Farmer and Pig Exposure to Aerial Contaminants in a Pig Confinement Building

Abstract

Optimal management of air quality in pig confinement buildings is essential for both hygienic and environmental aspects of pig production. The exposure level of farmers and pigs to aerial contaminants and correlations between environmental variables were evaluated in pig confinement buildings (piggeries). We evaluated the following aerial contaminants: (1) odor concentration index and the gaseous compounds ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, (2) total dust and respirable dust, and (3) microbes, comprising total bacteria, fungi, and gram-negative bacteria. The data presented in the study were collected over 30 days, with sampling once every three days from April to June in 2005. Although the concentrations of all the aerial contaminants except for respirable dust and ammonia were higher in the breathing zone of the pigs than in that of farmers, the only significant differences found between farmers' and pigs' breathing zones were in total dust and hydrogen sulfide. In contrast, ammonia concentration was significantly higher in the farmers' breathing zone than the pigs' (p < 0.05). Total dust significantly correlated with all the environmental variables except for respirable dust and inside temperature. Relative humidity, rather than temperature, was the main environmental factor affecting fluctuations of aerial contaminants in the pig confinement buildings (p < 0.05).