Comparison of Mold Populations in Water-Damaged Homes in Australia and the United States

The goal of this study was to examine whether the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) scale created for United States (U.S.) homes was applicable in the assessment of mold contamination for Australian homes. Settled-dust samples were collected in south-eastern Australian homes (n=76) being investigated for possible water-damage and mold contamination. The 36 ERMI molds were quantified in each sample using mold specific quantitative PCR (MSQPCR) and the ERMI value for each home calculated. These homes were then matched to homes in the U.S. with nearly identical ERMI values and the average log10 concentration of each of the 36 molds statistically compared. Most of the 36 ERMI molds were found in Australian water-damaged homes in comparable concentrations to ERMI-matched U.S. homes. The U.S. ERMI scale might provide reasonable estimates of mold contamination in water-damaged Australian homes.