B118

Risk assessment on bioaerosols of natural ventilated residential buildings in Hong Kong

Brief:

It is well proven that exposure to bioaerosols can induce adverse health effects. In Hong Kong, there are only a few published studies of detailing fungal abundance in commercial buildings but do not focus in residential buildings. This study aims to investigate the bacterial and fungal abundance and profile for natural ventilated residential buildings in Hong Kong so as to develop a better understanding on the occurrence in living environment. Home assessment was carried out to record the living environment and behavior for evaluation. The relationship between the bioaerosol abundance and seasonal variations (relative humidity and temperature), factors relating to the living environment (potential sources in apartments and housekeeping habit) and the exposure risk of human to fungi were examined. The dominant fungal genus was Cladosporium and the common fungal genera found in the samples were Rhizopus, Pencillium, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Chrysonilia, Stachybotrys, Ulocladium, Yeast and Aureobasidium. Except for Aspergillus, positive correlations were found between temperature and the fungal abundance of Alternaria, Aureobasidium and Cladosporium. As for bacteria, the two dominant genera were Miccrococcus and Staphylococcus. However, no significant correlation between the bacterial abundance and temperature as well as relative humidity could be found. The possible causes of high concentration of bioaerosols in residential buildings were identified by evaluating the relationship between the bioaerosol abundance and the home assessment record. Only owning pets had a positive correlation with fungal concentration. No significant correlation between bacterial concentration and home characteristics could be found.

Further information:

Chu MY, Mui KW, Wong LT, Chan WY, 2013. Chan. Risk assessment on bioaerosols of natural ventilated residential buildings in Hong Kong. ISEANS Conference, Macau, 29-31 August.