Proposal for monitoring approach and control of air mycobiota in the Grand Egyptian Museum—Conservation Center

Cultural property preserved in indoor environments is subjected to fungal deterioration which resulted from air biocontamination and can lead to a heavy cultural loss. This study aimed to monitor and assess the biodiversity and concentration of airborne fungi for all areas of the Grand Egyptian Museum—Conservation Center (GEM-CC), such as conservation laboratories, scientific laboratories, corridors, storerooms, and outside in each season during 2013 using the air sampler machine. Results of the quantitative analysis of fungal aerosol demonstrated that the air quality level in GEM-CC was generally acceptable, though some areas showed deviation from the threshold limit value of the GEM-CC (200 CFU m−3). Also, the fungal load in all storerooms was lower than inside the laboratories. Quantitative analysis revealed that 22 fungal species were isolated and identified. The genus Penicillium appeared with high relative distribution (42.6%), followed by Cladosporium and Aspergillus. In vitro study revealed the effectiveness of ethanol with 70% concentration, against the most common airborne fungus: Aspergillus flavus. However, the concentration rose to 95% when applying in vivo. Finally, we suppose that weekly spraying the GEM-CC environment with 95% ethanol is a protective measure for both our valuable artifacts and staff health.