A pilot study to investigate the effects of combined dehumidification and HEPA filtration on dew point and airborne mold spore counts in day care centers
A pilot study to investigate the effects of combined dehumidification and HEPA filtration on dew point and airborne mold spore counts in day care centers
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1600-0668.2005.00379.x
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发表时间：
2005-12-01
期刊：
影响因子：
5.8
通讯作者：
Lanphear, B
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bernstein, JA;Levin, L;Lanphear, B
气象因素如相对湿度直接与室内和室外空气中的真菌水平相关。虽然单独使用海藻酸钠可以有效减少霉菌生长所需的水分，但作为单一干预是不够的，因为它不能去除潜在过敏原的活的和非活的真菌孢子。这项试点研究的目的是调查是否与高效微粒过滤器（HEPA）过滤相结合，是有效地减少空气中的霉菌孢子水平在日托中心。两个日托中心在2英里半径内的对方被选中。日托中心A是2岁的8个房间，而日托中心B是15岁的6个房间。在每个日托设施的一半房间（干预）中安装了配备HEPA过滤器的高效圣达菲空气净化器。在整个研究过程中，电子流浪汉数据记录仪每2小时连续测量一次室外和室内房间的露点和温度。露点和空气中的真菌孢子测量从选定的房间控制的空气条件进行了分析，通过比较基线测量，在随后的时间段超过一年。回归模型解释了同一房间内测量值随时间变化的相关性。在两个设施的所有时间段内，干预导致平均露点从基线降低8.8摄氏度，而非干预室降低7.1摄氏度（P < 0.001）。真菌分析显示干预室的基线（P = 0.06）和随访平均值较低（P < 0.05），但两个机构的干预室和非干预室从基线到随访结束的变化不同。应用对数转换来近似真菌测量值的正态性。使用HEPA过滤的除湿在控制两个设施的室内露点和减少两个设施之一的空气中可培养真菌孢子水平方面是有效的。这些初步结果为在未来的研究中使用这种干预措施提供了科学依据，旨在调查室内霉菌暴露对健康结果的影响。
Meteorological factors such as relative humidity directly correlate with airborne fungal levels outdoors and indoors. While dehumidification alone is effective at reducing moisture necessary for mold growth, it is inadequate as a single intervention as it does not remove viable and non-viable fungal spores that are potentially allergenic. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate whether dehumidification in combination with high-efficiency particulate arrestance (HEPA) filtration is effective at reducing airborne mold spore levels in day care centers. Two day care centers within a 2-mile radius of each other were selected. Day care center A was 2 years old with eight rooms while day care center B was 15 years old with six rooms. A high efficiency Santa Fe dehumidification unit equipped with a HEPA filter was installed in half the rooms (intervention) of each day care facility. Electronic HOBO data loggers continuously measured outdoor and indoor room dew point and temperature every 2 h throughout the study. Dew point and airborne fungal spore measurements from selected rooms with controlled air conditions were analyzed by comparing baseline measurements to those obtained at subsequent time periods over I year. Regression models accounted for correlations between measurements in the same room over time. Intervention resulted in a lowered average dew point from baseline by 8.8 degrees C compared with a decrease of 7.1 degrees C in non-intervention rooms across all time periods in both facilities (P < 0.001). Fungal analyses demonstrated lower baseline (P = 0.06) and follow-up means in intervention rooms (P < 0.05), however the change from baseline to end of follow-up differed between intervention and non-intervention rooms in the two facilities. Log transformation was applied to approximate normality of fungal measurements. Dehumidification with HEPA filtration was effective at controlling indoor dew point in both facilities and at reducing airborne culturable fungal spore levels in one of the two facilities. These preliminary results provide a scientific rationale for using this intervention in future studies designed to investigate the impact of indoor mold exposure on health outcomes.