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  • bacteria : bacteria as microbial contamination
  • fungi: molds in buildings : microbial perspective of mold



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  • This link was checked on Mar-01-2004Carleton University fungal metabolite research laboratory
    damp housing and health, endophytic fungi in conifer needles and toxins in food ("the role of fungal metabolites in determining population structure"), by Dr. J. David Miller

    Conference: Indoor Air Quality : Conference

    Journal: Indoor Air : Journal




    • Author: Miller, J.D., Mendes, N.
    Year 1992
    Title Microbial contamination of indoor air
    Source Proc. Of the Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Energy Conservation, 5th International Jacques Cartier Conference, Montreal, Canada, pp. 1-11
    Citation:
    Miller, J.D., Mendes, N., (1992), "Microbial contamination of indoor air", Proc. Of the Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Energy Conservation, 5th International Jacques Cartier Conference, Montreal, Canada, pp. 1-11.

    Notes:
    The literature of ca. 10 years ago placed modest emphasis on fungi in relation to bacteria and viruses in indoor air (1,2). Viruses are almost entirely spread by personal contact and no obvious changes in building design or management can alter this (2,3). Many types of bacteria have been reported in indoor air, sometimes in high concentrations. Most of these are normal species associated with skin and nasal-pharyngeal surfaces. There is no direct evidence that the presence of these bacteria in office/residential indoor air contribute to disease (4). However, elevated concentrations of bacteria are normally a sign of poor ventilation (see 5).

    Indoor air exposure to Legionell and the endotoxin-containing bacteria is hazardous. However, the management of these bioaerosols in indoor air is well-defined and they rarely pose a health risk (6,7,8). In the last five years, fungi have come to be seen as quantitatively the most important bioaerosols with respect to health in indoor air. This paper will briefly review aspects of microbial problems in buildings. Recent findings regarding the biomedical aspects of fungal contamination of indoor air will be considered with a perspective on the normal mycoflora of indoor air.
    Author Information and Other Publications Notes
    Miller, J. D.
    J. David Miller, Professor of Biochemistry, Carleton University, Ottawa. NSERC Industrial Research Chair, Fungal Toxins & Allergens, Visiting Scientist, Air Health Effects, Health Canada
    1. Acute pulmonary hemorrhage in infants associated with exposure to Stachybotrys atra and other fungi
    2. Air sampling results in relation to extent of fungal colonization of building materials in some water-damaged buildings
    3. Collection of spores of various fungi by a Reuter centrifugal sampler
    4. Exposure measures for studies of mold and dampness and respiratory health
    5. Field guide for the determination of biological contaminants in environmental samples
    6. Fungi and fungal products in some Canadian houses
    7. Fungi as contaminants in indoor air
    8. Microbial volatile organic compounds with emphasis on those arising from filamentous fungal contaminants of buildings
    9. Quantification of health effects of combined exposures: a new beginning
    10. Review of methods applicable to the assessment of mold exposure to children
    11. Significance of fungi in indoor air: report from a working group
    12. The use of ergosterol to measure exposure to fungal propagules in indoor air
    13. Transportation energy embodied in construction materials  
    Mendes, N.
    1. DOMUS 2.0: a whole-building hygrothermal simulation program
    2. Moisture migration through exterior envelopes in brazil
    3. UMIDUS: a pc program for the prediction of heat and moisture transfer in porous building elements  




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