Damp, mould and the threat to health

[Mike4]

The bit that puzzles me is that if I got mouldy spots on a wall in my flat, I'd clean them off not just leave them to accumulate and assert the building is defective.

Well I think that's what I'd do anyway, but as a home owner its hard to tell. As both a landlord and a gas technician I certainly find a small proportion of people have no respect at all for the home they live in, and will happily live in an utter mess.

I do wonder what might have happened had the poor lad's parents regularly cleaned the mould off. I find myself wondering at what point it was discovered that this mould was a health hazard. Was it only after Awaab's death or was there a general awareness it was the cause of him being ill for months before he died?

[Nimrod103]

I found reading the above posts fascinating and while frequently accurate there are some of the usual misconceptions about how it is formed and cured.

Working as an architect in Scotland decades ago I was from time to time invited to inspect "damp" in households. In the age of paraffin heaters, such visits were much more frequent. The problem was always mould as a result of condensation. The word "damp" is frequently used but is too general a word and is best avoided as it can refer to wetness from a number of differing sources including external water penetration, rising damp, etc.

Condensation is formed where warm moist air meets cold surfaces.

Condensation is usually easy to spot as it generally occurs, or is worse, on the coldest walls in the house, particularly those north-facing. It is often most evident in rooms with poor or no ventilation. Within such rooms it is generally worse in those parts of the room with the poorest air circulation such as in the warmer upper corners or in semi-enclosed recesses as evident even in the fleeting TV shots of the dead child's house.

Condensation attracts mould which relishes warm moist surfaces. That it is mould and not water penetration is evident from its location and initial spotty clumping.

The enemy of condensation and subsequent mould is ventilation. This is the ultimate cure.

Sorry if you knew all that already!

TP2.

Look out, you will be taken away for re-education. This case, in fact all cases, are the landlord's fault. Must be, the judge said so.

[Mike4]

I found reading the above posts fascinating and while frequently accurate there are some of the usual misconceptions about how it is formed and cured.

Working as an architect in Scotland decades ago I was from time to time invited to inspect "damp" in households. In the age of paraffin heaters, such visits were much more frequent. The problem was always mould as a result of condensation. The word "damp" is frequently used but is too general a word and is best avoided as it can refer to wetness from a number of differing sources including external water penetration, rising damp, etc.

Condensation is formed where warm moist air meets cold surfaces.

Condensation is usually easy to spot as it generally occurs, or is worse, on the coldest walls in the house, particularly those north-facing. It is often most evident in rooms with poor or no ventilation. Within such rooms it is generally worse in those parts of the room with the poorest air circulation such as in the warmer upper corners or in semi-enclosed recesses as evident even in the fleeting TV shots of the dead child's house.

Condensation attracts mould which relishes warm moist surfaces. That it is mould and not water penetration is evident from its location and initial spotty clumping.

The enemy of condensation and subsequent mould is ventilation. This is the ultimate cure.

Sorry if you knew all that already!

TP2.

Look out, you will be taken away for re-education. This case, in fact all cases, are the landlord's fault. Must be, the judge said so.

This is another thing about this case that troubles me. The judge seems to have bought wholesale into the line that the landlord must be responsible for the condensation rather than the tenant. Does anyone know why the judge believes this? Is/was there some proper evidence presented that the mould was caused by condensation happening due to negligence on the part of housing association (beyond them ignoring tenant complaints about it)? I bet all housing associations get hundreds of complaints a day about mould and all manner of other apparent trivia.

The media's reporting on the case on this case has been lazy and short on detail throughout. I've seen/heard no mention of either medical evidence of cause of death or any evidence about the cause of the mould said to have caused the death.

[ReformedCharacter]

Comment and advertorial about dehumidifiers in today's DT:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/recommended/home/best-dehumidifiers/

RC

[XFool]

This is another thing about this case that troubles me. The judge seems to have bought wholesale into the line that the landlord must be responsible for the condensation rather than the tenant. Does anyone know why the judge believes this? Is/was there some proper evidence presented that the mould was caused by condensation happening due to negligence on the part of housing association (beyond them ignoring tenant complaints about it)? I bet all housing associations get hundreds of complaints a day about mould and all manner of other apparent trivia.

