EVALUATION OF AIRBORNE-PARTICULATES AND FUNGI DURING HOSPITAL RENOVATION

This study was conducted over 30 weeks on a hospital floor undergoing partial renovation. Some patients housed on the floor were immunosuppr essed, including bone marrow transplant recipients. The construction z one was placed under negative pressure and was separated from patient rooms by existing hospital walls and via erection of a temporary barri er. Other control measures minimized patient exposure to airborne mate rials. Air sampling was done for 3 weeks prior to construction, 24 wee ks during construction, and 3 weeks after renovation was completed. Ai rborne particulate concentrations, total spore counts, particle size, and fungal species were assessed. At the beginning of the renovation t here were increases in airborne particulates (from 0.2 to 2.0 mg/m(3)) and fungal spores (from 3.5 to 350 colony forming units (CFU)/m(3)), but only in the construction zone. Throughout the remainder of the ren ovation, particulate and fungal spore levels fluctuated inside the con struction zone bur remained close to baseline values in the patient ar ea. When renovation was completed, particulates and spore counts insid e the construction zone decreased to preconstruction levels. The prima ry fungus isolated from air samples was Penicillium. This study demons trated that control measures were effective in reducing exposures of h ospitalized patients to airborne particulates and spores and in reduci ng the increased risk of aspergillosis and other fungal infections ass ociated with hospital construction projects. The data from this study may be useful in establishing exposure guidelines for other health car e settings.