Ecological and Phytosanitary Monitoring of Indoor Air Quality in Preschool Institutions of Novosibirsk

Abstract

Special assortment of plants demonstrating high antimicrobial activity was tested in the play rooms of kindergartens in Novosibirsk. Preliminary laboratory experiments revealed universal activity of these plant species against test objects: Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans. Microbial pollution of air in the play rooms of 12 kindergartens in Novosibirsk was monitored taking into account the presence or absence of plants in the rooms. The dynamics of microbial pollution of the rooms was studied: the composition and number of colonyforming units per 1 m3 (CFU/m3), the fractions of opportunistic pathogenic microfrlora (staphylococcus, enterobacteria). The plants with the leaf area 1.5-3.0 m2 per 100 m3 of the room volume caused a significant effect of volatile exo-metabolites: a decrease in total microbial pollution, a decrease in the number of opportunistic staphylococci and enterobacteria by a factor of 1.5-3.5, and in some cases a decrease in the number of saprophitic bacteria of Sarcina genus. Results of the investigation may be recommended for wide application in order to optimize the indoor conditions of kindergartens.