The media's reporting on the case on this case has been lazy and short on detail throughout. I've seen/heard no mention of either medical evidence of cause of death or any evidence about the cause of the mould said to have caused the death.

This was an inquest into a death.

Death of two-year-old from mould in flat a ‘defining moment’, says coroner

The Guardian

Awaab Ishak died in 2020, eight days after his second birthday, following ‘chronic exposure’ in Rochdale

"A coroner has said the death of an “engaging, lively, endearing” two-year-old from prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s flat should be a “defining moment” for the UK’s housing sector."

"Greg Fell, the vice-president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, said the verdict “tragically underscored” the “hidden risk” to public health posed by mould."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mold_health_issues

Mold health issues refer to the harmful health effects of molds ("moulds" in British English) and their mycotoxins. However, recent research has shown these adverse health effects are caused not exclusively by molds, but also other microbial agents and biotoxins associated with dampness, mold, and water-damaged buildings, such as gram-negative bacteria that produce endotoxins, as well as actinomycetes and their associated exotoxins.

[mc2fool]

The Coroner's report: Inquest Touching the Death of Awaab Ishak, Findings and Conclusion. .docx download

Coroner's Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths sent to Michael Gove and Steve Barclay. .pdf

[88V8]

...The problem was always mould as a result of condensation.... Condensation is formed where warm moist air meets cold surfaces.
The enemy of condensation and subsequent mould is ventilation. This is the ultimate cure.

To a large extent, but not entirely.
We have stone surrounds to three windows. A cold bridge.
They are a mould magnet, and require an annual visit of toothbrush/mould cleaner.

The mitigation there - not cure - is single glazing, as that attract most of the moisture which can then be vaccuumed off during my morning window round.
One cannot just leave mould to its own devices.

V8

[Mike4]

The Coroner's report: Inquest Touching the Death of Awaab Ishak, Findings and Conclusion. .docx download

Coroner's Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths sent to Michael Gove and Steve Barclay. .pdf

Thank you.

Your first link is a sobering read. This jumps out at me:

"RBH conducted an inspection of the property on the 14th July 2020. Too much emphasis was placed on the cause of the mould being due to parent’s lifestyle and did not identify the lack of an adequate ventilation system as a factor in the presence of the mould.

Due to an ongoing disrepair claim no remedial action was taken. Remedial works to treat and remove the existing mould should have been undertaken. The lack of action meant Awaab continued to be exposed to harmful mould between July 2020 and December 2020. The harmful effects of mould were not fully appreciated or understood."

It seems from earlier info in the Coroner's report that Awaab's parents succumbed to a contact by one of these "had an accident that was not your fault?" type organisations, and they took on the case starting a legal action which caused the HA as a matter of policy to suspend all work on remedying the mould problem. Normal amongst HAs, apparently. This aspect of the succession of failures has never been reported in the media aFAIK.

Now I'll read the second link.

[mc2fool]

The Coroner's report: Inquest Touching the Death of Awaab Ishak, Findings and Conclusion. .docx download

Coroner's Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths sent to Michael Gove and Steve Barclay. .pdf

A couple of the reports/guidelines referred to therein:

Housing Ombudsman Service, Spotlight on: Damp and mould report (October 2021)

HMG, A Decent Home: Definition and guidance for implementation (June 2006)

[Mike4]

Well the second link was interesting too.

Much of the info in the first link was repeated but one further new issue emerges. From the link:

"Following Awaab's death the local authority carried out a Housing Health and Safety Rating System
("HHSRS") report. The HHSRS is used to assess the suitability of properties under the Housing Act
2004. This is the local authority tool used with a view to engaging landlords and enforcing any
remedial action required. This rating sheet is outdated for damp and mould."

The HHSRS appears to fail to consider ventilation for limiting condensation and damp. With three people living in a small one bedroom flat this is always going to be a problem IME. A continuing concern of mine is the relentless focus by Building regulations on draught-proofing and restricting the number of air changes per hour in order to improve energy efficiency of houses and flats. The Coroner wants some attention given to ventilation, and quite rightly too. Getting rid of excessive draught-proofing and generally encouraging adventitious ventilation seems to me a good way forward, although this flies in the face of BRs currently. Mechanical ventilation is a good alternative but a way for new, fresh air to enter a flat or house must be provided in order for mechanical ventilation be able to expel moist air. This rather makes the draught-proofing requirements supremely pointless.

