Protection of the vehicle cab environment against bacteria, fungi and endotoxins in composting facilities

Schlosser, O.; Huyard, A.; Rybacki, Danielle; Quang, Z. Do

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2012.01.013

Cited by 20 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The individuals working on dumpsites such as scavengers, waste workers and vendors are often exposed to elevated levels of these pathogenic microorganisms majorly by inhalation as most have been noted to work in these conditions without personal protective equipment (Odewabi et al, 2013). Workers exposure to organic dust laden with bioaerosols have been reported from composting and landfills facilities typically associated by high emission of organic dust during agitation activities, a condition 61 similar to open dumpsites (Ray et al, 2005;Schlosser et al, 2012). In addition to exposure by 62 inhalation, other exposure routes such as ingestion and the skin contact presents additional exposure risk to the workers.…”

Section: Introduction 36mentioning

confidence: 99%

Exposure to bioaerosols at open dumpsites: A case study of bioaerosols exposure from activities at Olusosun open dumpsite, Lagos Nigeria

2019

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Activities associated with the open dumping of municipal solid waste has the potential to have 7 greater impacts on the environment and public health compared to other forms of waste-to-land treatment of such wastes. However, there is a lack of quantitative data on the exposure to bioaerosols from open dumpsites, hence impeding the development of effective interventions that would reduce the risk of respiratory symptoms among scavengers and waste workers at such dumpsites. This study investigated exposure to bioaerosols at Olusosun open dumpsite, Lagos Nigeria using three methodologies; (1) Conducting a cross-sectional survey on the respiratory health of the population on the dumpsite, (2) Measuring bioaerosol concentrations in the ambient air by measuring four bioaerosols indicator groups (total bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, Aspergillus fumigatus and total fungi) using a Anderson six stage impactor sampler, (3) Measuring activity related exposures to bioaerosols using an SKC button personal sampler. After a cross sectional health survey of 149 participants (waste workers, scavengers, middlemen, food vendors and business owners), smokers reported higher symptoms of chronic cough (21%) and chronic phlegm (15%) compared to non-smokers (chronic cough 15%, chronic phlegm 13%). Years of work > 5 years showed no statistically significant association with chronic phlegm (OR 1.2, 95% CI 0.4-3.4; p>0.05) or asthma (OR 1.8, 95% CI 0.6-5.2; p>0.05). At the 95 th percentile, the concentration of gram-negative bacteria was the highest (2188 CFU/m 3), then total bacteria (2189 CFU/m 3), total fungi (843 CFU/m 3) and Aspergillus fumigatus (441 CFU/m 3) after ambient air sampling. A comparison of the data showed that the activity-based sampling undertaken using body worn personal sampler showed higher 26 bioaerosols concentrations (10 4-10 6 CFU/m 3), i.e. 2-3 logs higher than those recorded from static ambient air sampling. Bioaerosol exposure was highest during scavenging activities compared to waste sorting and site supervision. Particle size distributions showed that 41%, 46%, 76% and 63% of total bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, Aspergillus fumigatus and total fungi respectively were of respirable sizes and would therefore be capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system, posing a greater human health risk. This study has shown that exposure to bioaerosols can be associated with activities undertaken at open dumpsites and may contribute to the high prevalence of the chronic respiratory symptoms, among the workers in such environments.

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Section: Introduction 36mentioning

confidence: 99%

Exposure to bioaerosols at open dumpsites: A case study of bioaerosols exposure from activities at Olusosun open dumpsite, Lagos Nigeria

2019

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“…Based on the exposure and heath effects of bioaerosols, robust approaches will likely be adopted to reduce occupational exposure to organic dust, especially during waste mixing. Schlosser et al (2012) suggested fitting the vehicle cabs of front-end loaders and mobile mixers in both indoor and outdoor composting facilities with a pressurization and high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration system to mitigate the occupational health risk associated with airborne bacteria, fungus, and endotoxin exposure. Moreover, regular thorough cleaning of the vehicle cab, as well as overalls and shoe cleaning, and mitigation of leakage in the filter-sealed system, are necessary to achieve high levels of protection.…”

Section: Bioaerosol Generationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental challenges impeding the composting of biodegradable municipal solid waste: A critical review

