Bioaerosol Identification and Monitoring in Ireland

DAVID O'CONNOR, Emma Markey, Jerry Clancy, Moises Martinez-Bracero, Dublin City University

     Abstract Number: 491
     Working Group: Bioaerosols

Abstract
With a heightened awareness surrounding biologically derived aerosols in recent years, work has been carried out to examine whether the traditional monitoring systems for bioaerosol monitoring can be modernised or replaced with newer real-time online devices.

Traditional instruments currently in use include the Hirst volumetric sampler; a device that has seen little adaption in the 70 years since its inception (Hirst, 1952). Because of its near universal adoption, and its standardised build, bioaerosol monitoring studies across the world have been easily comparable and contrastable.

The Hirst device, however, has major drawbacks, primarily the laborious and time-consuming collection and analysis, rendering it unusable as a real-time or near-real-time monitor. The contemporary candidate chosen for this comparative campaign was the Waveband Integrated Bioaerosol Sensor (WIBS). The WIBS instrument records the shape, size and fluorescence intensity of each particle.

In this campaign, the devices were co-located on a rooftop in the centre of Dublin, Ireland, where both devices continuously recorded air samples between August to September 2019. All information from both devices was collected and collated for data analysis. Meteorological readings and readings from pollution sensors were also available to the project, and these datasets were incorporated to aid the identification and categorisation pollen and fungal species present in the urban environment. Previous studies have made similar efforts to identify and analyse bioaerosols.

Data analysis involved the completion of a set of Multiple Linear Regression analyses, in which a combination of the significant WIBS, meteorological, and pollution parameters were plotted against known bioaerosol outputs (data from the Hirst device). Incorporating such parameters into such an analysis led to good correlation between the two instruments.

Wind direction analysis was also undertaken to understand the sources of the bioaerosol and anthropogenic species in the environment.