Presence of Viable Mould Propagules in the Indoor Air of Houses

Abstract

The aim of the first port of this study was to select the optimal technique for the enumeration and identification of viable mould propagules in the indoor air of houses. A comparison was made between the results obtained with six commercially available air sampling devices in combination with four culture media. The optimal technique was defined as the technique with the best precision and the highest yield. The coefficients of variation were high (generally > 20%) for all combinations. Statistical analysis showed that the Slit sampler and the N6-Andersen sampler in combination with DG18 and MEA gave the best precision and the highest yield in terms of CFU/m3 and number of species isolated. In the second part of this study the presence of viable mould propagules in the indoor air of 46 houses in relation to the dampness of these houses was investigated, using the N6-Andersen sampler in combination with DG18. To assess the variability in time, the measurements were repeated after five weeks. Overall, between the two periods no difference was found between the average number of CFU/m3 in the investigated homes. However, the variation between homes was much smaller than the variation within homes. The mean number of CFU/m3 was somewhat higher in “damp” houses than in “dry” houses. However, this difference was not significant. Furthermore, there were no demonstrable differences in the presence of specific mould species in “damp” and “dry” houses.