Seasonal Variation in Culturable Bioaerosols in a Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Mansooreh Dehghani,Marziye Ansari,Mohammad Ghorbani,Ali Parvizi,Abbas Norouzian Baghani,Mehdi Fazlzadeh,Armin Sorooshian,Mohammad Miri,Mahdieh Delikhoon,Parisa Badiee

doi:10.4209/aaqr.2017.11.0466

Abstract

Bioaerosols produced from Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) can pose health risks to plant workers and nearby inhabitants. There is a gap in air quality data for WWTPs in developing countries. The present study aimed to measure airborne bacterial and fungal concentrations in a WWTP in southwestern Iran between September 2015 and May 2016. Active sampling was conducted around operational units, and a total of 600 bacterial and fungal samples were collected. Spatial and seasonal comparisons were made. The highest average concentrations of culturable bacterial aerosol at seasonally dependent locations were, in decreasing order, 2581 ± 401 and 1952 ± 390 CFU m-3 for the selector and aeration tanks, respectively, in autumn; 1363 ± 299 CFU m-3 for the aeration tank in winter; and 1738 ± 350 CFU m-3 for the screw pump in spring. Furthermore, the predominant genera of airborne fungi isolated from the air of the WWTP in all three seasons were Cephalotrichum spp., Alternaria spp., Penicillium spp., Monilia spp., and Aspergillus spp. The results of this work emphasize the necessity of controlling WWTP workers' exposure to bioaerosols when bacteria and fungi become aerosolized during aeration.

Highlights

IntroductionVulnerable wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) workersDehghani et al, Aerosol and Air Quality Research, x: 1–14, xxxx commercial, residential, and hospital sewage (Gerardi and Zimmerman, 2004; Oppliger et al, 2005; Fracchia et al, 2006; Filipkowska et al, 2008; Korzeniewska, 2011; Lin et al, 2016)
The results showed that relative humidity exhibited a significant correlation with the concentration of airborne bacteria in autumn (p < 0.05, r = 0.310) and spring (p < 0.05, r = 0.380) and no significant correlation was observed in winter (p = 0.360, r = 0.090)
This study reports on the nature of bioaerosol at a WWTP in southwestern Iran, including detailed concentration profiles for different areas of the WWTP in different seasons

Summary

Introduction

Vulnerable wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) workersDehghani et al, Aerosol and Air Quality Research, x: 1–14, xxxx commercial, residential, and hospital sewage (Gerardi and Zimmerman, 2004; Oppliger et al, 2005; Fracchia et al, 2006; Filipkowska et al, 2008; Korzeniewska, 2011; Lin et al, 2016). Endotoxins derived from Gramnegative bacteria cause several problems, including diarrhea, fatigue, nose irritation, respiratory symptoms, and pulmonary function decline in WWTP workers (Thorn et al, 2002; Oppliger et al, 2005; Grisoli et al, 2009; Kallawicha et al, 2015). Many studies have indicated that workers’ long-term exposure to bioaerosols could cause a wide variety of respiratory and other health disorders including sinusitis, respiratory problems, ear infections, influenza-like symptoms, and gastrointestinal ailments (Rylander, 1999; Thorn and Kerekes, 2001; Orsini et al, 2002; Smit et al, 2005; Heinonen-Tanski et al, 2009; Madsen et al, 2009; Korzeniewska, 2011; Fazlzadeh et al, 2016; Huang et al, 2017; Kallawicha et al, 2017). The concentration profile of microorganisms is a useful indicator of the potential for deleterious effects due to exposure to WWTP emissions (Orsini et al, 2002; Korzeniewska, 2011)

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Conclusion