# Material matters: a framework for integrating surface properties into built environment microbiome research

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new framework to study how surface properties in indoor environments influence the microbiome, aiming to improve health through better material choices.

## Contribution

The paper proposes an interdisciplinary framework integrating material science and microbiology to study and manage the built environment microbiome.

## Key findings

- Only 31% of indoor microbiome studies report material information, lacking detailed surface property data.
- Surface properties like roughness and wettability significantly influence microbial communities in controlled lab settings.
- The kitchen is presented as a complex case study showing interactions between materials and microbes in real-world environments.

## Abstract

The built environment (BE), where we spend the majority of our time, contains a variety of surfaces with distinct properties. Our understanding of how these surfaces shape the microbiome of the BE (MoBE) is underdeveloped and limits the ability to develop a bioinformed microbial management framework. Lab-scale studies have shown the impact of surface properties (roughness, wettability, porosity) on microbial communities, but studies sampling the BE microbiome have often overlooked this metadata. A keyword search of the literature found that only 31% of studies that sampled the indoor microbiome reported material information, which did not include any material characterization data. We have used the kitchen as a case study to illustrate the complexity of the microbial community and material surfaces that are present in the BE. We also describe how the use of BE spaces, such as cleaning, can impact both the materials and microbial community. We propose an interdisciplinary approach to studying the MoBE, incorporating techniques from material characterization into environmental microbiological sampling to elucidate the role of materials and their surface properties on the MoBE. Utilizing this interdisciplinary approach, a bioinformed framework can be developed for managing healthy MoBEs—one that improves occupant health by incorporating material science into microbial risk assessment and design strategies.