A molecular typing approach for evaluating bioaerosol exposure in wastewater treatment plant workers

Orsini, Massimiliano; Laurenti, Patrizia; Boninti, Federica; Arzani, Dario; Ianni, A.; Romano-Spica, Vincenzo

doi:10.1016/s0043-1354(01)00336-0

Cited by 46 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The microbial populations of airborne bacteria were assayed with molecular tools. Before analysis, the bacterial colonies incubated in nutrient agar were suspended in 400 μL of buffer (Orsini et al, 2002). …”

Section: Microbiological Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduction and characterization of bioaerosols in a wastewater treatment station via ventilation

Guo

Ding

et al. 2014

Journal of Environmental Sciences

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Bioaerosols from wastewater treatment processes are a significant subgroup of atmospheric aerosols. In the present study, airborne microorganisms generated from a wastewater treatment station (WWTS) that uses an oxidation ditch process were diminished by ventilation.Conventional sampling and detection methods combined with cloning/sequencing techniques were applied to determine the groups, concentrations, size distributions, and species diversity of airborne microorganisms before and after ventilation. There were 3021 ± 537 CFU/m 3 of airborne bacteria and 926 ± 132 CFU/m 3 of airborne fungi present in the WWTS bioaerosol.Results showed that the ventilation reduced airborne microorganisms significantly compared to the air in the WWTS. Over 60% of airborne bacteria and airborne fungi could be reduced after 4 hr of air exchange. The highest removal (92.1% for airborne bacteria and 89.1% for fungi) was achieved for 0.65-1.1 μm sized particles. The bioaerosol particles over 4.7 μm were also reduced effectively. Large particles tended to be lost by gravitational settling and small particles were generally carried away, which led to the relatively easy reduction of bioaerosol particles 0.65-1.1 μm and over 4.7 μm in size. An obvious variation occurred in the structure of the bacterial communities when ventilation was applied to control the airborne microorganisms in enclosed spaces.

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Section: Microbiological Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduction and characterization of bioaerosols in a wastewater treatment station via ventilation

Guo

Ding

et al. 2014

Journal of Environmental Sciences

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“…Specifically, the onset of SBS, which comprises a series of symptoms such as eye irritation, airway dryness, headaches, sleepiness, and skin rashes, has been attributed to the presence of biological microbes or their components (World Health Organization (WHO) 2002; Mendell et al 2008). Therefore, the effects of the microbial contamination of indoor air on human health and the development of suitable control measures have attracted significant attention in recent years (Orsini et al 2002;Douwes et al 2003;Adhikari et al 2004 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disinfection of indoor air microorganisms in stack room of university library using gaseous chlorine dioxide

Hsu

Huang

2015

Environ Monit Assess

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As with all indoor public spaces in Taiwan, the stack rooms in public libraries should meet the air quality guidelines laid down by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration. Accordingly, utilizing a university library in Taiwan for experimental purposes, this study investigates the efficiency of gaseous chlorine dioxide (ClO2) as a disinfection agent when applied using three different treatment modes, namely a single-daily disinfection mode (SIM), a twice-daily disinfection mode (TWM), and a triple-daily disinfection mode (TRM). For each treatment mode, the ClO2 is applied using an ultrasonic aerosol device and is performed both under natural lighting conditions and under artificial lighting conditions. The indoor air quality is evaluated before and after each treatment session by measuring the bioaerosol levels of bacteria and fungi. The results show that for all three disinfection modes, the application of ClO2 reduces the indoor bacteria and fungi concentrations to levels lower than those specified by the Taiwan EPA (i.e., bacteria <1500 CFU/m(3), fungi <1000 CFU/m(3)), irrespective of the lighting conditions under which the disinfection process is performed. For each disinfection mode, a better disinfection efficiency is obtained under natural lighting conditions since ClO2 readily decomposes under strong luminance levels. Among the three treatment modes, the disinfection efficiencies of the TWM and TRM modes are very similar under natural lighting conditions and are significantly better than that of the SIM mode. Thus, overall, the results suggest that the TWM treatment protocol represents the most cost-effective and efficient method for meeting the indoor air quality requirements of the Taiwan EPA.

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“…Specifically, the onset of SBS, which comprises a series of symptoms such as eye irritation, airway dryness, headaches, sleepiness, skin rashes, and so on, has been attributed to the presence of biological microbes or their components (World Health Organization [WHO], 2002;Mendell et al, 2008). As a result, the effects of microbial contamination of indoor air on human health and the development of suitable control measures have attracted growing attention in recent years (Orsini et al, 2002;Douwes et al, 2003;Adhikari et al, 2004;Jones and Harrison, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disinfection efficiency of chlorine dioxide gas in student cafeterias in Taiwan

Hsu

Huang

2012

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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In Taiwan, the food and drink requirements of students and faculty members are met by student cafeterias. The air quality within these cafeterias should satisfy the guidelines laid down by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (Taiwan EPA). Accordingly, this study performed an experimental investigation into the efficiency of two different gaseous chlorine dioxide (ClO 2 ) treatments in disinfecting a local student cafeteria, namely a single, one-off application and a twice-daily application. In both cases, the ClO 2 was applied using strategically placed aerosol devices. The air quality before and after disinfection was evaluated by measuring the bioaerosol levels of bacteria and fungi. Moreover, a stepwise discriminant analysis method was applied for predicting the residual concentrations of bacteria and fungi, as a function of the environmental parameters and the ClO 2 concentration. The experimental results showed that the average background levels of bacteria and fungi prior to ClO 2 disinfection were 972.5 AE 623.6 and 1534.1 AE 631.8 colony-forming units (CFU)/m 3 , respectively. A single ClO 2 application was found to reduce the bacterial and fungal concentration levels by as much as 65% and 30%, respectively. By contrast, a twice-daily ClO 2 application was found to reduce the bacterial and fungal concentration levels by as much as 74% and 38%, respectively. The statistical analysis results showed that the residual bacterial concentration level was determined primarily by the number of individuals present in the cafeteria, the temperature, and the ClO 2 concentration, whereas the residual fungal concentration level was determined mainly by the temperature, the total number of suspended particles, and the ClO 2 concentration. Thus, the integrated results suggest that the air quality guidelines prescribed by the Taiwan EPA for student cafeteria can best be achieved by applying ClO 2 twice daily using an appropriate deployment of aerosol devices.Implications: ClO 2 gas can destroy all manner of microorganisms, including bacteria, spores, fungi, viruses, and even protozoans, in indoor environments. Moreover, it is popularly known that bioaerosols are able to grow and propagate on a wide variety of building materials and indoor surfaces. Thus, through optimal ClO 2 disinfection methodology, the indoor microbial contaminants can be decreased and the residual concentrations of bacteria and fungi as a function of the environmental parameters and the ClO 2 concentration can be predicted via some statistical techniques.

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A molecular typing approach for evaluating bioaerosol exposure in wastewater treatment plant workers

Cited by 46 publications

References 16 publications

Reduction and characterization of bioaerosols in a wastewater treatment station via ventilation

Reduction and characterization of bioaerosols in a wastewater treatment station via ventilation

Disinfection of indoor air microorganisms in stack room of university library using gaseous chlorine dioxide

Disinfection efficiency of chlorine dioxide gas in student cafeterias in Taiwan

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