Indoor air quality assessment of Federal University Dutse Library North West, Nigeria

Abstract

The present study was aimed at evaluating the number of bacteria and fungi in the indoor environment of Federal University Dutse Library. The sampling site was located in the University main reading room. Forty (40) air samples were collected in the month of June 2018. Air samples comprising of twenty (20) for bacteria and twenty (20) for fungi were taken twice a day; in the morning and afternoon. All the samples were analyzed for the concentration of bacteria and fungi using plate count method. The average bacterial and fungal counts in the library were found to be 240.10 CFU/m³ and 280.60 CFU/m³ respectively and ranged from 132-345 CFU/m³ for bacteria and 180-416 CFU/m³ for fungi respectively. Having subjected the generated results to statistical analysis (T-test at 95% confidence limit), there was no significant difference between microbial loads recorded for bacteria and fungi (p-value=0.000). However, the mean microbial concentration of the library indoor air was within a range which indicates intermediate level of contamination according to the guidelines established in 1993 by the European Community Commission. It is therefore recommended that the surfaces of the library should be kept clean and dry, as the wet condition in the library can cause growth of pathogenic microorganisms. Again, a follow up study is required with a view to detecting seasonal variations of the indoor microbial counts of the library.

Keywords: Indoor air quality, pollution, bacterial counts, fungal counts