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Strategies for sampling airborne biogenic contaminants including fungi, bacteria, viruses, and protozoa should include specific considerations for each group and very often for different species within these groups. The determination of target pollutants and sampling strategy is based on preliminary investigation of the indoor environment by a walk-through inspection and clinical, epidemiological, and immunological features of health effects. The two general approaches are sampling for the detection of a particular pollutant and sampling for the detection of deviations from normal concentrations or specific composition of bioaerosols or both. The principal sampling techniques are based on sedimentation, filtration, impingement, precipitation, centrifugal separation, and impaction. Two samplers, namely, the six-stage Andersen and the all-glass impinger Model AGI-30 have been suggested as standards. General criteria for evaluation of sampling techniques are collection efficiency, sensitivity, reliability, ease of sterilization, maintenance and operation, and effect on viability. Particular considerations for indoor air are sampler noise, particle size discrimination, capacity, and air flow rate. Attention should also be given to sampling location, number of samples per interior, reference data, and methods to confirm the findings of air sampling.

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