Microbiological air quality in office buildings equipped with dventilation systems.

Abstract

Proper hygienic conditions in office buildings are of a high importance for both health and well-being of the employees. The aim of this study was the direct comparison of different ventilation systems on microbiological environments in 15 office buildings. The results showed that both bacterial and fungal concentrations in the naturally ventilated office buildings were between 70 and 1600cfu/m3 , while in the offices equipped with air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation systems, concentrations were lower, that is, between 10 and 530cfu/m3 and 20 and 410cfu/m3 , respectively. The size distribution analysis revealed that microorganisms were present in the air mainly as single cells (1.1-3.3μm) and large aggregates (4.7->7μm). If deposited in the human respiratory tract, they may be responsible for nose and eyes irritations, asthmatic reactions, and allergic inflammations. The most prevalent bacterial species indoors were Gram-positive cocci (mainly from Staphylococcus and Micrococcus/Kocuria genera) and endospore-forming Gram-positive rods (from Bacillus genus). Among the most common fungal species were those from genera Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Cladosporium. Effectively working and regularly maintained mechanical ventilation or air-conditioning systems ensure a better hygienic quality in the office buildings than natural/gravitational ventilation.