Characterization of Bioaerosols and their Relation with OC, EC and Carbonyl VOCs at a Busy Roadside Restaurants-Cluster in New Delhi

Abstract

Measurement of biological particles (bioaerosols) in ambient air is of great importance as it is directly linked with the health issues. However, data on the bioaerosols characterization are scarce. Here we report on the concentration and characterization of bioaerosols (including bacterial and fungal aerosols) as well as determination of organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC) in total suspended particulate matter (TSPM) at a busy roadside restaurants-cluster site in New Delhi. In addition, 14 carbonyl volatile organic compounds (carbonyl VOCs) were also measured and their relationship with bioaerosols and OC/EC is assessed. The culturable airborne bacterial and fungal concentrations (CAB and CAF) at restaurant area varied significantly in different seasons ranging from 1.7 × 10 4 -9.8 × 10 4 (averaged 6.3 × 10 4 ± 2.6 × 10 4 cfu m -3 ) and 3.5 × 10 2 -9.5 × 10 3 (3.9 × 10 3 ± 3.1 × 10 3 cfu m -3 ) cfu m -3 , respectively. Major concentration peaks of TSPM, OC, EC as well as bacterial and fungal aerosols were found in winter and spring seasons. These peaks can be attributed to the low atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) height and favourable meteorological conditions for microbial growth in winter and spring seasons in New Delhi. Good correlations (R 2 > 0.5) were observed between CAB, CAF, TSPM and OC. On the other hand, CAB and CAF were not found to be correlated with carbonyl compounds (R 2 < 0.2) indicative of their diverse sources. The bacterial identification was done by 16s rDNA sequencing and the identified strains were Bacillus sp., Bacillus firmus, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus pumilus, Acinetobacter sp. and Acinetobactor radioresistens gene. Predominant fungal genera identified were Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Alternaria and Fusarium, which are known for adverse health effects causing numerous allergic and pathogenic inflammations.

Preparation and Characteristic of Antibacterial Facemasks with Chinese Herbal Microcapsules

“…It has been demonstrated that wearing facemasks for a long time can reduce the probability of infection from influenza-like illnesses (MacIntyre et al, 2009;Natarajan et al, 2016;Lin et al, 2017). Especially, functional facemasks are recommended for frontline healthcare workers to prevent splashes and sprays of blood, body fluids and the spread of infection from the wearer (Siegel et al, 2007;Agarwal et al, 2016). At present, polypropylene (PP) melt-blown nonwoven fabric has been extensively employed as a filter for biological protective respirators because it resists microparticles and pathogenic microorganisms based on physical effects.…”

Characterization, pro-inflammatory response and cytotoxic profile of bioaerosols from urban and rural residential settings in Pune, India

“…Rural houses in present study are comparatively heavily crowded with 5e6 peoples of different age group, health and gender. Therefore, constant human activities of different background people and their activities like burning of oil lamps and incense can cause bacterial emissions (Agarwal et al, 2016). In present study, higher fungal load has been observed in rural houses probably attributed to the outdoor fungal sources such as agricultural activities and cattle sheds (Fig.…”

“…Identified Bacillus species in PM 2.5 can survive long in the air and known to cause food poisoning and periodontal disease (Agarwal et al, 2016). Prevalence of similar bacteria aerosols in indoor environments were also reported in previous studies (Agarwal et al, 2016;Sheikh et al, 2015;Gangamma et al, 2011). Among 7 identified species of airborne fungi (Aspergillus sp., Cladosporium sp., Penicillium sp., Alternaria alternata, Fusarium sp., Trichoderma sp.…”

“…Profusion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in urban environment can be a major concern because of its association with respiratory tract infections whereas similarly the dominance of S. aureus in rural houses also may pose health threat to the exposed occupants due to their capability of causing disease through invasion and toxin production such as pneumonia, abscess and diarrhea (Liu et al, 2018;Sheikh et al, 2015). Identified Bacillus species in PM 2.5 can survive long in the air and known to cause food poisoning and periodontal disease (Agarwal et al, 2016). Prevalence of similar bacteria aerosols in indoor environments were also reported in previous studies (Agarwal et al, 2016;Sheikh et al, 2015;Gangamma et al, 2011).…”

How Has the Hazard to Humans of Microorganisms Found in Atmospheric Aerosol in the South of Western Siberia Changed over 10 Years?

“…It should be noted that for different microorganisms (strains, genera, kingdoms), these dynamics can vary significantly. In particular, in many cases, the concentration of culturable bacteria in a warm season is higher than in a cold one [75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86], but there are also opposite examples [80,[87][88][89][90][91].…”