Evaluation of aerosolization characteristics of biocontaminated particles from flood-damaged housing materials

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the aerosolization characteristics of biocontaminated particles, including particle release behavior and the concentrations of culturable fungi and (1→3)-β-D-glucan from four flood-affected floor and bedding materials. We applied an aerosolization process using multiple air jets, then measured the particles aerosolized from biocontaminated materials in real time using an optical particle counter, while simultaneously collecting particles in a BioSampler. The total count of particles released over 10min was highest from linoleum (25,503 particles/cm2), followed by rugs (1562 particles/cm2), carpets (508 particles/cm2), and pillows (24 particles/cm2). Linoleum, which has a hard surface, released particles the fastest (<6s) among the test materials. During fractional particle concentration analysis, the portion of submicron particles between 0.3 and 1.0μm was 66.1% (linoleum) – 77% (carpet) of the total particle concentration. Additionally, based on biological assays of the collected particles, the levels of culturable fungi and (1→3)-β-D-glucan in the four materials ranged from undetectable (linoleum; lower limit=0.2 CFU/cm2) to 0.83 CFU/cm2 (rug) and from 0.84 (carpet) to 3.26ng/cm2 (rug), respectively. We suggest that these results are helpful for further understanding of the aerosolization characteristics of biocontaminated particles from flood-affected materials, with benefits for the safe restoration of flood-damaged homes.