Biological contaminants in the indoor air environment and their impacts on human health

Abstract

Indoor air environment contains a complex mixture of biological contaminants such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, algae, insects, and their by-products such as endotoxins, mycotoxins, volatile organic compounds, etc. Biological contaminants have been categorized according to whether they are allergenic, infectious, capable of inducing toxic or inflammatory responses in human beings. At present, there is a lack of awareness about biological contamination in the indoor environment and their potential sources for the spreading of various infections. Therefore, this review article examines the association of biological contaminants with human health, and it will also provide in-depth knowledge of various biological contaminants present in different places such as residential areas, hospitals, offices, schools, etc. Moreover, qualitative and quantitative data of bio-contaminants in various indoor environments such as schools, hospitals, residential houses, etc. have also been derived from the recent literature survey.

Antifungal Activity of Biosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) against Aspergilli Causing Aspergillosis: Ultrastructure Study

“…Aspergillus infections mostly affect the respiratory system. Inhaled Aspergillus spores can germinate in the presence of ideal lung conditions such as high humidity, oxygen, and carbon dioxide [ 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

Comprehensive health risk assessment of microbial indoor air quality in microenvironments

“…Findings of the pilot study conducted in Finland to assess the indoor air problems which revealed the irritated, stuffy, or runny nose (20%), itching, burning, or irritation of the eyes (17%), and fatigue (16%) found the most common symptoms in the workers. Women had a higher proportion of indoor air problems than men, indicating the importance of the current study [12].…”

“…Sources of these microorganisms in indoor air may include people, organic dust, storage of various products, and circulation of air through natural and artificial ventilation systems [7] According to a previous study, roughly 30% of office workers suffer from ailments due to poor indoor air quality [8]. Exposure to these contaminants may cause allergic reactions, infections, intoxication, and various molecular reactions [6,[9][10][11][12][13]. The importance of airborne microorganisms on health was highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO) [14].…”

Microbial Indoor Air Quality and Associated Factors in Jimma Town Prison Administration, Southwestern Ethiopia

“…This is due to the bacterial load being attributed to the number of occupants as a human is a reservoir of S. aureus 31 when they are released by different occasional activities like sneezing, coughing, and talking. 12 , 13 However, the number of occupants by itself cannot affect microbial load in the indoor environment. Rather the crowding index matter.…”

“…may also contribute to poor IAQ. 3 , 5 , 7 , 10 Bacteria, fungi, and viruses, collectively microorganisms 11 , 12 are the key elements of indoor air pollutants and contribute about 5% to 34% to indoor air pollution health problems. 3 , 5 , 8 , 9 Particular activities like talking, sneezing, coughing, walking, and washing can majorly release these airborne biological contaminants and form air suspensions that increase exposure for the inmates.…”