title: Sources and dynamics of fluorescent particles in hospitals.
abstract: Fluorescent particles can be markers of bioaerosols and are therefore relevant to nosocomial infections. To date, little research has focused on fluorescent particles in occupied indoor environments, particularly hospitals. In this study, we aimed to determine the spatial and temporal variation of fluorescent particles in two large hospitals in Brisbane, Australia (one for adults and one for children). We used an Ultraviolet Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (UVAPS) to identify fluorescent particle sources, as well as their contribution to total particle concentrations. We found that the average concentrations of both fluorescent and non-fluorescent particles were higher in the adults' hospital (0.06×106and 1.20×106particles/m3, respectively) than in the children's hospital (0.03×106and 0.33×106particles/m3, respectively) (P<.01). However, the proportion of fluorescent particles was higher in the children's hospital. Based on the concentration results and using activity diaries, we were able to identify sources of particle production within the two hospitals. We demonstrated that particles can be easily generated by a variety of everyday activities, which are potential sources of exposure to pathogens. Future studies to further investigate their role in nosocomial infection are warranted.
authors.affiliation: International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.|Department of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Santa Catarina, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.|School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, Qld, Australia.
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Knibbs
authors.affiliation: International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.|Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grzybowski
authors.affiliation: International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Huffman
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Medicine, Prince Charles Hospital, Chermside, Qld, Australia.|Lung Bacteria Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Qld, Australia.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Herston, Qld, Australia.|Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, South Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Wainwright
authors.affiliation: Center of Health Sciences and Sport, Santa Catarina State University, Florianópolis, Brazil.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Matte
authors.affiliation: Center of Health Sciences and Sport, Santa Catarina State University, Florianópolis, Brazil.
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Dominski
authors.affiliation: Center of Health Sciences and Sport, Santa Catarina State University, Florianópolis, Brazil.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.affiliation: International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
authors.forename: L
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0594-9683
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Morawska
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000032:analysis*; D000391:Air Microbiology; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D001315:Australia; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000635:transmission*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005453:Fluorescence; D006761:Hospitals / Q000145:classification*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols
keywords: application of UVAPS; fluorescent airborne particles; indoor air in hospitals; particle concentration and size distribution; real-time bioaerosol detection; sources to indoor aerosol