A Modified Spectroscopic Approach for the Real-Time Detection of Pollen and Fungal Spores at a Semi-Urban Site Using the WIBS-4+, Part I

Abstract

The real-time monitoring of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP) such as pollen and fungal spores has received much attention in recent years as a result of their health and climatic effects. In this study, the Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Sensor (WIBS) 4+ model was evaluated for its ability to sample and detect ambient fungal spore and pollen concentrations, compared to the traditional Hirst volumetric method. Although the determination of total pollen and fungal spore ambient concentrations are of interest, the selective detection of individual pollen/fungal spore types are often of greater allergenic/agricultural concern. To aid in this endeavour, modifications were made to the WIBS-4 instrument to target chlorophyll fluorescence. Two additional fluorescence channels (FL4 and FL5 channels) were combined with the standard WIBS channels (FL1, FL2, FL3). The purpose of this modification is to help discriminate between grass and herb pollen from other pollen. The WIBS-4+ was able to successfully detect and differentiate between different bioaerosol classes. The addition of the FL4 and FL5 channels also allowed for the improved differentiation between tree (R2 = 0.8), herbaceous (R2 = 0.6) and grass (R2 = 0.4) pollen and fungal spores (R2 = 0.8). Both grass and herbaceous pollen types showed a high correlation with D type particles, showing strong fluorescence in the FL4 channel. The additional fluorescent data that were introduced also improved clustering attempts, making k-means clustering a comparable solution for this high-resolution data.

Characterization of Volatile and Particulate Emissions from Desktop 3D Printers

“…These trends in size and AF are very different from what has been seen previously using the WIBS for ambient bioaerosol monitoring, which has been shown to possess a wider variety of AF ranges [30,32]. In contrast, ambient air from a relatively complex environment will illustrate a varying range of overlapping size and AF values indicative of various biogenic and anthropogenic emissions, which is very different from the specific ranges seen here.…”

“…Particle emissions from PLA filaments and glue control run (PLA_Con_G) were recorded and characterized in real time by the WIBS. The WIBS has been deployed in a range of different outdoor and indoor campaigns [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ], and interestingly has been utilized to understand emissions in medical environments, highlighting that human activities and tasks can significantly influence the air quality in indoor spaces [ 36 , 37 ] and that mitigation processes could be of use. This study represents the first use of the WIBS in monitoring particulate emissions released during 3D printing.…”

On-Site Bioaerosol Sampling and Airborne Microorganism Detection Technologies

“…This type of technology is very helpful for rapid on-site detection. Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Sensor (WIBS) 4+ model has been modified to differentiate pollen/fungal spore types utilizing chlorophyll fluorescence [ 137 ]. Two additional fluorescence channels have been added to the original sensor to discriminate grass and herb pollens from others.…”

A Comparison of Models for the Forecast of Daily Concentration Thresholds of Airborne Fungal Spores

“…The study of primary biological aerosol particles increases their importance, especially those focused on identifying and quantifying fungal spores [1]. The increasing interest in the utility of fungi as aerobiological particles is usually linked to agriculture and public health, as their presence is linked to phytopathological and allergological diseases [2][3][4].…”