Bioaerosols in Apartment Buildings

Abstract

Owing to their ubiquity in nature, the presence of bioaerosols in apartment buildings is inevitable. This article introduces and discusses the characteristics of bioaerosols encountered in apartment buildings, with focus given to the composition, measurement methods, indoor levels, potential factors that may influence indoor levels, investigation methods, and control strategies of bioaerosols, and the types of disease caused by bioaerosols. Bioaerosols detected in apartments can consist of bacteria, fungi, allergens, endotoxins, and mycotoxins. Diseases caused by bioaerosols in apartments are classified as hypersensitivity diseases and infectious diseases. In most cases, the geometric mean levels for both bacteria and fungi in apartments or houses are between 10 and 103 colony forming units per cubic meter of air (CFU m−3). However, the maximum levels can be as high as 104CFU m−3, a value that well exceeds National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) guidelines. Potential factors that influence bioaerosol levels in apartments include dampness, electronic appliances, pets, houseplants, and carpets. Two methods, epidemiological and on-site investigations, are recommended to investigate bioaerosol problems in apartments. Three strategies are suggested to minimize the health risk from residential bioaerosol exposure: maintenance, cleanup of existing contamination, and use of air-cleaning devices.