A characterization of bioaerosols in biowaste pretreatment plants in relation to occupational health

Rasmussen, Pil U.; Phan, Hoang U.T.; Frederiksen, Margit W.; Madsen, Anne Mette

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2021.06.009

Cited by 15 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…On the other hand, much lower exposure levels have been measured in samples from Danish waste transporters (about 33 times the median level) ( 30 ) and in Brazilian waste sorting plants (3.2 × 10 4 spores m −3 ) ( 5 ). Higher personal exposure ranges of 0.02 × 10 6 to 110 × 10 6 , 93 × 10 6 to 1,140 × 10 6 , and 0.39 × 10 6 to 5.01 × 10 6 spores m −3 have been measured in waste treatment plants in Germany ( 47 ), Denmark ( 13 ), and Norway ( 24 ), respectively. Of note, we assume that 1 CFU m −3 equals 10 spores m −3 ( 48 ), and this equivalence is an oversimplification to allow for comparisons.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The airborne mycobiome from waste processing plants encompasses wide taxonomic diversity ( 7 – 13 ), as well as structural and metabolic components that can interact synergistically or antagonistically to elicit immune responses, as reviewed for farming settings by May et al ( 14 ). The use of adequate in vivo or in vitro models is paramount for identifying hazards and predicting the risks associated with such complex exposure ( 15 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Divergent TLR2 and TLR4 Activation by Fungal Spores and Species Diversity in Dust from Waste Sorting Plants

Afanou

Mundra

Estensmo

et al. 2023

Appl Environ Microbiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This manuscript presents results on multifactorial characterization of bioaerosol exposure in Norwegian waste sorting plants and the potential of such airborne dust to induce NF-κB reactions through TLR2 and TLR4 activations in an in vitro reporter cell model system. Our data revealed that increasing fungal spore levels in the dust is associated with increased activation of TLR2 and TLR4, whereas increasing fungal OTU richness is associated with decreasing activation of these receptors.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divergent TLR2 and TLR4 Activation by Fungal Spores and Species Diversity in Dust from Waste Sorting Plants

Afanou

Mundra

Estensmo

et al. 2023

Appl Environ Microbiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Other workers were exposed to only low concentrations of fungi, and except at Plant 2, outdoor concentrations were also low. Thus, the drilling waste workers were exposed to lower concentrations of fungi than workers in waste plants ( Rasmussen et al 2021 ; Eriksen et al 2023 ), and in the lower end of wastewater treatment plant workers ( Madsen et al 2023 ), but at the level found in outdoor air in Finland ( Kiviranta et al 1999 ). Besides A. nidulans , fungal species which have previously caused occupational health problems including allergic reactions or are classified in Risk group 2 were found only in low concentrations in the exposures, and they were not fungicide resistant, and hence are not expected to cause health problems in healthy workers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A cross-sectional study on occupational exposure to microorganisms, endotoxin, hydrogen sulfide, and dust during work at drilling waste treatment plants

Daae,

Graff,

Foss

et al. 2023

Annals of Work Exposures and Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This cross-sectional study aims to obtain knowledge about workers’ exposure to airborne dust, bacterial and fungal species, endotoxin, biofilm formation, and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in drilling waste treatment plants. In total, 408 full-shift personal samples, 66 work areas, 40 drilling waste, and reference (outdoor air and seawater) samples were analyzed. Some workers were exposed to high levels of endotoxin (207 EU/m3), bacteria (3.8 × 104 colony forming units (CFU)/m3 and 9.8 × 104 DNA copies/m3), or fungi (1.4 × 107 CFU/m3 and 3,600 copies/m3). The exposure levels to endotoxin, bacteria, and peaks of H2S were dependent on the treatment technique. All types of drilling waste contained large concentrations of bacteria compared to the seawater references. Elevated concentrations of airborne bacteria were found close to drilling waste basins. In total, 116, 146, and 112 different bacterial species were found in workers’ exposure, work areas, and the drilling waste, respectively. An overlap in bacterial species found in the drilling waste and air (personal and work area) samples was found. Of the bacterial species found, 49 are classified as human pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, and Klebsiella oxytoca. In total, 44 fungal species were found in the working environment, and 6 of these are classified as human pathogens such as Aspergillus fumigatus. In conclusion, across the drilling waste treatment plants, human pathogens were present in the drilling waste, and workers’ exposure was affected by the drilling waste treated at the plants with elevated exposure to endotoxin and bacteria. Elevated exposure was related to working as apprentices or chemical engineers, and working with cleaning, or slop water, and working in the daytime.

show abstract

“…On the other hand, much lower exposure levels have been measured in samples from Danish waste transporters (about 33 times the median level) (30) and in Brazilian waste sorting plants (3.2×10 4 spores m −3 ) (5). Higher personal exposure ranges of 0.02-110×10 6 ; 93-1140×10 6 and 0.39-5.01×10 6 spores m −3 have been measured in waste treatment plants in Germany (59), in Denmark (13) and in Norway (27), respectively. Of note, we assume that 1 CFU m −3 equals to 10 spores m −3 (60) and this equivalence is an over-simplification to allow for comparisons.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The airborne mycobiome from waste processing plants encompasses wide taxonomic diversity (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13) as well as structural and metabolic components that can interact synergistically or antagonistically to elicit immune responses as reviewed for farming settings by May et al (14). The use of adequate in vivo or in vitro models is paramount for identifying hazards and predicting the risks associated with such complex exposure (15).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Divergent TLR2 and TLR4 activation by fungal spores and species diversity in dust from waste-sorting plants”

Afanou

Mundra²,

Estensmo

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This manuscript presents the results of an exploratory study on the relationships between NFkB (Nuclear Factor Kappa Chain Enhancer of B-cells) response through TLRs activation by dust characterized by fungal spore concentrations and species diversity. Personal total dust samples were collected from Norwegian waste sorting plants and then characterized for fungal spores and fungal species diversity, as well as for other bioaerosol components, including endotoxins and actinobacteria. The ability of the dust to induce an NFkB response by activating Toll-like receptors 2 (TLR2) and 4 (TLR4) in vitro was evaluated as well as the relationship between such responses and quantifiable bioaerosol components. The average concentrations of bioaerosols were 7.23 mg total dust m-3, 4.49×105fungal spores m-3, 814 endotoxin units m-3, and 0.6×105actinobacteria m-3. The mean diversity measurements were 326; 0.59 and 3.39 for fungal richness, evenness, and Shannon Index, respectively. Overall, fungal OTUs belonging to the Ascomycotina phylum were most abundant (55%), followed by Basidiomycota (33%) and Mucormycota (3%). All samples induced significant NFkB responses through TLR2 and TLR4 activation. While fungal spore levels were positively associated with TLR2 and TLR4 activation, there was a trend that fungal species richness was negatively associated with the activation of these receptors. This observation supports the existence of divergent immunological responses relationship between fungal spore levels and fungal species diversity. Such relationships seem to be described for the first time for dust from waste facilities.

show abstract

A characterization of bioaerosols in biowaste pretreatment plants in relation to occupational health

Cited by 15 publications

References 47 publications

Divergent TLR2 and TLR4 Activation by Fungal Spores and Species Diversity in Dust from Waste Sorting Plants

Divergent TLR2 and TLR4 Activation by Fungal Spores and Species Diversity in Dust from Waste Sorting Plants

A cross-sectional study on occupational exposure to microorganisms, endotoxin, hydrogen sulfide, and dust during work at drilling waste treatment plants

“Divergent TLR2 and TLR4 activation by fungal spores and species diversity in dust from waste-sorting plants”

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About