as in the air. When favourable conditions appears, namely if relative air humidity exceeds 75 % and the temperature reaches between 0 °C to 50 °C, the spores begin to germinate into the hyphae. A large number of hyphae then forms the mycelia. High humidity is rather common in living environment which often leads to the development of mould. The presence of an excessive concentration of mould spores can cause respiratory diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, bronchitis and other various allergies. Fungi of the genus Aspergillus and Penicillium are the most common moulds that cause such issues. Their impact on human health depends on the age of people and their previous health status. The purpose of the thesis is to review existing literature and research of the impact of mould on human health area. The possible causes of respiratory and allergic diseases caused by mould in the living environment and their characteristics are summarised. Preventive measures are given for mold removal and also for preventing mold’s formation in indoor areas. Moulds represent very unexplored area for scientists, especially due to all the moulds has not been identified yet. As the methods for identifying and determining the presence of mould are not fully brought into practice yet, we do not know the precise concentrations of the presence of moulds in the air that cause undesirable effects on human health