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The use of ergosterol to measure exposure to fungal propagules in indoor air

Miller, J. D. and Young, J. C.
1997
Journal of American Industrial Hygiene Association, 58(1): 39-43

Miller, J. D. and Young, J. C., (1997), "The use of ergosterol to measure exposure to fungal propagules in indoor air", Journal of American Industrial Hygiene Association, 58(1): 39-43.
Abstract:
This report concerns the development of a method for the measurement of ergosterol in indoor air as a determinant of fungal exposure. Ergosterol was determined in spores of 11 species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Cladosporium selected from the most common molds in 400 homes in Ontario. Spore ergosterol content was about 1 microgram/mg, which is the range reported for mycelia, and varied by about 25% for the species tested. Ergosterol was determined in bedroom air samples taken in the winter in homes in southern Ontario. The median ergosterol value corresponded to a total concentration of fungal spores on the order of 10 to 10(2) per m3, in the range for other studies where total and viable propagules were determined by other methods. The sampling of air for ergosterol is a robust method for assessing fungal biomass in air, but provides no information on the species present.

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Author Information and Other Publications Notes
Miller, J. D.
J. David Miller, Professor of Biochemistry, Carleton University, Ottawa. NSERC Industrial Research Chair, Fungal Toxins & Allergens, Visiting Scientist, Air Health Effects, Health Canada
  1. A comparison of airborne ergosterol, glucan and Air-O-Cell data in relation to physical assessments of mold damage and some other parameters
  2. Acute pulmonary hemorrhage in infants associated with exposure to Stachybotrys atra and other fungi
  3. Air sampling results in relation to extent of fungal colonization of building materials in some water-damaged buildings
  4. Collection of spores of various fungi by a Reuter centrifugal sampler
  5. Exposure measures for studies of mold and dampness and respiratory health
  6. Field guide for the determination of biological contaminants in environmental samples
  7. Fungi and fungal products in some Canadian houses
  8. Fungi as contaminants in indoor air
  9. Microbial contamination of indoor air
  10. Microbial volatile organic compounds with emphasis on those arising from filamentous fungal contaminants of buildings
  11. Microorganisms in home and indoor work environments
  12. Quantification of health effects of combined exposures: a new beginning
  13. Review of methods applicable to the assessment of mold exposure to children
  14. Significance of fungi in indoor air: report from a working group
  15. Transportation energy embodied in construction materials  
Young, J. C.
     


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