Browse > Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.5668/JEHS.2009.35.4.239

Exposure Assessment of Biological Agents in Indoor Environments  

Park, Ju-Hyeong (Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)
Publication Information
Journal of Environmental Health Sciences / v.35, no.4, 2009 , pp. 239-248 More about this Journal
Abstract
The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science in the United States concluded in its 2004 report that excessive indoor dampness is a public health hazard and that its prevention should be a public health goal. Water damage in buildings, such as leaks from roofs, walls, or windows, may increase indoor moisture levels. Excessive dampness may promote microbial proliferation in indoor environments, increase occupants' exposure to microbial agents, and eventually produce adverse health effects in building occupants. Epidemiological studies to demonstrate the causal association between exposure to indoor microbial agents and health effects require reliable exposure assessment tools. In this review, I discuss various sampling and analytical methods to assess human exposure to biological agents in indoor environments, their strengths and weaknesses, and recent trends in research and practice in the USA.
Keywords
indoor environments; biological agents; microbial contamination; exposure assessment; bioaerosols; dampness;
Citations & Related Records
연도 인용수 순위
  • Reference
1 Hinds, W. C. : Aerosol Technology. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1-14, 1999
2 Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science. Exposure Assessment. Damp indoor spaces and health. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press, 90-124, 2004
3 Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science. Human health effects associated with damp indoor environments. Damp indoor spaces and health. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press; 183-269, 2004
4 U.S. General Accounting Office. School Facilities: Condition of America's Schools. Washington, D.C.: U.S. General Accounting Office, 1995
5 Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science. Exposure Assessment. Damp indoor spaces and health. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press, 90-124, 2004
6 Miller, J. D., Young, J. C. : The use of ergosterol to measure exposure to fungal propagules in indoor air. American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, 58, 39-43, 1997   DOI   ScienceOn
7 Sebastian, A., Harley, W., Fox, A., Larsson, L. : Evaluation of the methyl ester O-methyl acetate derivative of muramic acid for the determination of peptidoglycan in environmental samples by ion-trap GC-MS-MS. Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 6, 300-304, 2004   DOI   ScienceOn
8 Michel, O., Kips, J., Duchateau, J., Vertongen, F., Robert, L., Collet, H., Pauwels, R., Sergysels, R. : Severity of asthma is related to endotoxin in house dust. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 154, 1641-1646, 1996   DOI   ScienceOn
9 Milton, D. K., Johnson, D. K., Park, J. H. : Environmental endotoxin measurement: interference and sources of variation in the Limulus assay of house dust. American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, 58, 861-867, 1997   DOI   ScienceOn
10 Vesper, S., McKinstry, C., Haugland, R., Wymer, L., Bradham, K., Ashley, P., Cox, D., Dewalt, G., Friedman, W. : Development of an environmental relative moldiness index for US homes. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 49, 829-833, 2007   DOI   ScienceOn
11 Brunekreef, B. : Damp housing and adult respiratory symptoms. Allergy, 47, 498-502, 1992   DOI   ScienceOn
12 Bang, F. B. : A bacterial disease of Limulus polyphemus. Bulletin of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, 98, 325-350, 1956   ScienceOn
13 U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. Washington D.C.: Office of Educational Research and Improvement, 1999
14 Alvarez, A. J., Buttner, M. P., Toranzos, G. A., Dvorsky, E. A., Toro, A., Heikes, T. B., Mertikas-Pifer, L. E., Stetzenbach, L. D. : Use of solid-phase PCR for enhanced detection of airborne microorganisms. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 60, 374-376, 1994   ScienceOn
15 Macher, J. M. : In: Macher, J. M., ed. Bioaerosols: Assessment and Control. Cincinnati: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygieniests, 7-1-7-9, 1999
16 Bureau of the Census. Biannual American Housing Survey for the United States. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce, 2008
17 Foto, M., Plett, J., Berghout, J., Miller, J. D. : Modification of the Limulus amebocyte lysate assay for the analysis of glucan in indoor environments. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 379, 156-162, 2004   DOI   ScienceOn
18 Horner, W. E. : Air- and dustborne mycoflora in houses free of water damage and fungal growth. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 70, 6394-6400, 2004   DOI   ScienceOn
