Microbiological air quality at municipal waste sorting plant

Abstract

Municipal waste plants can be a source of biological contamination of the environment, depending on the method of operation and the type of collected waste. The aim of this study was the quantitative characteristics of airborne microorganisms at the Barycz municipal waste sorting plant in Cracow. Bioaerosol measurements of indoor and outdoor air of the municipal waste sorting plant were performed during the summer season using a six-stage Andersen cascade impactor. The highest concentration of bacterial and fungal aerosol was observed in the medium fraction sorting room (129.02×103 cfu·m-3 and 116.21×103 cfu·m-3, respectively). There were statistically significant differences in the concentrations of bacterial and fungal aerosol between indoor and outdoor air. The calculations showed a significant correlation between the concentration of bioaerosol and particulate matter. Based on the analysis of bioaerosol particle size distribution, it was found that the concentration of bacteria and fungi has a maximum value in the diameter range 3.3-7.0 μm. The study confirmed that the municipal waste sorting plants can be causing exposure to microbiological agents.

The Dose of Fungal Aerosol Inhaled by Workers in a Waste-Sorting Plant in Poland: A Case Study

“…The PSD of fungal aerosol in the WSP was the highest for particles with an aerodynamic diameter of between 3.3 and 4.7 µm in the QSP, and between 4.7 and 7.0 µm in the PSP. Similar results were obtained in a WSP in Cracow, Poland, where the fungal PSD had a maximum peak ranging from 3.3 to 7.0 µm [64].…”

Bioaerosol Exposure during Sorting of Municipal Solid, Commercial and Industrial Waste: Concentration Levels, Size Distribution, and Biodiversity of Airborne Fungal

“…The size distribution of particles carrying microbial entities in bioaerosols emitted in WSPs has received little attention over the past. Airborne fungal entities were associated with particles < 5 µm in aerodynamic diameters in municipal solid waste treatment plants in Finland [11] and in the range of 3.3-7.0 µm in Poland [17,63]. Thus, results from published studies are contradictory regarding the size of particles carrying microorganisms and are not totally in line with our findings.…”

“…Knowledge about the taxa composition of microbial communities in bioaerosols from WSPs has been improved through studies using methods based on the identification of cultivated isolates [11][12][13] and based on high throughput sequencing (HTS) [14,15]. In addition, studies have allowed investigation of the size distribution of airborne microorganisms (SDAM) found in the air of WSPs and their deposition in the lungs of workers [16][17][18]. Several studies have also encouraged the completion of the measurement strategy of health effect indicators [19][20][21].…”

Exposure to Bacterial and Fungal Aerosols: Microorganism Indices in A Waste-Sorting Plant in Poland

“…The size distribution could also be influenced by the attachment of fungal particles to other particulate matter [58]. The same results were obtained in a sorting plant in Cracow, Poland where the fungal concentration had maximum values in range of 3.3 to 7.0 µm [45].…”

“…The results of the TIMC/m 3 (bacteria and fungi) collected from the sorting plant show that the maximum value was in the PCSP (2626), moreover the high value was obtained in the outdoor air (2366). In a waste sorting plant in Cracow, Poland, the value of TIMC/m 3 in outdoor air was even 61,300 while in indoor 30,490 [45]. Studies carried out in April in a sorting plant located in Korea, showed that the TIMC in indoor air was 21,0000 [38].…”