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Indoor occupational environments play important roles in human health. The growth and disease causing activity in indoor occupational fungi in humans also affected by some metrological factors. In this communication, we have reviewed the current status of indoor occupational fungi affected by some metrological factors..

This paper represent study & survey of indoor occupational environment mycoflora of 12 Ginneries, of the Lucknow city, was studied continuously for 12 months with an ecological & Meteorological viewpoint to establish their relationship with meteorological and other related factors. Meteorological data of same research year were recorded.

It needs to be mentioned here that during the course of present investigations (June, 2018-May, 2019) the weather parameters, particularly the temperature and rainfall, were not as stable as it used to be in the previous years. Since it is worldwide experience that the weather parameters, particularly temperature is increasing unexpectedly and hence its influence on all life forms can not be overlooked. Specifically, only three species of Aspergilli like A. flavus, A. fumigatus, and A. niger, were isolated throughout the year from the Ginneries. This is indicative of the fact that seasonality in the occurrence of fungi which operate in other environs like soil and compost may not exactly operate in the air because some Aspergilli, viz., A. fumigatus is not normally found during winters in soil (Agarwal, 1973, 1975 a, b, c), but has been found in the indoor air of ginneries during the present investigation. However, Mullins et al. (1984), while studying the concentration of A. fumigatus in outside air at Cardiff and St. Louis, found seasonal variation and its highest concentration during winter. But this may not be true for North-Indian climate. Similarly, A. nidulans, A. tamarii and A. terreus, which occur normally during cooler months in soil and other habitats, were found in varying frequencies in the indoor air in other months as well. This may possibly be attributed to the fact that the factor in operation in the other environs might not be functional in the indoors. During the present study also, the genus Cladosporium, a fungus commonly encountered by the aerobiologists all over the world, of course, in varying seasons, was found to be frequently and dominantly occurring in all the seasons in the indoor environments of Ginneries. Cammack (1955) also have reported similarly. The occurrence of Trichoderma and Monilia and so also Trichothecium roseum is in agreement with the earlier reports of Tilak et al. (1981), Verma et al. (1981) from air and also with that of Mishra (1965, 1966), Saksena et al. (1967a,b), Moubasher and Abdel Hafez (1978) and Misra (1983) from edaphic environments.

The micro-fungi from the indoor air of 12 Ginneries situated in Lucknow were studied for a year(2018-19). The fungi were isolated periodically using different natural and synthetic media such as, Czapek dox agar, Potato dextrose agar, Malt agar. Petri-plates containing aforesaid media supplemented with suitable antibiotics (0.5 g/L) were exposed for 3-6 minutes in the Ginneries at all their four corners and also in the center so as to get, as far as possible, complete picture of their indoor micro fungal flora. The Petri-plates were incubated at 28+1C and colonies were counted from 4rd to 8th day. Fungi were isolated on suitable slants and identified using standard keys and monographs.

1. National Carding Mill: - It is situated in Telibagh market  . The length of the shop is 5.5 m and breadth and height are 4.6 and 4.0 m, respectively. The mill surrounded by jute curtain had no opening. The condition of the mill was unsatisfactory, without ventilation.

2.  Rama Ginnery: - It is situated in Pandey Ganj Near Naka at a side of busy road. The length of the ginnery is 5.5 m and breadth and height are 4.6 and 3.7 m, respectively. The ginnery had one door. Two laboure worked daily from 8.00 A.M. to 5.00 P.M., except Thursdays. The ginnery had no cross ventilation.

3. Star Cotton Industry: - It is situated at Rahim Nagar Chauraha, Aliganj on a busy road. The Length of the ginnery is 5.4 and breadth and height are 3.2 and 2.9m, respectively. It had only one door at the front, and was without any cross ventilation . The environment of the shop was suffocating.

4. Thakur  Carding Mill: - It is situated at Husaria market of Gomti nagar  area on a very busy road. The length is 4.5 and breadth and height are 2.7 and 4.5 m, respectively. The cemented ginnery had two openings, one at the front and the other at backside, but had no cross ventilation.

5. Chinhut  Ginnery: - It is situated at  the busy road near Reliance petrol pump. The length of the shop is 5.5 and breadth and height are 4.0 and 3.2 m, respectively. The shop being made up of iron shed and surrounded by jute bags had ventilations and satisfactory overall condition.

