| Summary: | The risk assessment of airborne bacteria and fungi between different-type buildings located in temperate climate zone is still unclear. We applied the culturable method to characterize the airborne bacteria and fungi in 10 residences, 1 school, 2 office buildings, 1 hospital, and 1 library during winter in Kunming, China. In a total of 79 rooms, 152 culturable microbial samples were investigated. Results showed that there were significant disparities in bacterial concentrations among various types of buildings. The highest culturable bacterial concentration was found in residences, while the lowest was in the library. In contrast, the fungal concentrations showed little difference. The risk assessment indicated that occupants in different types of buildings in Kunming had an acceptable exposure risk (hazard index < 1) for bioaerosols. The exposure risk for bacteria in residence was significantly higher than in the others, while the mean hazard index of fungi in residence was significantly higher than in schools, hospitals, and libraries. Ventilation could reduce the HI of bioaerosols in rooms. This study is helpful to give practical implications for assessing microbial characteristics in different types of buildings and highlight the significance of evaluating the microbial concentrations in residence in temperate climate zone in China.
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