Published In
Developments in the Built Environment
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-3-2021
Subjects
Indoor Air Quality -- Monitoring
Abstract
Indoor environmental quality is a paramount concern among architects. Exposure to VOCs and microorganisms impacts occupant health, yet the role of materials on these exposures remains poorly understood. In this study, we placed four material types in individual microcosms to test whether material type influences bacterial community structure and VOC emission. We used culture-independent methods to characterize bacterial communities and TD-GC-MS to measure VOC emission. We found that viable bacterial communities had different patterns of abundance, diversity, and composition, in comparison with total (viable plus dead cells) bacterial communities. Examining viable bacteria only, Earth had the highest abundance and diversity, unique community composition, and overall negative VOC emission. Timber had the lowest bacterial abundance, composition similar to Gypsum and Concrete, and the highest VOC emission rate. Our research provides further evidence that architects’ decisions about building materials can influence chemical and microbial exposures indoors.
Rights
Copyright (c) 2021 The Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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DOI
10.1016/j.dibe.2021.100055
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/36083
Citation Details
Mhuireach, G. Á., Dietz, L., Griffiths, W., Horve, P. F., Laguerre, A., Northcutt, D., ... & Van Den Wymelenberg, K. (2021). Differing effects of four building materials on viable bacterial communities and VOCs. Developments in the Built Environment, 100055.