Challenges and opportunities: A case study from a European city shows the influence of biological work on bioaerosol formation from indoor biological wastewater treatment laboratory

Abstract

Abstract Bioaerosol emitted in university biological laboratories may exert adversely effects on employees and students. The occupational health and safety have been given much importance. This study aimed to monitor the risk of bioaerosol formation inside a biological wastewater treatment laboratory where other biological activities were performed along with wastewater treatment using the biological method. A single-stage impactor performed the air sampling to study concentration of bacterial and fungal bioaerosols and the diversity of air microbiota also been assessed. In early winter, 2018 MPN/m3 bacterial aerosol concentrations were observed which correlated with an increased number of occupants and their experimental activity. In contrast, the fungal concentration was found below the upper permissible limits in indoor environments, and it was influenced by seasonal change and humidity and were not influenced by number of occupants. The more significant number of morphological types of bacteria and fungi indicated diversity of air microbial community. This result suggests a moderate risk of bacterial bioaerosol to occupants working in wastewater treatment laboratory.