Biological contaminants —illness syndromes; bacteria; viruses; and exposures to insect, mite, and animal allergens - Indoor Environmental Quality - page 160

In a survey of school teachers in Indiana, a large percentage of teachers
(circa 30%) reported experiencing allergy-type symptoms during the school
day, with symptoms showing a strong positive correlation with teacher
perceptions of the extent of surface dustiness and overall classroom cleanli-
ness. Teachers and children not significantly exposed at home would be at
risk to elevated classroom allergens. This exposure risk may be increasing
as schools in the U.S. install carpeting as older schools are renovated and
new schools are built.
Readings
Arlian, L.G., Biology and ecology of house dust mites, Dermatophagoides spp. and
Euroglyphus spp., Immunol. Allergy Clin. N. Am. , 9, 339, 1989.
Burge, H.A., Health effects of biological contaminants, in Indoor Air and Human Health ,
Gammage, R.B. and Berven, B.A., Eds., CRC Press/Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton,
1996, 171.
Burge, H.A., Ed., Bioaerosols. Indoor Air Research Series , Center for Indoor Air Research.
Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, 1995
Cox, C.S. and Wathes, C.M., Eds., Bioaerosols Handbook , CRC Press/Lewis Publishers,
Boca Raton, 1995.
Etkin, D.S., Biocontaminants in indoor environments, Indoor Air Quality Update , Cut-
ter Information Corp., Arlington, MA., 1994.
Kubica, G.P., Exposure risk and prevention of aerial transmission of tuberculosis in
health care settings, in Indoor Air and Human Health , Gammage, R.B. and Berven,
B.A., Eds., CRC Press/Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, 1996, 141.
Maroni, M., Siefert, B., and Lindvall, T., Biological agents, in Indoor Air Quality. A
Comprehensive Reference Book , Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1995, chap. 5.
Milton, D.K., Bacterial endotoxins: A review of health effects and potential impact
in the indoor environment, in Indoor Air and Human Health , Gammage, R.B. and
Berven, B.A., Eds., CRC Press/Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, 1996, 179.
Morey, P.R., Feeley, J.C., and Otten, J., Eds., Biological contaminants in indoor envi-
ronments. STP 102. American Society of Testing Materials, Philadelphia, 1990.
Pape, A.M, Patterson, R., and Burge, H., Eds., Indoor Allergens: Assessing and Control-
ling Adverse Health Effects , National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1999.
Platt-Mills, T.A.E., Estimation of allergen concentration in indoor environments: pre-
diction of health-related effects, in Indoor Air and Human Health , Gammage, R.B.
and Berven, B.A., Eds., CRC Press/Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, 1996, 197.
Spengler, J.D., Samet, J.M., and McCarthy, J.F., Eds., Indoor Air Quality Handbook ,
McGraw-Hill Publishers, New York, 2000, chaps. 42, 43, 47, 48 .
Questions
1. How are antigens and allergens related?
2. What relationship if any is there between chronic allergic rhinitis and asthma?
3. What is the biological mechanism involved in the induction of chronic allergic
rhinitis and allergy symptoms?
4. Most allergens are proteins. However, one can become sensitized to substances
such as formaldehyde, toluene diisocyanate, and trimellitic anhydride. How?