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A comparison of airborne and dust-borne allergens and toxins collected from home, office and outdoor environments both in New Haven, United States and Nanjing, China

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Abstract

In this study, the airborne and dust-borne concentrations of endotoxin, (1,3)-β-d-glucan and five house dust allergens were measured in office, home, and outdoor environments both in New Haven, United States and Nanjing, China. Air samples were collected using a BioSampler at a flow rate of 12.5 l/min for 30 min. Dust samples were simultaneously collected using a surface sampler. Dust samples went through extraction and dilution before analysis, while air samples were analyzed directly. Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate (LAL) Pyrochrome and Glucatell assays were used to quantify endotoxin and (1,3)-β-d-glucan concentration levels, respectively. Enzyme-linked sorbent assay was used to measure the dust mites, cat, dog, and cockroach allergens. The experimental results indicated that endotoxin, (1,3)-β-d-glucan and allergen concentrations vary greatly both with samples and environments. In all tested environments, endotoxin concentration ranged from 0.8 to 83.7 ng/m3 for air, and 7.8 to 14.3 ng/mg for dust. (1,3)-β-d-glucan concentration ranged from 0.1 to 9.8 ng/m3 for air, and 6.6 to 110 ng/mg for dust. Cockroach allergens were detected only in New Haven office and outdoor environments, and other allergens ranged from 0.1 to 90 ng/mg for dust samples, and from 1.5 to 1,282 ng/m3 for air samples. In general, similar profiles of allergens and toxins were observed in New Haven and Nanjing environments. Linear regression analysis showed that there were better endotoxin and (1,3)-β-d-glucan linear correlations (R 2 = 0.78, 0.87, respectively) between the dust and air samples compared to those of the allergens Der f 1 and Der p 1 (R 2 = 0.5, 0.7, respectively). This research contributes to the development of robust biological exposure assessment and the elaboration of airborne and dust-borne bio-mass in the living environments.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Peking University “100 Scholar Program” Fund and the National Science Foundation of China, Grant 20877004.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Maosheng Yao & Yan Wu

  2. Jiangsu Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China

    Shiqi Zhen

  3. Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901-8551, USA

    Gediminas Mainelis

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  1. Maosheng Yao
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Correspondence to Maosheng Yao.

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Yao, M., Wu, Y., Zhen, S. et al. A comparison of airborne and dust-borne allergens and toxins collected from home, office and outdoor environments both in New Haven, United States and Nanjing, China. Aerobiologia 25, 183–192 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-009-9123-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-009-9123-9

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