Abstract
Poultry farmers and birds are exposed to poultry dust which is a byproduct of commercial poultry production. It increases the chances of developing serious respiratory conditions. Adult male Wistar rats were used in this study due to their stable hormonal status to investigate the effect of poultry dust (PM10) on the biochemical, haematological and histopathological parameters of the animals. The Wistar rats were exposed to dust samples collected from 9 poultry farms in Edo State. Indoor concentration of dust samples was determined monthly using a Casella Cel 712 micro dust pro air sampler from December 2016 to November 2017. Wistar rats were exposed to sieved poultry dust obtained with the aid of a vacuum cleaner equipped with a 25- m mesh paper dust bag. Blood samples and organs were obtained from sacrificed Wistar rats for biochemical, haematological and histopathological studies. Poultry dust (PM10) concentration were above recommended limits (0.15mg/m3) of the United State Environmental Protection agency (USEPA). There was significant reduction in RBC, Hb, PCV, MCV, monocytes and lymphocytes count in dust-exposed Wistar rats compared to unexposed ones. There was also evidence of histopathology attributed to exposure. This study therefore revealed high dust concentration that can result to a number of health impacts in mammals within the poultry environment.
Highlights
In poultry houses, airborne dust concentrations are usually high and long-term exposure to excessive quantities of dust could cause health problems for poultry employees and birds who live in the facility 24 hours a day (Pickrell, 1991)
The dust concentration of the sampled poultry farms revealed that the poultry dust presented in these environments were above the reference hourly permissible limit of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
The lowest concentration was recorded in the month of June 2017 in Benin City. This period was characterized with high amounts of rain fall which resulted in improved air quality thereby decreasing the dust concentration
Summary
Airborne dust concentrations are usually high and long-term exposure to excessive quantities of dust could cause health problems for poultry employees and birds who live in the facility 24 hours a day (Pickrell, 1991). Dust contains inorganic particles from building materials such as concrete and insulation used in barn construction. Because of their irregular shape, these particles provide a vast surface area for adhering bacteria (or their components), virus particles and mold (Zhang et al, 2019). Airborne dust levels can be high enough in some poultry barns to create a visual haze, making it impossible to see from one end of the facility to the other in long barns (Pickrell, 1991)
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