Abstract
A fungal (spore trap) air sampling evaluation was performed under springtime conditions at a composting facility where all mechanical agitation of composting materials occurred in an enclosed, negatively pressurized structure in which air was filtered before being discharged into the atmosphere. During a previous evaluation under wintertime conditions when snow and ice covered outdoor soil and botanical materials, it was determined that the enclosed facility did not add to the bioaerosol burden in nearby ambient air. In the springtime evaluation, Penicillium—Aspergillus and Chaetomium were the dominant kinds of identified fungal spores found in the air within the processing areas of the facility. Cladosporium dominated the spores found in the ambient air around the facility. The concentration of Penicillium—Aspergillus spores in ambient air was 1½ order of magnitude less than that in air within compost processing areas and Chaetomium was not detected outdoors. The results suggested that composting within the enclosed facility during springtime conditions does not add fungal spore burden into nearby ambient air.