Life comes from the air: A short review on bioaerosol control

Abstract

Air is filled with numerous tiny organisms, with sizes ranging from 50 nm to 10 μm. These organisms are called airborne biological particles or bioaerosols. In the human history of investigating the origin of life and fighting against contagious diseases, the recognition of bioaerosols and the development of control methods against them have played crucial roles. The pandemic outbreak of flu due to the influenza A H1N1 virus in 2009 and the bio-terror incidents in 2001 have alerted us to the importance of bioaerosol research. Here, control methods against bioaerosols are briefly reviewed, and suggestions are offered for future research on airborne biological particles. © Taiwan Association for Aerosol Research.