Airborne Infectious Agents and Other Pollutants in Automobiles for Domestic Use: Potential Health Impacts and Approaches to Risk Mitigation

Table 4

Summary of findings on microbes on surfaces in family cars.

Types of surfaces sampled	Steering wheel, radio knob, dashboard, door handle, seat, children’s car seat, change holder, window opener, cup holder, seat belt, and area with a food spill
Type of vehicle tested	Higher levels of bacterial contamination in vans and sports utility vehicles than in sedans, possibly due to higher passenger capacity and more frequent transport of children
Variables considered	Different sites inside, type of vehicle, use of the vehicle for transporting children, and geographic location as well as sex and marital status of the drivers
Frequency of occurrence of fungi	Directly related to the mean air temperature of the city where the automobile was located
Frequency of occurrence of bacteria	Directly related to the mean average monthly rainfall as well as air temperature