Biological contaminants in the indoor air environment and their impacts on human health

Abstract

Indoor air environment contains a complex mixture of biological contaminants such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, algae, insects, and their by-products such as endotoxins, mycotoxins, volatile organic compounds, etc. Biological contaminants have been categorized according to whether they are allergenic, infectious, capable of inducing toxic or inflammatory responses in human beings. At present, there is a lack of awareness about biological contamination in the indoor environment and their potential sources for the spreading of various infections. Therefore, this review article examines the association of biological contaminants with human health, and it will also provide in-depth knowledge of various biological contaminants present in different places such as residential areas, hospitals, offices, schools, etc. Moreover, qualitative and quantitative data of bio-contaminants in various indoor environments such as schools, hospitals, residential houses, etc. have also been derived from the recent literature survey.

Keywords: Bacteria; Bio-contaminants; Endotoxin; Fungi; Health effects; Viruses.

Fig. 1

Framework of the study

Fig. 2

Sources of bioaerosols in indoor environment

Fig. 3

Bioaerosols sampling methods and identification by using different techniques

Fig. 4

Possible transmission pathways and personal prevention from airborne infectious diseases