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Study on the Actual Condition of Fungal Flora in Car Air Conditioners and Its Effects on the Cabin Environment

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Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Building Energy and Environment (COBEE 2022)

Part of the book series: Environmental Science and Engineering ((ESE))

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Abstract

Air conditioning-related problems in the interior environment of cars are becoming more pronounced. In this study, we used a metagenomic method to analyze the fungal flora on the coils and filters of five car air conditioners in order to characterize potential microbial contamination of the cabin. Airborne fungal flora was also analyzed in the car with the engine running. The results of ITS2 analyses indicated that most of the detected fungi originated from plants and the general environment. Fungal growth was promoted by the air conditioner condensation water, as many of the identified species were hygroscopic and drought-resistant.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported financially by Procter and Gamble International Operations SA SG Branch and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (grant numbers 18H03808).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Architecture, School of Architecture, Kogakuin University, Tokyo, Japan

    Kensuke Watanabe & U. Yanagi

  2. Procter & Gamble International Operations SA SG Branch, Singapore, Singapore

    Yoshiki Ishida

Authors
  1. Kensuke Watanabe
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  2. U. Yanagi
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  3. Yoshiki Ishida
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to U. Yanagi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Zero Energy Building Studies, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Liangzhu Leon Wang

  2. Centre for Zero Energy Building Studies, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Hua Ge

  3. Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA

    Zhiqiang John Zhai

  4. Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada

    Dahai Qi

  5. Centre for Zero Energy Building Studies, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Mohamed Ouf

  6. School of Environment and Architecture, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China

    Chanjuan Sun

  7. School of Building Services Science and Engineering, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China

    Dengjia Wang

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© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

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Cite this paper

Watanabe, K., Yanagi, U., Ishida, Y. (2023). Study on the Actual Condition of Fungal Flora in Car Air Conditioners and Its Effects on the Cabin Environment. In: Wang, L.L., et al. Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Building Energy and Environment. COBEE 2022. Environmental Science and Engineering. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9822-5_205

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9822-5_205

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-19-9821-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-19-9822-5

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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