An Assessment of the Microbiological Quality and Physical Properties of Indoor Atmosphere in Port Harcourt

The assessment of microbiological quality and some properties of indoor atmosphere in Port Harcourt were carried out at seven different sites. Air samples were collected from these sites during the rainy and dry seasons as well as day and night periods. Microbiological identification tests were performed on isolated organisms while the environmental factors measured were air temperature, relative humidity and wind speed. Results obtained indicated that all seven sites yielded microorganisms at different degrees with site 5 having the highest microbial load and site 4 the lowest. The most conducive atmosphere for the growth and increase of airborne indoor microorganism were temperature between 31°C and 32°C, dry, dusty atmosphere and an overcrowded enclosure. The species of organisms isolated were Staphylococcus species, Bacillus species, Enterobacter species, Penicillium species, Rhizopus species, Mucor species and Cladosporium species. The study revealed that no indoor atmosphere is completely free from microorganisms; rooms that carry above their original design capacity for occupancy are prone to have a high load of microorganism and indoor microorganism survive and multiply faster during the dry season compared to their growth in the rainy season.