INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN ARCHIVES: HEALTH AND DOCUMENT RISKS

GUIAMET P.S.; LAVIN, P.; BORREGO, S.; GÓMEZ DE SARAVIA S.

Buenos aires

Congreso; 9 th. International Congress on Aerobiology; 2010

CONICET-Universidad Nacional del Sur- Universidad Nacional de La Pampa

Aeromicrobiota of archives can represent a health hazard, specially for workers who are exposed to this environment permanently and can produce damages in documents. Microorganims are capable of causing mechanical alterations in documents as well as chemical damages caused by enzymes, organic acids and pigments produced by them. The fungal structures are carried in the air and can be breathed in, causing respiratory discomforts. The odors as well as the toxins are produced only under special growth conditions so it is important to control the environment (humidity, temperature, ventilation, light). The aim of this work was to monitor indoor air quality in four archives: i) Historical Archive of the Museum of La Plata, ii) Archive of the College of Clerks, iii) Archive of GEODESIA, Ministry of Public Works, located in La Plata, Argentina and  iv) National Archive of Cuba (NARC), located in Havana, Cuba. The concentration of microorganisms in indoor environments in the most of the archives was analized using a passive sedimentation method on Petri dishes but in the NARC a biocolector was used to sampling of six repositories in two moments of the year (stage of drought and rainy). In the Argentine archives, the most common genera isolated were Aspergillus and Penicillium. In NARC these genera were predominant in the dry months and Cladosporium prevailed in the rainy months. Bacterial genus Staphylococcus was detected in two of four monitored archives. Some of the genera isolated (e.g. Aspergillus, Alternaria, Penicillium) can act as allergens affecting health of people who work in the deposits.