Combined application of gamma radiation, cleaning and chemical sanitizers in decontamination of vehicle air conditioning filters

Simone Aquino; José Eduardo Alves de Lima; Sueli Ivone Borrely

doi:10.15392/2319-0612.2023.2244

Authors

Simone Aquino Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas Nucleares - IPEN/CNEN https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1445-6490
José Eduardo Alves de Lima ASSOCIAÇÃO EDICACIONAL NOVE DE JULHO - UNINOVE
Sueli Ivone Borrely INSTITUTO DE PESQUISAS ENERGÉTICAS E NUCLEARES

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15392/2319-0612.2023.2244

Keywords:

air, filter, car, fungi, gamma radiation

Abstract

This work aimed to analyze the fungal contamination of air-conditioning filter waste (n=15) as an indicator of Quality Air Indoor from different car models in São Paulo city in São Paulo State, Brazil, during the period from October 2018 to July 2019. Three different treatments were used for the decontamination of car air conditioning filters, such as mechanical vacuum cleaning (I), vacuum cleaning and use of sanitizing product (II), and sanitizing product associated with radiation treatment at a dose of 17 kGy (III). After the treatments, microbiological analyses were performed and samples were plated in Petri dishes containing Sabouraud agar transferred by Swabs, and incubated for 7 days at 25 °C. The Petri dishes were stored in a standard Biochemical Oxygen Demand incubator, for the growth of fungal cultures. After incubation, the fungal cultures were evaluated, and the fungal counting was expressed in unit-forming colonies (UFC) and frequency in samples (%). The fungi were examined by lactophenol blue solution staining for microscopy. All samples of treatment I and II were contaminated with various fungal genera and high bioburden, namely (treatment I) Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, Cladosporium spp., Fusarium spp., Mucor spp., Nigrospora spp., Not Sporulated Fungi (NSF), Penicillium spp., Rhizopus spp., Rhodotorula spp., Trichoderma spp. and yeasts. Treatment II showed Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, A. ochraceus, Cladosporium spp., Mucor spp., NSF, Penicillium spp., Phoma spp., Rhizopus spp., Rhodotorula spp., Trichoderma spp., and yeasts. Treatment III presented NSF and yeasts, with 80% of material decontamination.

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Author Biographies

Simone Aquino, Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas Nucleares - IPEN/CNEN

Centro de Tecnologia das Radiações

José Eduardo Alves de Lima, ASSOCIAÇÃO EDICACIONAL NOVE DE JULHO - UNINOVE

Graduated in Biological Sciences from Universidade Nove de Julho - UNINOVE (São Paulo) in 2014. With Specific Training in Environmental Management and professional qualification in the Interpretation of Ecosystem Variables, at Universidade Nove de Julho.

Sueli Ivone Borrely, INSTITUTO DE PESQUISAS ENERGÉTICAS E NUCLEARES

Tecnologiasta da Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear. Tem experiência na área de Engenharia Nuclear, com ênfase em Aplicações Industriais de Radioisótopos, atuando principalmente nos seguintes temas: avaliação de processos de tratamento para efluentes empregando ensaios de toxicidade. Uma segunda linha de pesquisa visà a aplicação da irradiação de efluentes com acelerador de elétrons e investiga o efeito da irradiação na redução de efeitos tóxicos para efluentes da da indústria têxtil e em efluentes que contêm surfactantes. Dentre os ensaios de toxicidade mais amplamente empregados na avaliação de efluentes encontram-se as bactérias V. fischeri e o microcrustáceo D. similis. Participação em projetos que visam desenvolver aplicações das radiações para benefícios ambientais e atua auxiliando pesquisas na área de radioesterilização de materiais e desinfecção de obras de arte.

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