Wei

Shi

et al. 2017

Resources, Conservation and Recycling

267

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Biodegradable material, primarily composed of food waste, accounts for 40-70 wt% of municipal solid waste (MSW) in developing countries. Therefore, to establish a sustainable waste management system, it is essential to separate and recycle biodegradable organic material from the municipal waste stream. Of all the recycling methods, composting is recommended due to its environmental and economic benefits. However, compared with readily recyclable materials (e.g., paper, metals, etc.), recycling/composting biodegradable MSW presents a great challenge to furthering the promotion of waste recycling. This review provides a systematic analysis of organic waste sorting and recycling/composting practices in several countries: the UK, US, Japan, and China. Compared to the great efforts that have been made in developed countries for the promotion of waste composting, much less has been achieved in developing countries. For example, the MSW composting rate in China decreased from 10% to less than 2% in the past 15 years, and similar trends may exist in other developing countries. Therefore, it is essential to identify the barriers that impede waste composting and predict developing trends. This article emphasizes environmental challenges (i.e., odor, bioaerosols, and heavy metals), focusing on their generation and control strategies, in an effort to identify barriers hindering MSW composting. Successful practices in several European countries suggest that source-separated composting presents many advantages over mechanical-separated composting. This may partially be ascribed to the fact that source separation of organic waste can prevent contact with heavy metal-bearing items, resulting in the production of highquality compost. Mixed collection MSW normally contains significantly higher concentrations of heavy metals, which could affect the marketing of composting products. Moreover, source separation of organic waste can minimize waste pretreatment operations, leading to lower bioaerosol and malodor generation during composting. Implementing source separation of MSW in more countries would increase the amount of organic waste available for composting. In addition, attention should focus on secondary pollutant production for proper composting management. Finally, setting standards for end product quality control is highly recommended for controlling both marketing and environmental risks.

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“…Furthermore, in order to reduce microbial growth in the incoming waste, households are requested to dispose raw waste and biowaste into the container for separate collection and use containers with a cover in order to protect waste from the rain (INRS, 2011;Schlosser et al, 2015). In composting plants, several preventive measures have been recommended, such as dust control measures that include moisture control of the feedstock and composting, screening operation in a separate area from composting operations, sealing of the turning machinery with rubber mats, dust capture systems, adequate ventilation in buildings, regular cleaning and wetting of driveways, and protection of the vehicle cab with a pressurisation and high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration system (Epstein, 1996(Epstein, , 2001Millner et al, 1994;Reinthaler et al, 2004, Schlosser et al, 2012Spencer and Alix, 2006;Sykes et al, 2007). Furthermore, frequent windrow turning has been shown to reduce A. fumigatus on the compost surface due to improved thermohygienisation, resulting in a reduction in cumulative health risk despite more frequent turnings (Fischer et al, 1998).…”

Section: What Do We Know About Bioaerosol-related Risk For Waste Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In all waste management sectors, the use of respiratory protective equipment (at least a FFP2/N95 filtering half mask) is recommended for tasks during which workers are most exposed, such as cleaning and maintenance. All these recommendations are based on common sense, however, quantitative data on their efficiency is limited (Breum et al, 1996;Epstein et al, 2001;Neumann et al, 2002Neumann et al, , 2005Park et al, 2011a;Rapp et al, 2009;Schlosser et al, 2012Schlosser et al, , 2015. Moreover, there is no consensus on the advantages (control of dust emission)-disadvantages (e.g., microbial growth due to humidity, dirty equipment) balance of the use of water spray misters in the waste management field and quantitative data is lacking (Epstein et al, 1996, INRS, 2011, Millner et al, 1994Schlosser et al, 2015;Spencer and Alix, 2006;Stagg et al, 2013).…”

Section: What Do We Know About Bioaerosol-related Risk For Waste Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioaerosols and Health: Current Knowledge and Gaps in the Field of Waste Management

Schlosser

2018

Detritus

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The development of biodegradable waste recycling leads to increased amounts of decaying organic materials handled, and encourages the conditions in which workers, households and neighbouring communities are potentially exposed to bioaerosols. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and gaps regarding the health risks associated to bioaerosols in the field of municipal solid waste (MSW) and commercial and industrial waste (C&IW) management. Additional objective was to identify priority issues for research in order to improve knowledge and prevention. Overall, 368 studies have been selected. Strong qualitative evidence links occupational exposure to bioaerosols in the waste industry to adverse effects on health including long-term respiratory disease, notably in the fields of composting, mechanical biological treatment (MBT) and materials recovery facilities (MRF). The literature review highlighted numerous gaps in knowledge about exposure and health effects of bioaerosols that need to be addressed to assess the risk. Most importantly, valid and standardized methods for quantitative exposure assessment are needed. Identification of environmental indicators, estimate of factors influencing the level of bioaerosol exposure at the workplace, well-designed epidemiological studies and validation of dispersion models are other priority issues.

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Protection of the vehicle cab environment against bacteria, fungi and endotoxins in composting facilities

Cited by 20 publications

References 34 publications

Exposure to bioaerosols at open dumpsites: A case study of bioaerosols exposure from activities at Olusosun open dumpsite, Lagos Nigeria

Exposure to bioaerosols at open dumpsites: A case study of bioaerosols exposure from activities at Olusosun open dumpsite, Lagos Nigeria

Environmental challenges impeding the composting of biodegradable municipal solid waste: A critical review

Bioaerosols and Health: Current Knowledge and Gaps in the Field of Waste Management

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