Click the red X in your browser to close this page and return to our web site.

Microbes and Moisture Content of Materials from Damaged Building
Meklin T., M.Sc., Haatainen S., B.Sc, Kauriinvaha E. M.Sc, Kettunen A-V. M.Sc, Haverinen U., M.Sc., Vahteristo M. M.Sc., Viljanen M. Prof., Nevalainen A Ph.D. National Public Health Institute, Kuopio, Finland, e-mail Teija.Meklin@ktl.fi

The aim of the study was to characterize the microbial flora of the envelope of a school building and the correlation of the microbial concentrations and the moisture content of materials was estimated. Material samples (n=95) were taken from different structures before the dismantling of the school. In all, 40 sample pairs were taken from which both concentrations of microbes and moisture contents (% by weight) were determined. The range of the total concentration of fungi was <45 - 8 600 000 cfu/g for all the analyzed material samples. The growth of microbes in a building is mostly regulated by the moisture of the materials and often the elevated concentrations of mesophilic fungi (>10 000 cfu/g) were associated with elevated moisture content of the material. However, the microbial concentrations did not fully correlate with the moisture contents of the material.