2nd Edition

Microorganisms in Home and Indoor Work Environments Diversity, Health Impacts, Investigation and Control, Second Edition

Edited By Brian Flannigan, Robert A. Samson, J. David Miller Copyright 2011
    540 Pages 92 Color & 155 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    540 Pages 92 Color & 155 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    In 2007, scientists estimated the direct cost of diseases associated with mould and dampness on the US population to be in the range of 4 billion dollars, and the indirect costs of lost work and school days are gauged even higher. The US Centers for Disease Control recently concluded that elimination of moisture and mouldy materials in the home definitively results in improved health. Unfortunately, problems of accurate assessment and precise identification plague the full understanding of the effects of mould on human health.

    Addressing exposure assessment and identification, Microorganisms in Home and Indoor Work Environments: Diversity, Health Impacts, Investigation, and Control, Second Edition discusses the methodology for conducting investigations on indoor environments, including details on key fungi and actinobacteria, and reflects advances in predicting their occurrence in buildings in various parts of the world.

    Beginning with a review of types of microorganisms in outdoor and indoor air, their growth and control in home and work environments, and their role in respiratory disease, this second edition presents new studies on pollen and its allergenic effects, the mechanistic basis for the effects of toxins and inflammatory agents on lung biology, and the use of molecular methods for determining microbial contaminants. On the practical side, this edition examines remediation, control, and quality assurance; occupational exposures in a wide range of environments; and infectious fungi and bacterial endotoxins in the built environment.

    Bringing together the state-of-the-science in this health-critical field, this accurate and timely book offers researchers, public health officials, and industrial hygienists crucial information on specific microorganisms in the built environment, along with current measurement and assessment solutions to clean up indoor air and keep residents and workers healthy in the future.

    Microorganisms in air

    Microorganisms in outdoor air
    J. Mullins and B. Flannigan

    Microorganisms in indoor air
    B. Flannigan

    Pollen in indoor air
    T. Hugg, E. Yli-Panula and A. Rantio-Lehtimäki

    Microorganisms in homes and work environments

    Microbial growth in indoor environments
    B. Flannigan and J.D. Miller

    Bacteria and other bioaerosols in industrial workplaces
    B. Crook, J.M. Gawn and J.R.M. Swan

    Remediation and control of microbial growth in problem buildings
    P.R. Morey

    Airborne microorganisms and disease

    Allergenic microorganisms and hypersensitivity
    A.K. Ellis and J.H. Day

    Occupational respiratory disease: hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other forms of interstitial lung disease
    M.J. Hodgson and B. Flannigan

    Respiratory tract infections caused by indoor fungi
    R.C. Summerbell

    Microbiological investigation of indoor environments

    Mycological investigations of indoor environments
    J.D. Miller

    Molecular methods for bioaerosol characterization
    R.C. Summerbell, B.J. Green, D. Corr and J.A. Scott

    Isolation and identification of fungi
    R.A. Samson and J. Houbraken

    Analysis of microbial volatile organic compounds
    T.J. Ryan

    Analysis for toxins and inflammatory compounds
    T. Rand and J.D. Miller

    Interpreting sampling data in investigations of indoor environments: selected case studies
    P.R. Morey

    Common and important species of Actinobacteria and fungi in indoor environments

    Common and important species of fungi and actinomycetes in indoor environments
    R.A. Samson, J. Houbraken, R.C. Summerbell, B. Flannigan and J.D. Miller

    Descriptions and illustrations of common fungi and actinomycetes

    Appendix: Glossary of mycological terms

    Index

    Biography

    Brian Flannigan, Robert A. Samson, J. David Miller