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

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