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Effect of indoor sources on fungal spore concentrations and size distributions

Reponen, T., Lehtonen, M., Raunemaa, T. and Nevalainen, A.
1992
Journal of Aerosol Science, v 23, p S663-S666

Reponen, T., Lehtonen, M., Raunemaa, T. and Nevalainen, A., (1992), "Effect of indoor sources on fungal spore concentrations and size distributions", Journal of Aerosol Science, v 23, p S663-S666.
Abstract:
In this study, the role of some usual domestic activities as potential sources of fungal spores was examined. The source cathegories studied were: handling of organic material (house plants, firewood, potatoes, mouldy food, baking, hay for a pet), resuspension of spores by cleaning activity (vacuuming, sweeping, bed making) and transport of spores on clothes and pets and by air currents. Airborne spores were sampled using 6-stage impactors (Andersen-sampler) on malt extract agar plates. Most of the activities had an apparent effect on the spore counts. However, during baking, handling of house plants and vacuum cleaning, there were no remarkable changes in the spore concentrations. The geometric mean diameter (dg) of fungal spores ranged 1.7 - 5.5 μm in different experiments. When the total concentration increased, also the dg value increased. The concentration of the largest sized spores decreased most rapidly after the activity, evidently due to faster gravitational settling. The fungal spore sources in this study, created by short time everyday activities in a house, explain much of the wide variation previously observed in fungal spore levels in indoor air. The size distribution of fungal spores has to be taken into account when designing sampling stategies and making comparisons with recommended values.
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Author Information and Other Publications Notes
Reponen, T.
Dr.Tiina Reponen, Research Associate Professor Department of Environmental Health University of Cincinnati
     
Lehtonen, M.
  1. Everyday activities and variation of fungal spore concentrations in indoor air  
Raunemaa, T.
  1. Comparison of concentrations and size distributions of fungal spores in buildings with and without mould problems  
Nevalainen, A.
Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, National Public Health Institute, Kuopio, Finland, and Department of Health Evaluation Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
  1. An approach to management of critical indoor air problems in school buildings
  2. Analysis of moisture findings in the interior spaces of Finnish housing stock
  3. Comparison of concentrations and size distributions of fungal spores in buildings with and without mould problems
  4. Comparison of two-level and three-level classifications of moisture-damaged dwellings in relation to health effects
  5. Control of exposure to airborne viable microorganisms during remediation of moldy buildings; report of three case studies
  6. Effect of building frame and moisture damage on microbiological indoor air quality in school buildings
  7. Effect of growth medium on potential of Streptomyces anulatus spores to induce inflammatory responses and cytotoxicity in RAW264.7 macrophages
  8. Effect of liner and core materials of plasterboard on microbial growth, spore-induced inflammatory responses, and cytotoxicity in macrophages
  9. Everyday activities and variation of fungal spore concentrations in indoor air
  10. Fungal spores as such do not cause nasal inflammation in mold exposure
  11. Fungi and actinobacteria in moisture-damaged building materials - concentrations and diversity
  12. Indoor air microbes and respiratory symptoms of children in moisture damaged and reference schools
  13. Induction of Cytotoxicity and Production of Inflammatory Mediators in RAW264.7 Macrophages by Spores Grown on Six Different Plasterboards
  14. Inlet sampling efficiency of bioaerosol samplers
  15. Knowledge-based and statistically modeled relationships between residential moisture damage and occupant reported health symptoms
  16. Microbes and moisture content of materials from damaged building
  17. Moisture, mold and health in apartment homes
  18. Performance of bioaerosol samplers: collection characteristics and sampler design considerations
  19. Personal exposures and microenvironmental concentrations of particles and bioaerosols
  20. Size distributions of airborne microbes in moisture-damaged and reference school buildings of two construction types
  21. Skin-prick test findings in students from moisture- and mould-damaged schools: A 3-year follow-up study
  22. Temporal and spatial variation of fungal concentrations in indoor air
  23. The relationship between moisture or mould observations in houses and the state of health of their occupants
  24. Validity of detection of microbial growth in buildings by trained dogs  


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