2012 Environmental Microbiology Research Abstracts

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AIHA

The viewpoints, opinions, and conclusions expressed in the presentations, sessions, and discussions at AIHce havenot necessarily been approved or endorsed by AIHAor ACGIHand do not necessarily reflect those of AIHAor ACGIH.

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been formally disseminated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and should not be construed to

represent any agency determination or policy.

2012 Abstracts

Ju ne 16-21: In di an ap olis, In di ana

Podium Session 5

Environmental Microbiology Research

Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 10:00 AM 12:00

PM

Papers SR-115-01SR-115-06

SR-115-01WITHDRAWNUsing New Parameters for

Correlation between Concentration of Carbon

Dioxide and Bacterial Bioaerosols in Indoor

Workplaces

T. Lin, J. Liu, L. Yang, China Medical University,

Taichung, Taiwan; P. Hung, C. Chen, Institute of

Occupational Safety and Health, CLA, Taipei, Taiwan.

SR-115-02

Detection and Identification of

Stachybotrys chartarumMicrobial Volatile

Organic Compounds (MVOCs) On-SiteUsing Person-Portable Gas

Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC-

MS) Using a Thermal Desorption

AccessoryA. Gifford, INFICON, Inc., East Syracuse, NY.

Objective

Water damage in residential and

commercial buildings provides optimal conditions

for toxigenic mold and fungal growth, potentially

leading to severe health problems. A concern

since the 1980s has been Sick Building

Syndrome (SBS) and Damp Building-RelatedIllnesses (DBRI) which include neurological,

immunological and pulmonary diseases. SBS and

DBRI have been etiologically linked to toxic mold

and fungal growth in water-damaged structures.

Unique Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds

(MVOCs) produced by these molds and fungi can

be detected and identified to establish the extent

and severity of a water-damaged area.

Stachybotrys chartarum, one of the more toxic

molds associated with SBS and DBRI, can be

identified by its characteristic MVOCs (Gao et al.

2002). These are easily detectable, on-site, using

person-portable gas chromatography/mass

spectrometry (GC-MS) with a thermal desorption

accessory. Most MVOCs produced by S.chartarumare medium-dependent. However,

anisole is one found to be common on several

different media.

Methods

A custom mixture of selected S.

chartarum MVOCs (including anisole) was

injected into a 1 L polytetrafluoroethylene bag

containing high-purity nitrogen for a target

concentration of ~200 g/m3. The gaseous

mixture was sampled onto a carbon-based

thermal desorption tube and then desorbed using

the thermal desorption accessory attached to theperson-portable GC-MS. A 20-minute analysis was

used to seperate and identify each chemicals

utilizing spectral libraries.

Results

The person-portable GC-MS used to

analyze detected these MVOCs in the mid-to-low

ppb range with no inhibitions. Further studies in

to lower concentrations are in-process.

Conclusions

The ability to locate the source of

MVOCs allows for the complete removal of water-

damaged materials, ostensibly reducing or

eliminating occupant exposure to the associated

toxins. Usage of a person-portable GC-MS with

thermal desorber accessory enables industrial

hygienists or environmental consultants to

perform these tasks on-site, taking only minutes

instead of days.


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SR-115-03

A Building Performance Model for Evaluating

Bioaerosol Data

R. Spicer, H. Gangloff, WCD Group, Pennington, NJ.

Objective

This studys objective was to

mathematically evaluate the common heuristic

approach for interpreting environmental fungal

using professional judgment and arbitrary

numerical criteria that are anchored in industrialhygiene/public health models.

Methods

The experimental method involved

collecting spore trap data (Air-O-CellTM ; 60 liters

sample volume) at a northeast metropolitan

school following post flood dry down and mold

remediation. Samples were collected in the

outdoor air, impact zone, and indoor control zone

(N=17, 15, and 14 respectively) from 8:30 AM

3:30 PM of the same day. Differences in

numerical spore levels and the probability of

observed differences in detection frequency

greater than the combined median (fd) between

the indoor and outdoor zones were calculated for

each fungal type and total spores. The error rates

of the criteria were then generated by

bootstrapping the data to generate the frequency

(random probability) of values for the respective

criterion greater than actually observed from the

data.

