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Wiley InterScience | ||||||||||||||
  Published on behalf of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate
Abstract | References | Full Text: HTML, PDF (Size: 480K) | Related Articles | Citation Tracking  Relationship between indoor and outdoor bioaerosols collected with a button inhalable aerosol sampler in urban homes Copyright 2005 Blackwell Munksgaard KEYWORDS Bioaerosol • Exposure • Indoor • Outdoor • Bacteria • Fungal spore • Pollen ABSTRACTAbstract This field study investigated the relationship between indoor and outdoor concentrations of airborne actinomycetes, fungal spores, and pollen. Air samples were collected for 24 h with a button inhalable aerosol sampler inside and outside of six single-family homes located in the Cincinnati area (overall, 15 pairs of samples were taken in each home). The measurements were conducted during three seasons – spring and fall 2004, and winter 2005. The concentration of culturable actinomycetes was mostly below the detection limit. The median indoor/outdoor ratio (I/O) for actinomycetes was the highest: 2.857. The indoor of fungal and pollen concentrations followed the outdoor concentrations while indoor levels were mostly lower than the outdoor ones. The I/O ratio of total fungal spores (median = 0.345) in six homes was greater than that of pollen grains (median = 0.025). The low I/O ratios obtained for pollen during the peak ambient pollination season (spring) suggest that only a small fraction penetrated from outdoor to indoor environment. This is attributed to the larger size of pollen grains. Higher indoor concentration levels and variability in the I/O ratio observed for airborne fungi may be associated with indoor sources and/or higher outdoor-to-indoor penetration of fungal spores compared to pollen grains. Practical Implication
This study addresses the relationship between indoor and outdoor concentrations of three different types of bioaerosols, namely actinomycetes, fungal spores, and pollen grains. The results show that actinomycetes are rare in indoor and outdoor air in Midwest, USA. Exposure to pollen occurs mainly in the outdoor air even during peak pollen season. Unexpectedly high fungal spore concentrations were measured outdoors during winter. The presented pilot database on the inhalable levels of indoor and outdoor bioaerosols can help apportion and better characterize the inhalation exposure to these bioaerosols. Furthermore, the data can be incorporated into existing models to quantify the penetration of biological particles into indoor environments from outdoors. Received for review 20 June 2005. Accepted for publication 16 August 2005. | 
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