A Comparison of Indoor Fungal Spore Concentrations between Naturally Ventilated and Mechanically Ventilated Dormitories at Duke University
Public Deposited- Last Modified
- February 28, 2019
- Creator
-
Stiegel, Matthew A.
- Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering
- Abstract
- It is well recognized that the quality of air a person breathes can have a significant impact on their health. "Clean" indoor air is especially important since people in the US spend 88% of their time in the indoor environment. Some research has identified links between dampness, indoor microbial growth, and health effects in single-family homes, but little research has been conducted concerning community living areas, such as college dorms and large apartment buildings. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that in 2007 there were 17.9 million students enrolled in colleges around the United States of which 1/3 live in on-campus housing. In this study we tried to address three general questions: one, are there diferences between indoor fungal spore concentrations and outdoor fungal spore concentrations, two, are indoor fungal concentrations different between naturally ventilated dormitories and mechanically ventilated dormitories, and three, what effect do open windows have on the indoor fungal concentration? We sampled outdoors and inside four dormitories at Duke University, one with natural ventilation and three with mechanical ventilation. Our results indicate that the indoor fungal concentration in each of the dorms was less than the outdoor concentration. Natural ventilation produces indoor fungal levels that are significantly higher than those observed in mechanically ventilated dormitories. Open windows can have an effect on the indoor fungal spore concentrations in mechanically ventilated dorms.
- Date of publication
- May 2008
- DOI
- Resource type
- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Advisor
- Leith, David
- Flynn, Michael
- Schell, Wiley
- Thomann, Wayne R.
- Degree
- Master of Science in Public Health
- Academic concentration
- Industrial Hygiene
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Graduation year
- 2008
- Language
- Deposit record
- e00f1df6-6c31-41ba-867b-150d86a8c8cb
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