Abstract
Many studies have shown an association between working in waste sorting plants (SP) and occupational health problems, such as skin irritation or pulmonary diseases. These symptoms have been related to biological aerosol exposure. The main goal of this work was to assess the levels of concentration and the characteristics of bacterial aerosols in waste sorting plants, based on measurements taken in a plant located in the mountain region of Southern Poland, around which there are numerous rural areas. The average concentrations of culturable bacterial aerosol (CCBA) collected in the unloading hall of the waste sorting plant (UHSP) and the outdoor air of the sorting plant (OSP) were 2687 CFU/m3 and 1138 CFU/m3, respectively. Sampling was undertaken in the plant using an Andersen six-stage impactor (with aerodynamic cut-off diameters of 7.0, 4.7, 3.3, 2.1, 1.1, and 0.65 μm), during the spring of 2019. Size distributions were unimodal, with a peak in particle bacterial aerodynamic diameters at less than 3.3 µm, increasing the potentially adverse health effects of their inhalation. An analysis was conducted to determine the antibiotic resistance of isolated strains of bacteria. During the study, it was found that isolates belonging to the genus Bacillus were most frequently detected in the waste sorting plant. Isolates with the highest resistance to antibiotics belonged to the genus Neisseria. This test indicates that the use of personal protective equipment is necessary.
Highlights
The employees working in sorting plants are concerned mainly about the health effects of exposure to bioaerosols and chemical particulates [1,2,3,4]
The average indoor-to-outdoor ratio (I/O) ratio calculated for unloading hall of the waste sorting plant (UHSP) bacteria concentrations was 2.36 (Table 2)
Since the I/O ratio was > 1, it can clearly be concluded that the main source of the bacterial aerosol is stored waste
Summary
The employees working in sorting plants are concerned mainly about the health effects of exposure to bioaerosols and chemical particulates [1,2,3,4]. Aerosol particles can nucleate from atmospheric gases to form secondary organic aerosols (SOAs). There is increasing evidence showing associations between working in sorting plants and health problems such as allergies, irritation, inflammation, and pulmonary diseases [6]. Biological aerosols are always present in the air. These include viruses, viable organisms such as bacteria and fungi, and products of organisms, such as bacterial or fungal spores, plant parts, or pollen [7].
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