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Monitoring Viable Fungal and Bacterial Bioaerosol Concentrations to Identify Acceptable Levels for Common Indoor Environments
Abstract
Bioaerosol concentrations between 200 -
450 CFU/m3 have remained largely uncharacterized
with respect to potential indoor air
quality concerns. This research provides for
further description of indoor bioaerosol
concentrations and concludes that 3 0 0
CFU/m3 of non-toxigenic or non-pathogenic
organisms should be typical for normal, non-immunocompromised
environments. With the
exception of Cladosporium, no organism should
individually contribute more than 150 CFUfm3.
Furthermore, it is concluded that > 300
CFU's/m3 and/or not meeting the above criteria
should incite some additional level of
investigation with respect to; the bias of
prominent outdoor bioaerosol(s), adequate
filtration, indoor humidity and microhumidity
environments, and/or potential indigenous
contamination source(s). The author cautions
that the >300 CFU/m3 threshold is not
intended to represent any threshold having
medical or health significance and/or necessarily
representative of an unacceptable indoor
environment. The >300 CFU/m3 is intended to
be a "reactionary threshold" to incite further
investigation as to the cause(s) of what is
perceived to be an above average viable
concentration for indoor bioaerosols. The
author further concludes that outdoor sampling
should only be utilized in the relative
comparisons to individual indoor components
and that indoor/outdoor ratios involving total
CFU/m3 concentrations should not be utilized as
a specific mechanism to evaluate acceptable
indoor bioaerosol concentrations.
Citation
Robertson, L. D. (1998). Monitoring Viable Fungal and Bacterial Bioaerosol Concentrations to Identify Acceptable Levels for Common Indoor Environments. Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu); Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu). Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /6762.