Influence of Weather Conditions on Size-resolved Bioaerosols near Livestock Farms
NOHHYEON KWAK, Erin Cortus, Carol Cardona, Kristelle Mendoza, Veronica Tonnell, Jiayu Li,
University of Minnesota Abstract Number: 35
Working Group: Bioaerosols
AbstractLivestock production is one source of bioaerosol particles. Livestock farms vary in physical size, animal density, and management practices, which can affect bioaerosol concentration. These bioaerosols can serve as vectors for pathogens, leading to emerging health concerns for farm workers and residents in the vicinity. Although pathogen-loaded bioaerosols have been detected in several studies, the transmission pathway is still unclear. Therefore, it is critical to reveal through what activities bioaerosols are generated and dispersed; in conjunction with bioaerosol qualification, this helps quantify the risk for disease spread. Thus, in this study, we investigated the impact of meteorological events (windy, calm, and rain) on bioaerosol generation and dispersion. The change in bioaerosol concentration and diversity were characterized before and after these scenarios. This study characterized the physical and biological size-resolved aerosols at a livestock farm (1 m away from the barn) and urban background. Bioaerosols were collected by three sampling instruments (SPOT sampler, SKC Biosampler, and Sioutas impactor). An optical particle counter (OPC) and scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) characterized aerosol physical properties (size distribution). The mass concentration of total suspended particles (TSP) and PM
10 in the livestock farm (16.9±13.5 and 10.6 ±7.3 µg m
-3, respectively) is higher than in the urban background (9.2±5.3 and 8.2±4.4 µg m
-3). The PM
2.5 and PM
1 on the livestock farm (3.7±1.5 and 2.3±1.2 µg m
-3) are lower than in the urban background (6.0±3.7 and 5.1±3.5 µg m
-3). From preliminary qPCR results, farm samples and background samples have similar microbial content in size range from 2.5 µm to 1 µm, while farm samples showed a significantly higher microbial concentration in particles larger than 2.5 µm or less than 1 µm. This investigation can reveal the concentration and diversity differences of aerosol and bioaerosol particles in the urban background and around the barns.