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. 2020 Sep 9;10(1):14812.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-71787-0.

Assessment of airborne particles and bioaerosols concentrations in a waste recycling environment in Brazil

Caroline Fernanda Hei Wikuats  1 , Eduardo Henrique Duarte  2 , Kátia Valéria Marques Cardoso Prates  2 , Laura Lahr Lourenço Janiaski  2   3 , Bárbara de Oliveira Gabriel  2 , Alex da Cunha Molina  2 , Leila Droprinchinski Martins  2
Affiliations

Assessment of airborne particles and bioaerosols concentrations in a waste recycling environment in Brazil

Caroline Fernanda Hei Wikuats et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

This study aims to assess the concentrations of size-fractioned particle mass (PM1.0, PM2.5, PM4.0, PM10) and number (PNC0.3, PNC0.5, PNC1.0, PNC2.5), bacteria, and fungi in a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in Brazil. The measurements were performed inside the waste processing shed (P1) and in the outdoor environment (P2) during working days in winter and spring of 2017, and summer of 2019. A total of 2,400 min of PM, 1,440 min of PNC, and 216 samples of bioaerosols were collected in the morning and afternoon. P1 has the strongest air contamination with mean values of 475.5 ± 563.7 µg m-3 for PM10, 58.6 ± 36.0 cm-3 for PNC0.3, 1,088.8 ± 825.2 colony-forming units per cubic meter (CFU m-3) for bacteria, and 2,738.3 ± 1,381.3 CFU m-3 for fungi. The indoor/outdoor ratios indicated the large influence of indoor sources due to the activities performed inside P1 that promote the generation and resuspension of pollutants. Gram-positive bacteria dominated with 58.6% of indoor samples. Overall, our results show a critical indoor air quality situation in a Brazilian MRF, which may cause several health risks for waste pickers. Finally, we call attention to the lack of occupational exposure limits for bioaerosols in industrial workplaces and mainly in MRFs.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean mass concentrations (µg m−3) for all particle sizes measured during the morning and afternoon in winter (a), spring (b), and summer (c) in the waste processing shed (P1) and in the outdoor environment (P2).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean number concentrations (cm−3) for all particle sizes measured during the morning and afternoon in winter (a) and spring (b) in the waste processing shed (P1) and in the outdoor environment (P2).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean concentrations of bacteria and fungi (CFU m−3) during the morning and afternoon in winter (a), spring (b), and summer (c) in the waste processing shed (P1) and in the outdoor environment (P2).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Sketch of the sampling points in the waste processing shed (P1) and in the outdoor environment (P2). EPSP expanded polystyrene processing, WPS waste processing shed.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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