New paper on mold contamination and air handling units!

[Guest guest]

This is a good step towards eliminating mold in air conditioners, I think.

(assuming the manufacturers follow this kind of research - which they should!)

....

J Occup Environ Hyg. 2007 Jul;4(7):483-91

Mold contamination and air handling units

SC, Palmatier RN, Andriychuk LA, JM, Jumper CA, Holder

HW, Straus DC.

Center for Indoor Air Research, Department of Microbiology and

Immunology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Lubbock,

Texas.

An investigation was conducted on selected locations in air handling

units (AHUs) to (a) identify common mold species found on these

locations, ( determine whether some locations (and subsets) featured

mold growth sites more frequently than others, © ascertain whether

the operating condition of AHUs is related to mold contamination, and

(d) provide a basis for a microbial sampling protocol for AHUs. A

total of 566 tape lifts and 570 swab samples were collected from the

blower wheel fan blades, insulation, cooling coil fins, and ductwork

from 25 AHUs. All AHU conditions were numerically rated using a

heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) survey. Results

showed that Cladosporium sp. fungi were commonly recovered in terms of

growth sites and deposited spores, and they were found mainly in the

blower wheel fan blades, the ductwork, and the cooling coil fins.

Subsections of the fan blades, insulation, and cooling coil fins

showed no preferred area for mold growth sites. Other organisms such

as Penicillium sp., Aspergillus sp., and Paecilomyces sp. were

recovered from the cooling coil fins and insulation. Because of the

widespread prevalence of Cladosporium sp., there was no relationship

between mold growth and operating condition. However, the presence of

different species of molds in locations other than the blower wheel

blades may indicate that the AHU condition is not optimal. A suggested

microbial sampling protocol including interpretations of sample

results is presented.

PMID: 17487721 [PubMed - in process]