[mc2fool]

Well the second link was interesting too.

Much of the info in the first link was repeated but one further new issue emerges. From the link:

"Following Awaab's death the local authority carried out a Housing Health and Safety Rating System
("HHSRS") report. The HHSRS is used to assess the suitability of properties under the Housing Act
2004. This is the local authority tool used with a view to engaging landlords and enforcing any
remedial action required. This rating sheet is outdated for damp and mould."

The HHSRS appears to fail to consider ventilation for limiting condensation and damp.

Did you find the HHSRS report for this case? I couldn't but the HHSRS itself does seem to refer to exactly that. See pages 22-23

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/9425/150940.pdf

[88V8]

Mechanical ventilation is a good alternative but a way for new, fresh air to enter a flat or house must be provided in order for mechanical ventilation be able to expel moist air.

I think there is widespread ignorance of this elementary point.
It also applies if one has an open fire, and is wondering why it won't draw well and smokes back into the room.

One cannot suck air/moisture out of a sealed space.

V8

[Mike4]

Well the second link was interesting too.

Much of the info in the first link was repeated but one further new issue emerges. From the link:

"Following Awaab's death the local authority carried out a Housing Health and Safety Rating System
("HHSRS") report. The HHSRS is used to assess the suitability of properties under the Housing Act
2004. This is the local authority tool used with a view to engaging landlords and enforcing any
remedial action required. This rating sheet is outdated for damp and mould."

The HHSRS appears to fail to consider ventilation for limiting condensation and damp.

Did you find the HHSRS report for this case? I couldn't but the HHSRS itself does seem to refer to exactly that. See pages 22-23

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/9425/150940.pdf

No I haven't looked for it.

But pages 22 and 23 seem to focus on probabilities, e.g. "Record any deficiencies, disrepair or anything else that may give rise
to a hazard." rather than facts such as "Is there a mechanical air extractor in the kitchen?"

The thing is, there are millions of properties up and down the land with mould on the walls but only one fatality (as far as we know), so the probability of mould being a hazard in any individual case is small.

[mc2fool]

Well the second link was interesting too.

Much of the info in the first link was repeated but one further new issue emerges. From the link:

"Following Awaab's death the local authority carried out a Housing Health and Safety Rating System
("HHSRS") report. The HHSRS is used to assess the suitability of properties under the Housing Act
2004. This is the local authority tool used with a view to engaging landlords and enforcing any
remedial action required. This rating sheet is outdated for damp and mould."

The HHSRS appears to fail to consider ventilation for limiting condensation and damp.

Did you find the HHSRS report for this case? I couldn't but the HHSRS itself does seem to refer to exactly that. See pages 22-23

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/9425/150940.pdf

No I haven't looked for it.

But pages 22 and 23 seem to focus on probabilities, e.g. "Record any deficiencies, disrepair or anything else that may give rise
to a hazard." rather than facts such as "Is there a mechanical air extractor in the kitchen?"

Uh? That phrase appears on page 20. Page 23 (as numbered), Appendix A, Physiological requirements, section 1 includes, under Preventative measures (cont. from p22):

• Adequate extraction of moisture laden air during peak times, like cooking and bathing and laundry;
• Continuous low-level background ventilation where necessary;
• Sufficient means of ventilation to cope with moisture from normal domestic activities without the need to open windows that could lead to heat loss, noise and security risks; and
• Appropriate ventilation for dwellings of high occupant density

On a closer look at search results I've found a page with a plethora of HHSRS documents, including Operating Guidance (section 1.21 talks of mechanical ventilation) and Enforcement Guidance. (The previously linked to one is the guidance for landlords and property-related professionals).

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/housing-health-and-safety-rating-system-hhsrs-guidance

So it's not clear to me what the coroner meant by "This rating sheet is outdated for damp and mould". But in any case, there's an overload of documents to read for me now, so I'm not sure I'll dig any further...

[modellingman]

I am grateful to mc2fool for providing the links to the Coroner's Findings and Conclusions, her Report to Prevent Future Deaths and the referenced Report on Damp and Mould produced by the Housing Ombudsman.

