Legionella pneumophila, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Mycobacterium avium are water-borne opportunistic premise plumbing pathogens (OPPPs) that cause human disease of great economic cost. The incidence and prevalence of OPPP-disease caused by these three exemplary OPPPs is increasing at alarming rates. As the first book-length review of OPPPs, this book describes the shared characteristics of the emerging group of water-borne pathogens that are normal inhabitants of drinking water systems and premise plumbing. It discusses the selective conditions of drinking water distribution systems and premise plumbing that have led to the emergence of OPPPs. The text also reviews the results of the studies that describe microbial adaptations leading to survival, persistence, and growth in drinking water distribution systems and premise plumbing.

Advances in the Toxicity of Construction and Building Materials presents the potential and toxic effects of building materials on human health, along with tactics on how to minimize exposure. Chapters are divided into four sections covering the toxicity of indoor environments, fire toxicity, radioactive materials, and toxicity from plastics, metals, asbestos, nanoparticles and construction wastes. Key chapters focus on the reduction of chemical emissions in houses with eco-labelled building materials and potential risks posed by indoor pollutants that may include volatile organic compounds (VOC), formaldehyde, semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC), radon, NOx, asbestos and nanoparticles. Known illnesses and reactions that can be triggered by these toxic building materials include asthma, itchiness, burning eyes, skin irritations or rashes, nose and throat irritation, nausea, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, reproductive impairment, disruption of the endocrine system, impaired child development and birth defects, immune system suppression, and even cancer.

Viruses, Bacteria and Fungi in the Built Environment: Designing Healthy Indoor Environments opens with a brief introduction to viruses, bacteria and fungi in the built environment and discusses their impact on human health. Sections discuss the microbiology of building materials, the airborne transmission of viruses and bacteria in the built environment, and plumbing-associated microbiome. As the first book on this important area to be written in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this work will be a valuable reference resource for researchers, civil engineers, architects, postgraduate students, contractors and other professionals working and interested in the field of the built environment. Elements of building design, including choice of materials, ventilation and plumbing can have important implications for the microbiology of a building, and consequently, the health of the building's occupants. This important new reference work explains the microbiology of buildings and disease control in the built environment to those who design and implement new construction and renovate.