Airborne Fungi Concentrations and Related Factors in the Home

Abstract

Objectives: This study was performed in order to determine airborne fungi levels in homes and find related factors that may affect airborne fungi concentration.Methods: Fifty homes were study subjects for measuring airborne fungi. For sampling airborne fungi, the impaction method on agar plates was used and samples were counted as colony forming units per cubic meter of air (CFU/m 3 ). In addition, information regarding housing characteristics and atopic disease in each home were collected via questionnaire. Results:The geometric means (GM) of airborne fungi concentrations in fifty living rooms and bedrooms were 68.03 and 62.93 CFU/m 3 , respectively. The GM of airborne fungi concentration in atopy homes was 78.42 CFU/m 3 . This was higher than non-atopy homes' 54.34 CFU/m 3 (p-value=0.051). In the results of the multiple regression analysis, outdoor airborne fungal concentration proved a strong effective factor on indoor airborne fungal concentration. Also, construction year, floor area of house, indoor smoking and frequency of ventilation were factors that showed a significant association with indoor airborne fungi concentration. Conclusions:The results of this study show that some housing and living characteristics may affect the development and increase of airborne fungi. In addition, exposure to airborne fungi may be a risk factor for the prevalence of childhood atopic diseases.