The main things that I conclude as a private landlord from both the reports noted above and other documents such as the Decent Homes Standard and HHSRS are:

• The health risks associated with mould are generally not well enough appreciated (either generally across the public as a whole or specifically by landlords and tenants). Whilst I was previously aware that exposure to mould could be harmful to people who suffered from conditions such as asthma, I was not aware that it could potentially be fatal for young children. I suspect that one consequence of raising awareness of this will be to make life harder for people with young children. Landlords may well become more reluctant to have them as tenants.
  
  
• Regular property inspections are vital for identifying both emergent building faults (eg guttering problems) and behavioural issues leading to mould and damp issues within a property. When I started out as a landlord I took the mistaken view that the tenant's right to quiet enjoyment over-rode my requirements to ensure that all was well. I changed that view when I became a member of the National Landlord's Association and quickly took their advice. Part of the Housing Ombudsman's recommendations about damp and mould to Housing Associations were that they should take a more pro-active and less reactive approach. For private (and generally much smaller) landlords property inspections (rather than sole reliance on tenants reporting problems) are the practical way of being pro-active.
  
  
• Tenant education about the causes and consequences of excessive condensation and the need for adequate ventilation is essential and needs to take place at the outset of a tenancy rather than when problems start to emerge. Most of my tenants are HE students. Whilst that means that they are quite often a bit young and naive and sometimes ignorant about how things such as boilers are intended to work, they are usually very good at reading things. Included in my tenant information pack is a section on condensation and ventilation which includes information provided by the housing team from the local authority. I routinely provide portable dehumidifiers along with guidance about when and where to use them and have even installed passive whole-house ventilation systems in a property where it was practical to do this.

The coroner listed five concerns in her report on prevention of future deaths (sent to Michael Gove, Minister for Housing and Steve Barclay, Minister for Health). These were:

1. The 2006 document, "A Decent Home: Definition and Guidance for Implementation" does not give any consideration to the issue of damp and mould. Nor does it provide any guidance as to the need for a property to be adequately ventilated.
2. The HHSRS data sheet relating to damp and mould, is used to calculate risks of the incident and the spread of harm is not reflective of the current known risks of damp and mould and harm to health.
3. There was no evidence that up to date relevant health information pertaining to the risks of damp and mould was easily accessible to the housing sector.
4. The evidence highlighted a "policy" amongst the housing associations, in cases where a disrepair claim has been brought of waiting for agreement from the claimant (or their legal representative) before rectifying any recognised disrepair.
5. The private landlord sector does not have access to the Housing Ombudsman for their complaints to be investigated independently.

Since 1997 there have been 21 housing ministers (see https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight ... 1997-65065 , https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers ... housing--2 and https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers ... ommunities) - an average of 1 every 15 months and less than this in recent times. So, even if Gove responds positively to each of the coroner's concerns, I suspect there will be little practical impact on landlords in the private rented sector until and unless Labour gets back into office. The sclerotic pace of reform is illustrated by the fact that the renter's reform bill (abolishing Section 21 no-fault evictions) was first mooted back in 2019 by Theresa May's government but there is still no bill in front Parliament three and half years later.

As to concern 5, where the PRS gets a specific mention, it will be interesting to see what happens. My suspicion is that, even if there is a commitment to "do something", between them the landlord associations and the Civil Service will simply get this moved to the too difficult box and it will be quietly shelved. The Housing Ombudsman is oriented to dealing with large organisations (it measures landlord size in thousands of units) and it would have to acquire a very different set of procedures and practices to deal with small private landlords (half of whom have only 1 property).

The coroner's summary of Findings and Conclusions mentions a couple of specific matters which caught my eye but which do not appear in the list of concerns. Both are about information sharing where inadequacies in both the landlord (Rochdale Boroughwide Housing) and the local health/social care system (health visitors, community midwife, GP, hospitals attended) were identified as contributory factors. A missed opportunity, IMHO.

Mike4 is of course right in drawing attention to the conflict between making houses airtight (in the interests of energy conservation) and well-ventilated. But then public policy is always difficult to get right. Not so long ago diesel engines were being encouraged in cars (through the vehicle tax system) over their petrol equivalents because they had lower CO2 emissions. Then someone noticed the impact on air quality and people's health of NOX emissions ...

modellingman