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Microbiological Assessment Of Indoor And Outdoor Air
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CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Air supplies us with
oxygen which is essential for our bodies to live. Pure air is a mixture
of gases that are invisible, colorless and odorless consisting of 78%
nitrogen, 21% oxygen and other gases as well as varying amounts of water
vapor (Murray et al., 1995). This pure air can become contaminated in
various ways affecting humans, plants and animals. Air pollution is the
introduction into the atmosphere of chemicals, particulate matter or
biological materials that causes discomfort, disease or death to humans,
damage to other living organisms including food crops. Both indoor air
and outdoor air can become polluted by pesticides. These pesticides
contain active and inert substances such as cyclodiene which is
associated with symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, weakness, muscle
twitching and nausea (Hays et al., 1995).
Good indoor air
quality (IAQ) is important for all of us; most people spend 90 % or more
of their time indoors. Most of this time consists of the hours spent at
home or at work, while school age children spend 20 % of their time in
schools (Clench-Aas et al., 1999). Good IAQ consists of many aspects; it
is an interaction of a functioning and efficient ventilation and the
lowest achievable amount of chemical, inorganic or organic and microbial
compounds which should not evoke symptoms in the occupants (Spengler et
al., 2001).
Microorganisms such as bacterial and fungal
spores are almost always present in the air. The quality of indoor
environment, however, is not easily defined or readily controlled, and
can potentially place human occupants at risk (Jaffal, et al., 1997a).
Airborne transmission is one of the routes of spreading disease that is
responsible for several nosocomial infections (Claudete et al., 2006).
Exposure to bio-aerosols, containing airborne microorganisms and their
by-products, can result in respiratory disorders and other adverse
health effects such as infections, hypersensitivity pneumonitis and
toxic reactions (Gorny et al., 2002; Fracchia et al., 2006).
Indoor air quality is a term which refers to the air quality within and
around buildings and structures especially as it relates to the health
and comfort of its occupants. Indoor air can be polluted by various
compounds such as carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs),
particulate matter and microbial contaminants (moulds, bacteria,
viruses) and any action that introduces harmful contaminants into the
air within the building. The concern for quality indoor air is necessary
especially in institutionalized settings that accommodate a large
number of people such as hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, schools,
family because contaminated air can cause both mild and severely
irritating health conditions (Tambeker et al., 2007). The quality of air
in hospitals in relation to microbial contamination at a given time
period is determined by the quality of air entering into the building,
the number of occupants in the building, their physical activities and
resultant aerosol generation, human traffic and the efficiency of
ventilation (Adebolu and Vhirterhre, 2002).
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study was aimed at investigating the microbial load and the quality of indoor air Faith Mediplex Centre, Benin City, to ascertain their contribution to infection rate in the hospital. Air samples were assessed for three (3) months (June-August, 2015) using the settled plate methods. The study sites were divided into five (5) units; male medical ward, female medical ward, treatment room, operating theatre and outside the hospital gate. The result obtained reveal the isolation of six (6) bact ... Continue reading---
