The IAA was founded on September 11th, 1974 in the Hague, the Netherlands. At that time, AEROBIOLOGY was not a new science as such, although its organization and international outlook were considered a really new phenomenon. As a matter of fact, aerobiology became a theme in 1964, when IBP (International Biological Program) was established.
Subsequently, in 1968, an International Aerobiology Working Group was constituted to coordinate all the national aerobiological programs. Today the IAA has a membership of about 800 and is run by the Council, composed of members nominated by associated societies and organizations and by the Executive Committee comprising the President, Vice-President, Past-President, Secretary-General Treasurer, Webmaster and Newsletter Editor. They are elected by the Council taking office at the end of each Congress. Their term lasts 4 years, coinciding with the intervening period between two Congresses, according to the Statutes.
The IAA organizes the Quadrennial Congress (International Congress on Aerobiology – ICA) which includes plenary sessions, symposia, scientific meetings, section meetings, commissions, committees, working groups, and exhibits on all aspects of aerobiology. Moreover, several International Courses and Meetings are being steadily held under the auspices of the IAA. Since 2018 there are a special Working Group for Young Aerobiologists established with the main idea to involve and encourage more young scientists.
The IAA publishes the International Aerobiology Newsletter twice a year and gathers all researchers interested in the study of atmospheric particles of biological origin.
AEROBIOLOGY can be defined as the study of bioaerosols, of airborne particles of biological origin and is focussed on the transport of organisms and biologically significant materials. It concerns their sources, liberation, dispersal, deposition and impact on other living organisms. This term was used for the first time by Fred C. Meier in 1930.
AEROBIOLOGY must therefore be considered as a multidisciplinary field which covers surprisingly broad fields of basic and applied sciences, such as allergology, bioclimatology, palynology, biological pollution, plant pathology, microbiology, indoor air quality, biological weathering, industrial aerobiology and cultural heritage.