Microorganisms and volatile organic compounds in airborne dust from damp residences

Abstract

Airborne dust samples from damp (n = 9) and control (n = 9) residences were analyzed for microorganisms (molds and bacteria), bacterial markers (3-hydroxy fatty acids and muramic acid), and adsorbed volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The number of mold species was greater in the damp residences than in the controls (23 vs.18) and nine mold species were found only in damp residences. The levels of 3-hydroxy fatty acids and muramic acid correlated better in damp residences than in controls, indicating that damp conditions affect the bacterial flora of airborne dust. Identifications made by culture and microscopy of the major molds found, i.e. Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Penicillum, coincided with the identification of VOCs known to be produced by these species. A number of additional VOCs irritating to the skin, eyes, or respiratory tract were also found. The results from this pilot study illustrate the diversity of microorganisms and VOCs present in the indoor environment and suggest that analysis of airborne dust may help to assess human exposure to microorganisms and chemical compounds.

Airborne concentrations of bacteria and fungi in Thailand border market

“…The results also revealed that Aspergillus was most heterogeneous while Chaetomium, Penicillium, Cladosporium, and Alternaria were distributed in specific environments indoor footpath, electronic shop, wooden handicraft shop, and secondhand clothing shop, respectively. These are the major genera of aerosol indoor fungi and act as mycotoxin and secondary metabolite producers (Piecková and Jesenská 1998;Fabian et al 2005;Anttila 2000;Nilsson et al 2004). In addition, exposure to large concentrations of the spores of four genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, and Alternaria causes aspergillosis (Anderson et al 1996).…”

Preliminary survey of indoor and outdoor airborne microfungi at coastal buildings in Egypt

“…The presence of airborne fungi in buildings has been highlighted by Hunter, Grant, Flannigan, and Bravery (1988) and Flannigan, McCabe, Jupe, and Jeffrey (1993), and subsequent studies determined that Aspergillus, Cladosporium and Penicillium were the major building species (Bogacka, 1997;Cooley, Wong, Jumper, & Straus, 1998;Gniadek et al, 2005;Macura & Gniadek, 2000;Nilsson et al, 2004;Pei-Chih, Huey-Jenu, & Chia-Yin, 2000). High indoor viable counts were invariably associated with damp buildings (DeKoster & Thorne, 1995;Nielsen et al, 2004).…”

Health hazard evaluation report: HETA-2007-0201-3086, evaluation of health concerns at a printed circuit board manufacturing plant, Sanmina-SCI� Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama.

“…A review of the scientific literature on VOCs generated by microorganisms (referred to as microbial VOCs [MVOCs]) indicates that different microorganism species are known to generate VOCs during various stages of their growth. The diversity of MVOCs generated by microorganisms is also well documented [Nilsson et al 2004;Schleinbinger et al 2008]. A recent study investigating MVOCs in mold and mold-free environments concluded that the MVOCs identified in the study weakly correlated with the location of the visible mold.…”