Bioaerosols in Apartment Buildings

Abstract

As bioaerosols are ubiquitous in nature, their presence in apartment buildings is inevitable. This article introduces and discusses the characteristics of bioaerosols that can be encountered in apartment buildings, with focus given to composition of bioaerosols, measurement methods, indoor levels, potential factors that may influence indoor levels, disease type, investigation methods, and control strategies. Bioaerosols detected in apartments can consist of bacteria, fungi, allergens, endotoxins, and mycotoxins. Diseases that can be caused by bioaerosols in apartments are classified into hypersensitivity diseases and infectious diseases. In most cases, the geometric means of both bacterial and fungal levels in apartments or houses are measured to be between 10 and 10 3 cfu m −3 (colony-forming units per cubic meter of air). However, the maximum levels can be as high as 10 4 cfu m −3 , a value that well exceeds the guidelines set by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. Potential factors that influence bioaerosol levels in apartments include dampness, electronic appliances, pets, houseplants, and carpets. Two methods, epidemiologic and on-site investigations, are recommended to assess the bioaerosol problems in apartments. Three strategies are suggested to minimize the health risk from residential bioaerosol exposure: maintenance, clean up of existing contamination, and use of air cleaning devices.