Exposure Assessment of Indoor Allergens, Endotoxin, and Airborne Fungi for Homes in Southern Taiwan

Su, Huey Jen; Wu, Pei-Chih; Chen, Hsiu-Ling; Lee, Fang-Chun; Lin, Long-Yau

doi:10.1006/enrs.2000.4113

Cited by 104 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Total spore counts measured twice per home in one of these three studies were similar as in our study also not correlated (Su et al, 2001). Owing to high correlations between indoor and outdoor spore counts (Koch et al, 2000, Su et al, 2001) and the large variation in outdoor air concentrations repeated measures indoors in different seasons were not correlated.…”

Section: Associations Between First and Second Measurementssupporting

confidence: 80%

“…Three studies in Brazil, the US and Taiwan measured endotoxin in more than 12 dust samples collected monthly during a year from in a relatively small sample of homes (Rizzo et al, 1997 (n ¼ 20 homes); Park et al, 2000 (n ¼ 20 homes); Su et al, 2001 (n ¼ 35 homes)). Only Park et al (2000), reported correlation coefficients between the repeated measurements of 0.76 for bed dust and 0.40 for bedroom floor dust samples, which were statistically significant.…”

Section: Associations Between First and Second Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Owing to high correlations between indoor and outdoor spore counts (Koch et al, 2000, Su et al, 2001) and the large variation in outdoor air concentrations repeated measures indoors in different seasons were not correlated. The concentration of total spore counts showed higher within-home GSD than between-home GSD, whereas this was reversed for all other biocontaminants, indicating that assessment of long-term exposure to molds requires repeated measurements (potentially more than two) in particular in late summer in temperate climates.…”

Section: Associations Between First and Second Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Allergen concentration and total mold spore counts The seasonal variation of allergen and mold concentrations in different climates has been discussed in detail in the literature, indicating allergen-specific seasonalities (Platts-Mills et al, 1987;Lintner and Brame, 1993;Munir et al, 1993;ChanYeung et al, 1995;Marks et al, 1995;Miyazawa and Suzuki, 1996;Hirsch et al, 1998;Koch et al, 2000;Chew et al, 2001;Su et al, 2001).…”

Section: Seasonal Variabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The within-home variability for b (1,3)-glucans and culturable fungi was large and in case of fungi even exceeded the between-home variability suggesting that a one-time measurement to assess long-term exposure to fungi may not be valid. Only few studies have been published on repeated measurements of endotoxin in house dust (Rizzo et al, 1997, Gereda et al, 2000, Park et al, 2000, Su et al, 2001. Therefore, we investigated seasonal variability of allergen, endotoxin and fungi in house dust in a large sample of German homes under temperate climatic conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reproducibility of allergen, endotoxin and fungi measurements in the indoor environment

Heinrich

Hölscher

Douwes

et al. 2003

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

100

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Measurements of biocontaminants in settled house dust once a year are commonly used to assess long-term exposure. To examine stability over time and seasonal variation, we measured concentrations of mite and cat allergens, endotoxin and mold spores in living room floor dust in 745 German homes collected twice a year in two different seasons. The study population consisted of adults and children living in five different areas in Germany. All dust samples were collected in a standardized manner from the living room floor and taken during the years 1995 to 1998. The median interval between the two dust samplings was approximately 7 months. Mite and cat allergens were measured in settled house dust by monoclonal antibodies, endotoxin by the limulus amebocyte lysate method, and total spore counts by cultural methods. Crude Pearson's correlation coefficients between logtransformed concentrations in the first and second dust samples ranged between 0.65 and 0.75 for allergens, 0.59 for endotoxin and only 0.06 for total spore counts. The strongest and most consistent seasonal effects were observed for fungi with highest levels in July-September. Cat allergen concentrations were found consistently to be increased in January-March. Mite allergens did not show a strong and consistent seasonal pattern. We conclude that repeated measurements of mite and cat allergens and endotoxin in settled house dust improve the estimate for annual mean concentrations. However, even a single observation of these biocontaminants may be a good proxy for a 1-year exposure since repeated measures were highly correlated. However, repeated measurements of fungi levels were only weakly correlated and thus repeated observations for assessment of annual means of total spore counts are needed.

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Section: Associations Between First and Second Measurementssupporting

confidence: 80%