A healthy Bioaerosols indoor environment

What are Bioaerosols?

Scientists name those biological contaminants generally exist all time in our indoor air the “Bioaerosols”. The Bioaerosols do not have a clear definition of good or bad. People can live with it without noticing or being aware of the Bioaerosols, but sometimes they can cause health problems as well.

Bioaerosols are living micro-organisms or fragments of living creatures suspended in the air, such as dust mites, molds, fungi, spores, pollen, bacteria, viruses, and human and pet dander etc. They are floating, surviving, and reproducing all the time in the air, but they cannot be seen by naked eyes in most cases. Unfortunately, they can cause severe health problems, such as infections and allergies, or sometimes even fatal illnesses.

Bioaerosols like warmth and moderate to high humidity. They need a constant moisture supply in order to survive. Logically, the warmer area with higher moisture level will have a higher percentage Bioaerosols in the air. Nevertheless, there are always some furniture and household equipment can have a permanent damp spot hidden, so that they often become ideal host of bioaerosols, if not cleaned properly.

In order to control bioaerosols in the home, lower the relative humidity is the first step. Relative humidity is the amount of moisture in the air at a given temperature. When moisture rate is under 50%, the total amount of bioaerosols can be tremendously reduced.

For our special concern, dust mites are also part of the bioaerosols. Dust mites and their waste products are the most common allergens in indoor environment. According to researches, 10 to 15 percent of people are allergic to dust mites in different level. They become airborne during daily housekeeping activities, and being transmitted to other part of the house. It is known that effective dust mite control also requires the relative humidity be maintained at least below 50 percent. In addition, wash sheets, pillowcases, and mattress covers frequently in hot water in order to minimize the amount of living dust mites. Ordinary vacuuming does not kill or reduce dust mite populations. Instead, dust mites are so tiny that they pass through the vacuum cleaner bag and become airborne. In this way, the movements of dust mites actually becoming more and more active.

Experiences and practices showing only vacuum cleaner equipped with high-efficiency filters is effective enough to catch dust mites and keep them tighty in the filter afterwards. It is highly recommended for family use, especially if there is already family member who suffers from dust mites allergy.