Bioaerosol exposure by farm type in Korea

Abstract

Introduction andObjective. Bioaerosols exist in almost every environment and are known to be risk factors for a variety of diseases. Agricultural work involves high exposure to bioaerosols and its workplace concentrations affect the surrounding areas. The study evaluates bioaerosol concentrations in agricultural workplaces and residential areas according to farm type. Materials and method. In 2013-2015, a total of 381 samples were collected for endotoxin and microbial testing from three farm types: open field, greenhouse, and livestock facilities. Endotoxins were measured using a 37-mm glass fire filter connected to an air pump calibrated to 2 LPM. Microorganisms were measured using a gelatin filter and impaction (singlestage Andersen sampler).Results. The concentration of endotoxins and microorganisms at the livestock facilities was significantly higher than in the open fields and greenhouses (p<0.05). Among the livestock farms, the concentrations of endotoxins and gram-negative bacteria were highest at hog farms, and the concentrations of total bacteria and fungi were the highest in poultry houses. In both greenhouses and livestock facilities, the concentrations of bioaerosols were higher in the workplace than in a nearby residential area, and the difference in concentration was significantly greater in the case of livestock facilities. Conclusions. The concentrations of bioaerosols in agricultural workplaces and nearby residential areas were higher than in the control and general areas. Therefore, measures should be taken to prevent exposure to bioaerosols at agricultural workplaces and their vicinities.

Production of pro-inflammatory mediators stimulated by exposure of poultry house workers to airborne dust particulates

“…From the perspective of occupational exposure in agricultural settings, endotoxin is probably the most relevant parameter identified so far with airborne particulates associated with lung function impairment [46]. Its microbial origin, ubiquity, persistence, and capacity to attach to substances and particulates make it a challenging material to control in agricultural operations [71]. Numerous studies have underlined that the concentrations of inhaled endotoxins are associated with the development of airflow obstruction among poultry workers, as well as with increased levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα in lavage fluid (see below) [72].…”

Distribution Characteristics and Factors Influencing Culturable Bacterial Bioaerosols on a Dairy Farm in Northern China

“…The predicted values of 10 sets of concentrations were obtained by separately controlling 10 sets of single environmental factor values as "0" and inputting them into the prediction model. Finally, the difference between the predicted and true values of each group of concentrations was calculated according to Equation (6). The difference between the groups was used as a measure of the magnitude of the effect of each environmental factor on the concentration.…”

“…This may be due to the specificity of emitting sources in different emission scenarios. In livestock buildings, manure is a major emission source of bioaerosols [6]. Taking the waste management area as an example, it is more contaminated by manure and there is less diffusion as it is blocked by surroundings such as dry-wet separation and the air-cure treatment of dairy slurry.…”

“…Animals themselves and their faeces are the most important sources of bioaerosols in livestock farms [6]. Differing from swine or poultry, cows are typically free-ranging and housed in naturally ventilated buildings with free access to outdoor open lots.…”

Lactobacillus sp. participated in the adaptation of Rongchang piglets to cold stress

“…However, the growth and development of piglets is not complete (Zeng et al 2012), which makes them susceptible to temperature and humidity fluctuations in the breeding environment, and affects their later fattening period. At present, Rongchang piglets are often raised in an open hog house by free-range farmers (Figure 1B), where the temperature is easily changeable due to the environmental conditions, especially in the winter (Andrews et al 2021;Kim et al 2022). According to the tendency of the thermal neutral zone in breeding pigs (Ross et al 2015), the lower critical temperature of piglets is the highest when in cold environment (He et al 2018), hence, the low temperature not only leads to the slow growth of piglets, but also leads to various underlying diseases (Zhang et al 2020;Yu et al 2021;Chen et al 2022).…”