19 Andriessen, J. W., Brunekreef, B., Roemer, W. : Home dampness and respiratory health status in European children. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 28, 1191-1200, 1998   DOI   ScienceOn
20 Park, J.-H., Gold, D. R., Spiegelman, D. L., Burge, H. A., Milton, D. K. : House dust endotoxin and wheeze in the first year of life. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 163, 322-328, 2001   DOI   ScienceOn
21 Thatcher, T. L., Layton, D. W. : Deposition, resuspension, and penetration of particles within a residence. Atmospheric Environment, 29, 1487-1497, 1995   DOI   ScienceOn
22 Milton, D. K., Alwis, K. U., Fisette, L., Muilenberg, M. : Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay specific for (1$\rightarrow$6) branched, (1$\rightarrow$3)-$\beta$-D-glucan detection in environmental samples. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 67, 5420-5424, 2001   DOI   ScienceOn
23 Demain, A. L. : Pharmaceutically active secondary metabolites of microorganisms. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 52, 455-463, 1999   DOI   ScienceOn
24 Thorn, J., Rylander, R. : Airways inflammation and glucan in a rowhouse area. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 157, 1798-1803, 1998   DOI   ScienceOn
25 Buttner, M. P., Stetzenbach, L. D. : Monitoring airborne fungal spores in an experimental indoor environment to evaluate sampling methods and the effects of human activity on air sampling [published erratum appears in Appl Environ Microbiol 1993 May, 59(5): 1694]. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 59, 219-226, 1993   ScienceOn
26 Saraf, A., Larsson, L. : Use of gas chromatographyion trap tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of chemical markers of microorganisms in organic dust. Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 31, 389-396, 1996   DOI
27 Saraf, A., Park, J. H., Milton, D. K., Larsson, L. : Use of quadrupole GC-MS and ion-trap GC-MSMS for determining 3-hydroxy fatty acids in settled house dust: Relation to endotoxin activity. Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 2, 163-168, 1999
28 Haugland, R. A., Heckman, J. L., Wymer, L. J. : Evaluation of different methods for the extraction of DNA from fungal conidia by quantitative competitive PCR analysis. Journal of Microbiological Methods, 37, 165-176, 1999   DOI   ScienceOn
29 Kolb, L., McNeel, S. V. : Guidance for Assessment and Remediation of Indoor Microbial Growth. In: Prezant, B., Weekes, D. M., Miller, J. D., eds. Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of Indoor Mold. Fairfax: American Industrial Hygiene Association; 21-36, 2008
30 U.S. General Accounting Office. Major Management Challenges and Program Risks. U.S. Department of Energy, 2003
31 Larsson, L. : Use of mass spectrometry for determining microbial toxins in indoor environments. Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 10, 301-304, 2008   DOI   ScienceOn
32 Harriman, L. G., Lstiburek, J. W. : The ASHRAE Guide for Buildings in Hot and Humid Climates. Atlanta: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc., 2009
33 Douwes, J., Thorne, P., Pearce, N., Heederik, D. : Bioaerosol health effects and exposure assessment: Progress and prospects. The Annals of Occupational Hygiene, 47, 187-200, 2003   DOI   ScienceOn
34 Dales, R. E., Zwanenburg, H., Burnett, R., Franklin, C. A. : Respiratory health effects of home dampness and molds among Canadian children. American Journal of Epidemiology, 134, 196-203, 1991   DOI   ScienceOn
35 Lee, T., Grinshpun, S. A., Martuzevicius, D., Adhikari, A., Crawford, C. M., Luo, J., Reponen, T. : Relationship between indoor and outdoor bio-aerosols collected with a button inhalable aerosol sampler in urban homes. Indoor Air, 16, 37-47, 2006   DOI   ScienceOn
36 Park, J. H., Cox-Ganser, J. M., Kreiss, K., White, S. K., Rao, C. Y. : Hydrophilic fungi and ergosterol associated with respiratory illness in a water-damaged building. Environmental Health Perspectives, 116, 45-50, 2008   DOI   ScienceOn
37 Mendell, M. J., Cozen, M. : Building-related symptoms among U.S. office workers and risk factors for moisture and contamination: Preliminary analyses of U.S. EPA BASE data. Berkeley, CA: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1-13, 2002
38 Hung, L.-L., Miller, J. D., Dillon, H. K. : Ecology of Fungi Found in Building Environments. In: Hung, L.-L., Miller, J. D., Dillon, H. K., eds. Field Guide for the Determination of Biological Contaminants in Environmental Samples. Fairfax, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 29-38, 2005
39 Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science. Damp Buildings. Damp indoor spaces and health. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press, 29-89, 2004
