Health hazards related to conidia of Cladosporium—biological air pollutants in Poland, central Europe

Abstract

The spores of Cladosporium Link. are often present in the air in high quantities and produce many allergenic proteins, which may lead to asthma. An aerobiological spore monitoring program can inform patients about the current spore concentration in air and help their physicians determine the spore dose that is harmful for a given individual. This makes it possible to develop optimized responses and propose personalized therapy for a particular sensitive patient. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of the human health hazard posed by the fungal genus Cladosporium. For the first time, we have determined the number of days on which air samples in Poland exceeded the concentrations linked to allergic responses of sensitive patients, according to thresholds established by three different groups (2800/3000/4000 spores per 1m3 of the air). The survey was conducted over three consecutive growing seasons (April–September, 2010–2012) in three cities located in different climate zones of Poland (Poznan, Lublin and Rzeszow). The average number of days exceeding 2800 spores per cubic meter (the lowest threshold) ranged from 61 (2010) through 76 (2011) to 93 (2012), though there was significant variation between cities. In each year the highest concentration of spores in the air was detected in either Poznan or Lublin, both located on large plains with intensive agriculture. We have proposed that an effective, science-based software platform to support policy-making on air quality should incorporate biological air pollutant data, such as allergenic fungal spores and pollen grains.