Abstract
The concentrations and size distributions of culturable bacterial aerosols were measured during spring and winter in outdoor air in Gliwice, Upper Silesia, Poland. This research on culturable bacteria was carried over a period of two years. The samples were collected using a six-stage Andersen cascade impactor (with aerodynamic cut-off diameters of 7.0, 4.7, 3.3, 2.1, 1.1, and 0.65 μm). The results showed that the average concentration of culturable bacterial aerosol was 355 CFU m−3 in spring, which was four times higher than during winter (65 CFU m−3). Bacterial aerosol concentrations showed the unimodal size distribution with the highest range of 3.3–4.7 μm particles. The seasonal distributions of bacterial aerosol grain clearly indicate that, in winter, the size distribution of particles <7 μm is more “flattened” and is characterized by an increased share of fine fractions and a decreased share of coarse ones. Environmental parameters, such as temperature, UV radiation, relative humidity, wind velocity, as well as PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations, were measured in order to analyse whether environmental factors had any effect on bacterial aerosols. Statistically, the most important meteorological factors in the viability of airborne bacteria were temperature and UV radiation.
Highlights
Airborne microbes are an abundant component of atmospheric aerosols, with thousands, or even millions, of cells in each cubic metre of air [1,2]
We focused on culturable bacteria only, because these microorganisms are very sensitive to interaction with other air pollutants, e.g., PM2.5 and PM10, and seem to be highly influenced by a variety of meteorological factors
The average concentration of bacterial aerosol was found in spring (355 CFU m−3 ), and was more than five times higher than the average level recorded in winter (65 CFU m−3 )
Summary
Airborne microbes are an abundant component of atmospheric aerosols, with thousands, or even millions, of cells in each cubic metre of air [1,2]. The comprehensive monitoring of atmospheric bioaerosol concentrations is very important, for environmental management, and to assess the health impact of air pollution. This is because bioaerosols can cause a variety of infectious diseases, as well as allergic and toxic reactions [3,4,5,6]. Well documented are negative effects that bioaerosols can play on the human respiratory system spanning from infectious diseases to allergies, and asthma [9,10] They can contain cell membrane antigens such as endotoxin and peptidoglycans, which may damage lung tissue and induce serious respiratory symptoms [7,11]
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