Abstract
The rapid monitoring of total fungi, including air and surface fungal profiling, is an important issue. Here, we applied air and surface sampling, combined with digital image quantification of surface mold spots, to evaluate the contribution of surface fungi to airborne fungal concentrations. Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and yeast often appeared in the air or on wall surfaces during sampling. The indoor/outdoor concentration ratios (I/O ratios) demonstrated that the airborne concentrations of commonly found fungal genera outdoors were higher than those indoors (median I/O ratio = 0.65–0.91), excluding those of Penicillium and yeast. Additionally, the surface density (fungal concentration/area) of individual fungi showed no significant correlation with the airborne concentration, excluding that of Geotrichum. However, if a higher surface ratio (>0.00031) of mold spots appeared in the total area of an indoor environment, then the concentrations of Aspergillus and Geotrichum in the air increased significantly. Our results demonstrated that the airborne concentration of indoor fungi is significantly correlated with the outdoor concentration. A higher density of surface fungi does not necessarily contribute to a high fungal concentration in the air. In contrast to fungal density, quantification of the surface fungal area is recommended to assess the risk of surface fungi propelling into the air.
Highlights
Fungal spores are ubiquitous in indoor environments and often present as mixtures of fungal genera
Rapid monitoring of fungi is important for evaluating the related health risks and maintaining good indoor air quality
This study demonstrated that the indoor air concentration of individual fungi is significantly correlated with the outdoor air concentration
Summary
Fungal spores are ubiquitous in indoor environments and often present as mixtures of fungal genera. Fungal types and concentrations in nonproblematic indoor environments are considered to originate primarily from outdoor air [1,2,3], mold contamination on wall surfaces may affect fungal concentrations in indoor air [4]. An efficient fungus monitoring method is needed to explore the total amount of human exposure to fungi; such a method should consider the fungal profile both in the air and on the surfaces of indoor environments. To identify the potential fungal reservoir, comparisons between indoor/outdoor fungal concentrations in the air have been used to document the presence of fungal contamination. The concentration of fungi in indoor air may not originate solely from outdoor air. The potential fungal reservoir may be derived from wall surfaces or house dust [8,9]
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