40 Shelton, B. G., Kirkland, K. H., Flanders, W. D., Morris, G. K. : Profiles of airborne fungi in buildings and outdoor environments in the United States. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 68, 1743-1753, 2002   DOI   ScienceOn
41 Sorenson, W. G., Frazer, D. G., Jarvis, B. B., Simpson, J., Robinson, V. A. : Trichothecene mycotoxins in aerosolized conidia of Stachybotrys atra. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 53, 1370-1375, 1987   ScienceOn
42 Douwes, J. : (1$\rightarrow$3)-$\beta$-D-glucans and respiratory health: a reveiw of the scientific evidence. Indoor Air, 15, 160-169, 2005   DOI   ScienceOn
43 Hung, L.-L., Miller, J. D., Dillon, H. K. : Planning and Conducting a Survey. In: Hung, L.-L., Miller, J. D., Dillon, H. K., eds. Field Guide for the Determination of Biological Contaminants in Environmental Samples. Fairfax: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 47-91, 2005
44 Fung, F., Clark, R. F. : Health Effects of Mycotoxins: A Toxicological Overview. Journal of Toxicology-Clinical Toxicology, 42, 217-234, 2004   DOI   ScienceOn
45 Miller, J. D. : Mycological investigations of indoor environments. In: Flannigan, B., Samson, R. A., Miller, J. D., eds. Microorganisms in Home and Indoor Work Environments: Diversity, Health Impacts, Investigation and Control. London and New York: Taylor and Francis, 231-246, 2001
46 Saraf, A., Larsson, L., Burge, H., Milton, D. : Quantification of ergosterol and 3-hydroxy fatty acids in settled house dust by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry: Comparison with fungal culture and determination of endotoxin by a Limulus amebocyte lysate assay. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 63, 2554-2559, 1997   ScienceOn
47 Chew, G. L., Douwes, J., Doekes, G., Higgins, K. M., van Strien, R., Spithoven, J., Brunekreef, B. : Fungal extracellular polysaccharides, beta (1$\rightarrow$3)-glucans and culturable fungi in repeated sampling of house dust. Indoor Air, 11, 171-178, 2001   DOI   ScienceOn
48 Prezant, B., Weekes, D. M., Miller, J. D. : Sampling Methods. In: Prezant B, Weekes DM, Miller JD, eds. Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of Indoor Mold. Fairfax: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 139-151, 2008
49 Milton, D. K., Gere, R. J., Feldman, H. A., Greaves, I. A. : Endotoxin Measurement:Aaerosol sampling and application of a new Limulus method. American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, 51, 331-337, 1990   DOI   ScienceOn
50 U.S. Census Bureau. Current Housing Reports, Series H150/01. 2002. U.S. Government Printing Office, 2001
51 Douwes, J., van der Sluis, B., Doekes, G., Van Leusden, F., Wijnands, L., van Strien, R., Verhoeff, A., Brunekreef, B. : Fungal extracellular polysaccharides in house dust as a marker for exposure to fungi: Relations with culturable fungi, reported home dampness, and respiratory symptoms. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 103, 494-500, 1999   DOI   ScienceOn
52 Sahakian, N. M., Park, J.-H., Cox-Ganser, J. M. : Dampness and mold in the indoor environment: implications for asthma. Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North America, 28, 485-505, 2008   DOI   ScienceOn
53 Park, J.-H., Schleiff, P. L., Attfield, M. D., Cox-Ganser, J. M., Kreiss, K. : Building-related respiratory symptoms can be predicted with semi-quantitative indices of exposure to dampness and mold. Indoor Air, 14, 425-433, 2004   DOI   ScienceOn
54 Park, J.-H., Cox-Ganser, J. M., Rao, C. Y., Kreiss, K. : Fungal and endotoxin measurements in dust associated with respiratory symptoms in a water-damaged office building. Indoor Air, 16, 192-203, 2006   DOI   ScienceOn
55 Chew, G. L., Rogers, C., Burge, H. A., Muilenberg, M., Gold, D. R. : Dustborne and airborne fungal propagules represent a different spectrum of fungi with differing relations to home characteristics. Allergy, 58, 13-20, 2003   DOI   ScienceOn
56 Douwes, J., Doekes, G., Montijn, R., Heederik, D., Brunekreef, B. : Measurement of beta(1$\rightarrow$3)-glucans in occupational and home environments with an inhibition enzyme immunoassay. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 62, 3176-3182, 1996   ScienceOn
57 Douwes, J., Zuidhof, A., Doekes, G., van der Zee, S., Wouters, I., Boezen, H. M., Brunekreef, B. : (1$\rightarrow$3)-$\beta$-D-glucan and endotoxin in house dust and peak flow variability in children. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 162, 1348-1354, 2000   DOI   ScienceOn
58 Dales, R. E., Burnett, R., Zwanenburg, H. : Adverse health effects among adults exposed to home dampness and molds. American Review of Respiratory Disease, 143, 505-509, 1991   DOI   ScienceOn
59 Jaakkola, M. S., Nordman, H., Piipari, R., Uitti, J., Laitinen, J., Karjalainen, A., Hahtola, P., Jaakkola, J. J. : Indoor dampness and molds and development of adult-onset asthma: A population-based incident casecontrol study. Environmental Health Perspectives, 110, 543-547, 2002   DOI   ScienceOn