OVERVIEW

Indoor Air Quality: Fungal Spore Identification (1630V) is organized by McCrone Research Institute and will be held from Dec 14 - 18, 2026.

Description:
Students will learn to identify fungal spores, place visible particles into meaningful categories, and relate those particles to problems in buildings and to human health. Emphasis is on “slit” samples like those from the “Air-O-Cell” and “Burkard” and also on “tape pull” samples, and viable sampling will be discussed.

This process begins with a brief introduction to non-fungal particles and proceeds through naturally occurring outdoor fungus spores to the indicator spores from problem buildings. The most common spores from both indoor and outdoor environments will be emphasized throughout the week until they become familiar. The less common spores will be treated by introducing references from mycological literature.

The first step in this process is the recognition of three major groups within the fungus kingdom by their spores, basidiospores, ascospores, and mitospores (molds). There will be detailed explanations of the effect of climate, season, and weather conditions on spores in the air, and a discussion of health effects and background information on how the mold scare got into public awareness. Exercises include taking and reading air samples, conducting a building investigation, reading tape samples from actual cases, and taking a short field trip to investigate natural sources of fungi.

Instructor’s equipment in the lab includes professional microscopes with oil immersion and phase contrast and a video projection system for group examination of samples. Student access to microscopes is suggested but not required for this course. At the conclusion of the course, the attendees should be able to take, count, write a report, interpret, and evaluate the health consequences of an air sample. It will also cover topics included in certification examinations.