Results

Results

were consistent with earlier

studies indicating erratic performance of criteria

based on numerical indices such as fungal

levels, or ratios/proportions. As one example,data reported herein exhibited mean

Basidiospore levels approximately four times

greater in the (remediated) impact zone

compared to the indoor control zone. However

bootstrapping revealed a 0.30 probability for

control zone numerical concentrations to be

greater than in the impact zone for typical sample

sizes. By contrast, fdindicated a 0.68 probability

of Basidiospore being greater in the impact

zone, a probability valued confirmed by

bootstrapping.Conclusions

The

conclusion from this study is fdas a mathematically validated criterion,

quantifies differences between comparative

fungal populations for building evaluation

purposes and is best viewed as a building

performance indicator. This is to be differentiated

from the industrial hygiene/public health model

of relating numerical fungal levels to potential

health effects.

SR-115-04

Evaluation of Bioaerosol and Antibiotic-

resistant Characteristics in a Broiler Farm

C. Lai, T. Fan, C. Chen, Y. Chen, J. Lee, Chung Shan

Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Y. Lin, Chung

Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.

Objective

This study aimed to study possibly

bioaerosol exposure of employees in a broiler

building in central-southern Taiwan.Methods

An Anderson six-stage bioaerosol

sampler, Anderson single-stage bioaerosol

sampler, AGI-30, Biosampler, as well as TSA patri

dish were used to sample bioaerosols. The

identification and antibiotic-resistant

characteristics of bacteria were studied by using

Phoenix.

Results

The results showed that the relative

humidity was between 46.3% and 80.9% and the

temperature was between 17.5C and

32.1Cduring the sampling. The bioaerosolconcentration in the coop for chicks was 3.2104

to 5.8105cfu/m3and that in the coop for

chickens was about 1.0 to 2.0106 cfu/m3.

Based on the bacteria identification, it was

concluded that Staphylococcusspp. belongs to

superior strains; moreover, Staphylococcus

lentus dominated the number concentration of

bacteria identification results. However,

Staphylococcus aureus was the most dangerous

bacteria belonging to the biological safety level II

in the study.

Conclusions

The Staphylococcus lentusrevealed

antibiotic-resistant characteristics, for instance,

Ampicillin (AM), Chloramphenicol (C), Clindamycin

(CC), Gentamicin-Syn (GMS), Penicillin (P),

Streptomycin-Syn (STS) cannot use to stop the

growth of Staphylococcus lentus. In general, from

the study, Staphylococcus spp.resisted to

Ampicillin (AM), Streptomycin-Syn (STS),

Gentamicin-Syn (GMS), Penicillin (P),

Chloramphenicol (C).

SR-115-05Effect of Relative Humidity on Impactor

Sampling among Four Airborne Viruses

P. Raynor, J. Appert, T. Kuehn, S. Ge, Z. Zuo, University

of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN; S. Goyal, M. Abin, Y.

Chander, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN.

Objective People in a wide spectrum of occupations

are exposed to viruses present in the air. This

research investigated the influence of humidity on the

viability of live virus aerosols and the particle sizes

test viruses were associated with.


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Methods Four viruses bacteriophage MS2, human

adenovirus, transmissible gastroenteritis virus of pigs,

and avian influenza virus were aerosolized

separately into an apparatus from suspensions using

a nebulizer. The relative humidity in the apparatus

was conditioned to 15, 50, and 85% at room

temperature. An 8-stage Andersen impactor with

aluminum plates was used to sample the test

aerosols. Collected material was eluted from each

impaction surface, and the amounts of live viruspresent were determined using standard virology

techniques. By comparing the amount of live virus

collected versus the concentration in the nebulizer

suspension against the recovery of a fluorescent dye

versus its concentration in the suspension, the

relative recovery (R) of live virus was measured, with

R=1 equivalent to 100% recovery.

Results Relative recovery varied widely by virus,

ranging from a minimum R=0.02 to a maximum of

R=1. On average, MS2 aerosols yielded the highest

values of R and avian influenza virus had the lowest

relative recovery. All test viruses were affected byrelative humidity. Compared to other conditions, MS2

recovery was highest at 50% relative humidity

although transmissible gastroenteritis virus recovery

was lowest. Recovery of human adenovirus was

highest at 85% relative humidity (p=0.0002). Versus

15 and 50% relative humidity (R=0.02 to R=0.06),

recovery of live avian influenza virus was markedly

higher at 85% relative humidity (R=0.59, p

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2012 Environmental Microbiology Research Abstracts