Indoor Dust Direct Examination (E.D.P.A.®) and biotic pollution in confined environments

Simona Principato, Mario Principato, Luca Stingeni, Gabriele Mannucci, Iolanda Moretta

Indoor biotic pollution is a condition in which living organisms cause infestations in confined environments. They are often represented by insects and mites of medical, agri-food, industrial or forensic interest, depending on the environment and on the point of view taken into consideration. Indoor infestations can generate several different problems, especially for people’s health, due to the unavoidable interaction between humans and arthropods. The Indoor Dust Direct Examination (E.D.P.A.®) is a patented diagnostic method that enables to detect the traces left by insects and mites in confined environments and to isolate and identify the agent suspected to be the cause of an infestation by examining dust samples simply collected from the floor of every indoor area. Most cases of dermatitis of unknown environmental origin, for example, can be correctly diagnosed thanks to the E.D.P.A.®, that allows to identify the aetiologic agent, to discover where it is located, to discern if it is of indoor or outdoor origin and then to act with a targeted intervention to remove the cause, thus achieving spontaneous healing of dermopathy. In the agri-food field, the E.D.P.A.® enables to locate sites of larval infestation, to identify the species, to discover the origin of pests and to calculate the time of the infestation, in order to have the storage and the production sites of the factory under control. In the forensic field, the E.D.P.A.® can give also its contribution, allowing to find out if an indoor area of interest has been altered, by studying the biotic traces detected in the dust, such as arthropods, pollens, skin scales or other ones, discerning between their indoor or outdoor origin, evaluating their different concentrations, providing useful diagnostic data for further more detailed investigations. In conclusion, it is possible to successfully monitor the biotic pollution of any indoor environment for different purposes by examining dust samples with the E.D.P.A.® method.

Keywords: Indoor biotic pollution, Indoor Dust Direct Examination (E.D.P.A.®), Pathogenic arthropods, pests

Proscience vol. 5

Pp 83-89

DOI:10.14644/dust.2018.013