Fungal diseases awareness week highlights the importance of diseases caused by exposure to fungi/moulds in the workplace. It also highlights the importance of preventing exposure and of recognising symptoms or diseases so that workers’ health is protected and improved. Workers spend a substantial fraction of time (~90%) within buildings such as offices; therefore indoor air quality becomes an important risk factor for human health (WHO 2009; Bonetta et al., 2010; Di Giulio et al., 2010).
Microbial agents such as fungi/moulds and their by-products (beta glucans, mycotoxins) are ubiquitous in the environment both outdoors and indoors and their particles float continually in the air we breathe thus impossible to eliminate in the indoor environment. The increased levels of fungal/mould agents are attributable to excessive moisture, poor housekeeping (dust and dirt), inadequate or poorly maintained ventilation, poorly regulated temperature and relative humidity, nutrient substrates (wet floors or carpets, books/paper, wood, paints, furnishing, wallboard (drywall), ceilings and other fabric etc. (WHO, 2009; Di Giulio et al., 2010).