Journal article
Assessment of Particulates and Bioaerosols in Eastern Canadian Sawmills
AIHAJ - American Industrial Hygiene Association, Vol.61(5), pp.727-732
09/01/2000
DOI: 10.1080/15298660008984583
PMID: 11071425
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to quantify and identify the airborne contamination in eastern Canadian sawmills. Seventeen sawmills were chosen to cover a wide range of size, geographic distribution, and wood species processed. Within each sawmill different work sites (debarking, sawing, sorting, or planing) were studied separately. Area sampling was performed for exposure assessment. Microbial contaminants were assessed with all-glass impingers 30 and six-stage Andersen microbial samplers; appropriate selective media and culture conditions for bacteria, thermophilic actinomycetes, molds, and yeasts were used. Inhalable dust, endotoxins, temperature, and humidity also were measured. Penicillium species were the most predominant molds with up to 40 different Penicillium species identified. Debarking was the working site most highly contaminated by molds, bacteria, and endotoxins (p=0.0001). At this working site mold levels reached a maximum of 1.5×106 CFU/m3, whereas the median values for culturable bacteria and endotoxin were 21,620 CFU/m3 and 1081 endotoxin units/m3, respectively. Planing sites were the most highly dust contaminated (median: 3.0 mg/m3) (p <0.05). Sawmills of eastern Canada contain airborne biological contaminants that vary between working sites, and their microflora is different from that previously described in European sawmills.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Assessment of Particulates and Bioaerosols in Eastern Canadian Sawmills
- Creators
- Caroline DuchaineAnne MériauxPeter S Thorne - University of Iowa, Occupational and Environmental HealthYvon Cormier
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- AIHAJ - American Industrial Hygiene Association, Vol.61(5), pp.727-732
- Publisher
- AIHAJ
- DOI
- 10.1080/15298660008984583
- PMID
- 11071425
- ISSN
- 1529-8663
- eISSN
- 2163-3711
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/01/2000
- Academic Unit
- Civil and Environmental Engineering; Occupational and Environmental Health
- Record Identifier
- 9983557695402771
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