6. Yadav Ginnery: - This is situated inCharbagh area at the busy of baasmandi  Road. The length of the mill is 4.3 and breadth and height are 4.0 and 4.6 m, respectively. The cemented ginnery was without any openings, except for one door.

7. Gupta Carding Mill : - It is situated at the Nilmatha crossing of Awas Vikas Colony. The length of the mill is 8.0 m and the breadth and height are 6.8 and 4.0 m, respectively. The mill was cemented but ill maintained. The mill had two shutter openings in the front only, but without any cross ventilation.

8. Lucknow Ginnery: - It is located at a busy roadside in Eveready Chauraha chowk area. The length of the mill is 4.0 m and the breadth and height are 3.7 and 3.1 m, respectively. The walls of the mill were plastered but ceiling was made up of polythene that made the place very warm. The mill had only one small door without any cross ventilation.

9. Pandit Ginnery Mill: - This is situated in Amausi area at Kanpur Road. The mill is cemented. The length of the shop is 5.5 and breadth and height are 3.7 and 4.3 m, respectively.

10. Faiz Ginnery Mill: - It is situated at sabji mandi area of Bangla Bazar . The length of the mill is 7.1 and breadth and height are 6.5 and 3.1 m, respectively. The ceiling of mill is iron sheet that makes the atmosphere hot.

11. Sonu Carding Mill: - This is in Gopal khera  area Raibareilly road in the busy market. The length of the mill is 4.6 and breadth and height are 4.0 and 3.4 m, respectively. The wall of the mill is cemented but the ceiling is covered with iron sheets. The mill has only one small door and no other windows and openings. Anil Carding Mill: - It is near railway crossing of the Sadar area. It measures 3.3 m in length with the breadth and height being 2.7 and 2.1 m, respectively. The mill is cemented without windows. Only one worker ginned cotton there every day from 9.00 A.M. to 6.00 P.M. The ginning frequency of the old cotton was twice than the new cotton.

12. Asish Ginnery Mill : - It is situated at the Indira nagar Bhootnath market. The length of the mill is 6.7 and the breadth and height are 4.6 and 2.8 m, respectively. The mill is cemented without other openings except a door. The condition of the shop was unsatisfactory. 

Meteorological data presented in table- 1 show correlation among themselves. Temperature was significantly and negatively correlated with the total number of fungi, total number of colonies indoors, as well as with total colonies outdoors, the last correlation being highly significant. Other meteorological factors showed in significant correlations with fungi. The negative correlation observed between fungi and temperature is logical as different fungal forms have varying temperature requirement to grow, flourish and produce spores (Griffin, 1994).

The occurrence of fungal forms in higher number from the ginnery number 4 may be due the unsatisfactory maintenance of the work place, lack of cross ventilation and ginning of more used cotton than the new cotton.  Used cotton might give out more fungal spores and dust.  Besides the above, the size of the work place, the work load, and other occupational activities being carried out under the same roof might also have played a significant role in determining the diversity and number of fungi of a particular Ginnery. Ginnery number 7 wherefrom the lowest number of fungal forms was recovered might possibly be a good example.  In this case the size of the work place was more than the others, which might have been one of the factors to dilute the fungal spores/unit volume than the other Ginneri

Findings:

No significant variation in the number of colonies found in the indoors and outdoors could be noted during the present study. However, statistically highly significant relationship between them could be established with the available data. Such findings although, not statistically proved had also been expressed by worker like Richards (1954) who made a comparative study of the outdoor and indoor environments for the mould spores. However, during the present study, it could also be observed that the materials stored in permanent Ginneries and the fine to very fine cotton fibres stuck to the ceilings and walls, etc., therein act as substrates for the fungi to grow during moist weather. Thus, these are significant in adding to or altering the fungal spectrum of the indoor air of Ginneries, besides the outdoor addition of spores through ventilation and dust, etc. that result due to ginning of fibres. According to Gregory (1961), “microbes in indoor air may come from outside air-spora by ventilation, or they may originate within the enclosure in which case they are probably limited in variety but may occur in high concentration”. Mallea et al. (1982), while working on the fungal flora in house, had reported in certain cases of greater number of fungi in the inside than the outside environment. This contains with the observations of the present study that the colonies in indoors were always higher than the outdoors in different months of the year. Since temperature has significant bearing on the fungal population, this result appears logical. Highest number of colonies was recorded in December and the lowest in June, during the present investigation. This indicates the seasonality in the air fungal population.

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