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Everyday activities and variation of fungal spore concentrations in indoor air

Lehtonen, M., Reponen, T. and Nevalainen, A.
1993
International Biodeterioration Biodegradation, v 31, n 1, p 25-39

Lehtonen, M., Reponen, T. and Nevalainen, A., (1993), "Everyday activities and variation of fungal spore concentrations in indoor air", International Biodeterioration Biodegradation, v 31, n 1, p 25-39.
Abstract:
The effects of some everyday activities on concentrations of airborne fungal spores in Finnish home environments were examined to provide basic information needed to evaluate the importance of varying levels of fungal spores in the air. The activities studied were opening of a cellar door, handling of different organic materials, resuspension of spores as a result of cleaning activities and transport of spores on clothes and pets. Airborne spores were sampled using six-stage impactors and surface samples were taken from the materials used in the experiments with sterile swabs or with a vacuum cleaner. Most of the activities had an obvious effect on the spore counts. However, vacuum cleaning, humidifying of house plants and baking caused no marked changes in the spore concentration. The short-term activities studied in a house explain most of the wide variation previously observed in fungal spore concentrations in indoor air. These activities have to be taken into account when designing sampling strategies for airborne fungi, in evaluation of the microbial quality of indoor air and when making comparisons with recommended values.

Related Concepts

Author Information and Other Publications Notes
Lehtonen, M.
  1. Effect of indoor sources on fungal spore concentrations and size distributions  
Reponen, T.
  1. Aerodynamic diameters and respiratory deposition estimates of viable fungal particles in mold problem dwellings
  2. Aerodynamic versus physical size of spores: measurement and implication for respiratory deposition
  3. Aerosol characteristics of airborne actinomycetes and fungi
  4. Bioaerosol collection by a new electrostatic precipitator
  5. Characteristics of airborne actinomycete spores
  6. Collection of airborne microorganisms by a new electrostatic precipitator
  7. Collection of airborne spores by circular single-stage impactors with small jet-to-plate distance
  8. Collection of bioaerosol particles by impaction: effect of fungal spore agglomeration and bounce
  9. Collection of fungal spores on air filters and spore reentrainment from filters into air
  10. Comparison of concentrations and size distributions of fungal spores in buildings with and without mould problems
  11. Control of exposure to airborne viable microorganisms during remediation of moldy buildings; report of three case studies
  12. Development and evaluation of aerosol generators for biological materials
  13. Effect of building frame and moisture damage on microbiological indoor air quality in school buildings
  14. Effect of indoor sources on fungal spore concentrations and size distributions
  15. Effect of relative humidity on the aerodynamic diameter and respiratory deposition of fungal spores
  16. Evaluation of a new personal sampler for enumerating airborne spores
  17. Field Testing of New Aerosol Sampling Method With a Porous Curved Surface as Inlet
  18. Fungal fragments as indoor air biocontaminants
  19. Fungal spore source strength tester: laboratory evaluation of a new concept
  20. Long-term sampling of airbome bacteria and fungi into a non-evaporating liquid
  21. Performance of Air-O-Cell, Burkard, and Button samplers for total enumeration of airborne spores
  22. Personal exposures and microenvironmental concentrations of particles and bioaerosols
  23. Release of Streptomyces albus propagules from contaminated surfaces
  24. Size distributions of airborne microbes in moisture-damaged and reference school buildings of two construction types
  25. Techniques for dispersion of microorganisms into air
  26. Total and culturable airborne bacteria and fungi in arid region flood-damaged residences
  27. Viable fungal spores as indoor aerosols  
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 indoor sources on fungal spore concentrations and size distributions
  9. Effect of liner and core materials of plasterboard on microbial growth, spore-induced inflammatory responses, and cytotoxicity in macrophages
  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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