Submitted via IRC for Bytram
Letting the sunshine in may kill dust-dwelling bacteria
Researchers at the University of Oregon found that in dark rooms 12% of bacteria on average were alive and able to reproduce (viable). In comparison only 6.8% of bacteria exposed to daylight and 6.1% of bacteria exposed to UV light were viable.
[...] Dust kept in the dark contained organisms closely related to species associated with respiratory diseases, which were largely absent in dust exposed to daylight.
The authors found that a smaller proportion of human skin-derived bacteria and a larger proportion of outdoor air-derived bacteria lived in dust exposed to light that in than in dust not exposed to light. This may suggest that daylight causes the microbiome of indoor dust to more strongly resemble bacterial communities found outdoors.
[...] The authors caution that the miniature room environments used in the study were exposed to only a relatively narrow range of light dosages. Although the researchers selected light dosages similar to those found in most buildings, there are many architectural and geographical features that produce lower or higher dosages of light that may need additional study.
Daylight exposure modulates bacterial communities associated with household dust. Microbiome, 2018; 6 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s40168-018-0559-4
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday October 19 2018, @11:07AM
I'd think this would be a lot more relevant to folks living in Mom's basement.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.