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Do fungi found in different areas of
a house as well as those fungi found outdoors match on the genera level? The paper by Ren et al. entitled “Comparisons of seasonal fungal prevalence in indoor and outdoor air and in house dusts of dwellings in one northeast American county” characterizes the nature and seasonal variations of fungi inside and outside specific homes. Three indoor air samples (living room, bedroom and basement) and one outdoor sample were collected with a Burkard portable air sampler. A vacuum cleaner was used to collect house dust samples, which were taken solely from the living rooms of the eleven homes sampled. The authors reported that the mold concentrations varied widely from house to house in both indoor and outdoor air. They observed no differences in concentrations and type of fungi between the living room and bedroom or by season observed. However, they reported that both concentrations and type of fungi were higher in the basement than other indoor areas and outdoor air in the winter. The type of fungi in the living room and bedroom and outdoor air was dependent on the season. Cladosporium was dominant in both indoor and outdoor air in the summer, whereas Penicillium and Aspergillus were dominant in indoor air in winter, but not in outdoor air. The authors also reported that the type of fungi and the concentrations in house dust were not representative of those characterized from the indoor air samples. They reported more Mucor, Wallemia and Alternaria and less Aspergillus, Cladosporium and Penicillium in dust samples. The authors suggested that air samples might provide a better measure of inhalation exposure. The authors concluded that air sampling in the spring or fall in suspected houses is appropriate for year-round fungal assessment, and represents a median exposure level, and that winter or summer samplings would likely capture the lowest or highest indoor air fungal concentrations, respectively. By: Arlene L. Weiss, MS DABT Contributing Editor for Toxicology and Epidemiology
Source: Ping Ren, Thomas M. Jankun and Brian P. Leaderer 1999. Comparisons of seasonal fungal prevalence in indoor and outdoor air and in house dusts of dwellings in one Northeast American county. Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology 9:560-68 21 May 03 |