Analysis of fungal contamination in vehicle air filters and their impact as a bioaccumulator on indoor air quality

Studies on air quality within automotive vehicles are an emerging research area in Brazil, especially in the city of Sao Paulo, one of the most polluted cities in the world and with the largest fleet of vehicles in the country. Indoor air quality is an indicator of environmental health that takes into account, in addition to thermal comfort, factors that interfere in precarious air conditions, such as the presence of fungi, bacteria and carbon dioxide in indoor air-conditioned environments. The objective of the present study was to analyse the fungal contamination in air-conditioning filters collected from 21 automotive vehicles and the study found 17 fungal genera in all samples collected (100%), including toxigenic fungi such as Penicillium, Fusarim and Aspagillus, indicating that indoor air quality can compromise the health of a portion of the population, such as professional drivers. Among the Aspergillus genus, the results showed the presence of the A. flaves, A. niger, A. fumigatus, A. ochraceus and A. clavatus species, which cause severe allergic and pulmonary respiratory diseases. Air in artificially heated environments should provide comfort to its occupants but it may pose a risk to human health if the car filtration system is contaminated by pathogenic fungi.