(514s) Determination and Characterization of Chemical Species in Indoor Dust and Aerosol in Pediatric Palliative Care

People spend more than 90% of their lifetime in indoor environments. However, indoor aerosol and dust are currently understudied, despite their potentially significant role in causing infectious and allergenic adverse health impacts. Indoor aerosol and dust are interrelated by resuspension and deposition of dust with their aerodynamic size or/and particle type, and further influenced by various activities such as cleaning. Indoor air quality in pediatric palliative care center is crucial as the center aims to optimize the quality of life by anticipating, preventing, and treating suffering when curative therapies are futile.

In this study, bacteria and mold suspended in air (bioaerosol) and deposited on surface (dust) were identified and compared to deduce the location characteristics. The MTT Assay was used to determine the cell proliferation rate and the reduction in cell viability of the collected fine particulate matter and dust samples. Reactive oxygen species was quantified by fluorogenic probes for measuring generalized oxidative stress in cells. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was applied for elemental analysis and chemical characterization of the samples. Further chemical analysis was performed to identify chemical components by using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and thermal gravimetric analysis. Bioassays such as acute toxicity, genotoxicity and estrogenicity were used to distinguish the differences in the present/absent of disinfectant and the sample characteristics at different locations.