The average American watches television three to five hours a day (1). During that time we hear news reports of new health problems and environmental threats and see commercials for air cleaners and sanitizers. Up to 30% of TV viewing time is commercials. One ubiquitous ad touts an electronic air cleaner and, another claims to kill bacteria that live in the air. Neither product has any proven scientific data to substantiate their claims yet consumers bought 3.4 million such devices in 2003 (2). Maybe the pop-culture frenzy to eliminate bacteria started with a "Seinfeld" episode in which Poppie the chef failed to wash his hands after using the lavatory. Sickened after witnessing the unhygienic omission, Jerry Seinfeld refused to eat the handmade pizza Poppie set before him. Or, it might have started with reports of actual events such as the occurance of SARS and bioterrorism.

The American lifestyle has changed over the past 30 years: more work time is spent in climate-controlled offices rather in factories or fields and more leisure time is spent indoors. In the 1980s, it became known that long-term exposure to asbestos used in buildings led to impaired respiratory function and cancer. And, sick building syndrome came to the forefront in the 1980s when Legionella growing in air conditioner reservoirs caused infections in people in closed buildings. More recently, fungi growing on building surfaces have been linked to respiratory difficulties, headaches, and allergies (3). In the documentary "Breaking the Mold: The Kee Malesky Story," Kee suffers a near fatal asthma attach due to a mold in her house.

People are concerned about their health but deciphering scientific and health-related information on indoor air quality has become a difficult and overwhelming task. Students and staff hear news reports of toxic molds and are concerned about the air quality in their college. High mold growth on walls and carpets can lead to respiratory diseases (4) and the anxiety caused by worrying about toxic molds can lead to absenteeism. In 1995, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stated that over half of our schools have problems that affect indoor air quality (5). The studies to date have been on K-12 schools (6).

We evaluated microbiologic indoor air quality at a community college. The goal of our project was to enumerate the microbes in indoor air to pinpoint any problem areas and/or to allay concerns. Our report. pdf

Tim and Megan collect air samples from a ventilation intake and a water-damaged wall.