China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Problem Buildings, Laboratories and Hospitals
Published in Christopher S. Cox, Christopher M. Wathes, Bioaerosols Handbook, 2020
J.M. Macher, A.J. Streifel, D. Vesley
As described above, engineers use ventilation to control air quality because it can be adapted easily to a variety of situations and because (unlike the wearing of respirators and disposable clothing) it does not interfere with occupant activities. Other means of bioaerosol control (e.g., particle removal with in-room air cleaners, and bacterial or viral inactivation with germicidal ultraviolet radiation) have been attempted with some success.81 Because modification of an existing ventilation system can be more expensive than these alternative control measures, increasingly they are being considered as ways to reduce the spread of airborne infections in high-risk settings such as health-care facilities, shelters for the homeless, correctional facilities and detention centers.39,81
Biological Agents
Published in Katarzyna Majchrzycka, Małgorzata Okrasa, Justyna Szulc, Respiratory Protection Against Hazardous Biological Agents, 2020
In working environment, particles forming bioaerosols are typically released into the air as a result of processing raw materials (e.g. plant, animal, clinical material) and other work-related (moving, cleaning, washing) and non-work-related activities (talking, sneezing, coughing). Therefore, the specificity of the working environment is crucial for determining the amount and type of biological agents in the air. Also, features related to the location of the workplace (indoor or outdoor), characteristics of the premises (without ventilation or air-conditioned, wooden or brick, dimly lit or sunny, regularly ventilated and cleaned or dusty and in poor hygienic condition) and the microclimate parameters (temperature, relative humidity) are important in this respect. These parameters will be completely different depending on the type of working environments, e.g. at working stations in a municipal composting plant, in a diagnostic laboratory or in an office. The occurrence and survival of microorganisms is also influenced by workers – their number, intensity of movement, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), personal hygiene as well as individual susceptibility to infections and emission of secretions (sweat, saliva), which are usually a factor conducive to growth of microorganisms. The impact of environmental factors on the survival of microorganisms in workplaces is very complex and difficult to define unambiguously. Microbiological knowledge describing how individual physicochemical factors determine microbial growth and microbial life functions will be of great assistance in understanding the phenomena related to the development of biological agents in the working environment.
Bioaerosols
Published in Epstein Eliot, The Science of Composting, 2017
Endotoxin and organic dust from composting operations have not been shown to be of concern to the general public. These bioaerosols can impact worker health, however, presently, most of the available data are from MSW processing facilities in Denmark. Exposure to endotoxin in recycling, preprocessing of solid waste in composting facilities, and handling of MSW on tipping floors has affected worker health in Europe. To date, there are no reported cases in the United States. Proper ventilation and the use of dust masks reduce worker exposure to bioaerosols.
Introduction to the A&WMA 2023 Critical Review: Environmental sampling for disease surveillance: Recent advances and recommendations for best practice
Published in Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 2023
Besides in industrial facilities, it is estimated that bioaerosols are responsible for approximately 5% to 34% of indoor PM air pollution (Mandal and Brandl, 2011). Bioaerosols from outdoor sources enter residential indoor air by passing through windows, doors, heating ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Plus, major indoor sources are recognized as: building materials, furnishings, pets, house plants, and humidifiers (Wéry, Galès, and Brunet 2017). Regular or ordinary human activities (e.g., coughing, washing, toilet flushing, talking, walking, sneezing, and sweeping floors) are also capable of generating bioaerosols (Chen and Hildemann 2009; Nazaroff 2016). Though, the extent of formation and dispersion of microorganism are substantially controlled by ventilation system and environmental conditions such as humidity and temperature (Dedesko and Siegel 2015; Kohanski, Lo, and Waring 2020; Morawska et al. 2020).
Field sampling of indoor bioaerosols
Published in Aerosol Science and Technology, 2020
Jennie Cox, Hamza Mbareche, William G. Lindsley, Caroline Duchaine
Bioaerosols are airborne particles that originate from biological sources including bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, plants, and animals. These ubiquitous particles can include a variety of living and non-living entities, and may be single or grouped organisms or spores, fragments of organisms, or residues or products of organisms like endotoxins or mycotoxins. Particle sizes can range in size from tens of nanometers to more than 100 µm and can vary with relative humidity. Indoor environments include homes, office buildings, schools, factories, agricultural facilities, aircraft, subways, buses and other indoor locations. Indoor bioaerosols have been the topic of a substantial body of research in recent years, primarily because of their health effects on humans, and they have been the subjects of numerous reviews addressing topics such as bioaerosol sources, exposure-response relationships, disease transmission, and sampling and detection methods (Mbareche et al. 2017; Mirskaya and Agranovski 2018; Mubareka et al. 2019; Walser et al. 2015). The purpose of this review is to provide a brief overview of techniques for studying indoor bioaerosols, identify some common problems and misconceptions, and discuss future research needs for methods to better understand indoor bioaerosols.
Natural sources and experimental generation of bioaerosols: Challenges and perspectives
Published in Aerosol Science and Technology, 2020
Malin Alsved, Lydia Bourouiba, Caroline Duchaine, Jakob Löndahl, Linsey C. Marr, Simon T. Parker, Aaron J. Prussin, Richard J. Thomas
Bioaerosols are airborne entities that either contain microorganisms or biological materials derived from living organisms, mixed with solids or fluids (Depres et al. 2012). When referring to bioaerosols, it is important to distinguish between two primary types: dry (particles) and liquid bioaerosols (droplets). The latter can remain in liquid phase, or evolve into dry particles depending on their local environment (Lighthart 1994). The nature of the dried bioaerosols resulting from the evaporation of droplets is distinct from that of bioaerosols originally formed as dry particles (Cox 1970 1987). Understanding the nature and impact of bioaerosols requires recognition of interactions between several aspects of the aerosol system, such as (i) source of aerosolized material, (ii) aerosol generation method, (iii) atmospheric transport/processing of bioaerosol particles, (iv) aerosol sampling/deposition, and (v) down-stream quantification techniques. This review focuses on the initial two aspects: sources and mechanisms of generation of bioaerosols. The combination of source and mechanism defines the process of aerosol generation, and the aim in experimental aerosol generation studies should be to mimic the natural process. For example, liquid aerosol generation defines the initial droplet which is the micro-environment where biological components reside (Haddrell and Thomas 2017).