Clear evidence shows a relationship between working in swine facilities and developing respiratory illnesses. Health effects have been associated with exposures to the combination of dust, ammonia, and carbon dioxide (CO2). This study examined whether room concentrations of combustion gases could be improved by changing the in-room vented heaters common to animal production operations to heaters that vent combustion gases outside. Concentrations of CO2 and carbon monoxide (CO) were monitored during two winter seasons, with the 2013-14 season using the traditional gas-fired heater (Guardian 60, L.B.White Co.) and the 2014-15 winter using new vented heaters (Effinity93, Modine Manufacturing Co.) Direct-reading CO (VRAE, Rae Systems) and CO2 (ToxieRAE Pro, Rae Systems) monitors were deployed at fixed stations throughout the farrowing barn to measure gas concentrations. Differences in mean gas concentrations between heater types, as well as the relationship between CO2 and temperature, sow, and piglet count, were evaluated using linear regression. Carbon dioxide concentrations exceeded industry recommended limits (1540 ppm) on all sample days (N=18) with the standard in-room vented heaters in operation: concentrations averaged half of the TLV (2500 ppm). With the new vented heaters, 24-hour averaged CO2 concentrations exceeded industry recommended limits on only three out of 20 sample days: concentrations averaged 1400 ppm. The new heater significantly reduced CO2 by 44% and CO by 60% from 2.0 to 0.8 ppm (p2=0.75) between CO2 and production factors (temperature, sow and piglet count) for the new heater: CO2 (ppm) = 482 - 22.4(Temp °C) + 43(# sow) + 5.6(# piglet). Similar analysis for the old heater identified similar trends but substantially different intercept (1700 ppm) and temperature factor (-36.9). While CO2 is still generated from swine respiration, we found significant reductions in room concentrations with the simple replacement of commonly used equipment. Future work will include an assessment of the longevity of these heaters in the swine barn environment

Introduction: A task-associated analysis of ammonia and particulate matter concentrations was conducted on swine farms in breeding and gestation barns. The purpose of this study was to determine if specific tasks performed by workers increase concentrations of ammonia and particulate matter exposure. Methods: An exploratory, descriptive design was used to determine if swine confinement workers have increased ammonia and particulate matter exposure when performing assigned tasks in breeding and gestation barns. A convenience sample of 8 workers volunteered from among all breeding and gestation workers (n=24). Data collection occurred in the morning at each of the 8 farms and continued until tasks were completed (~4 hrs). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was computed to determine if the type of task or type of barn was related to workers' exposure to ammonia or particulate matter. Results: Ammonia levels were below the sensitivity of the instrument (<0.1) except on 1 morning when the ammonia concentration was recorded at 8 ppm. However, concentrations above 0.1 ppm lasted for less than 5 minutes. Consequently, this variable was not included in the analysis. Correlation analysis was used to answer the 1st research question. The results suggested a statistically significant decrease in particulate matter as the number of operating fans increased. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to answer the last 2 research questions. The results suggested a significant interactive effect between the type of confinement barn and the type of tasks workers were performing. The barn types differed by the number of exhaust fans and the type of animal waste disposal system. Conclusions: Occupational health nurses can use study results to implement interventions to minimize worker exposures. These results indicate that understanding the relationship between building design and type of work tasks along with the importance of proper ventilation may minimize worker exposure to harmful particulate matter in SCBs during the summer months.

No description available.

Development of the advanced, real-time methods for monitoring of bioaerosols is becoming increasingly important. At present, the Ultraviolet Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (UVAPS, Model 3312, TSI, St. Paul., MN) is the only commercially available method for in-situ, continuous measurements of viable airborne microorganisms. Research included in this thesis aimed towards comprehensive evaluation of the method over a wide range of operating conditions, linking the experimental results to the theoretical basis of its design and operation, and to developing a scientific basis for its application to real-time monitoring of bioaerosols. Specifically, due to a growing concern in the general community about the environmental and health aspects of biological aerosols originated from various types of agricultural operations including animal farming, this research was focussed on developing a research methodology/strategy for applying the method to the investigation of bioaerosols in the swine confinement buildings (SCB). Investigations under controlled laboratory conditions were primarily concerned with selectivity, sensitivity, counting efficiency, and detection limits of the spectrometer. This study also examined the effect of physiological state (metabolic activity) of bacteria on the performance characteristics of the method. The practical implications of the research findings are discussed in this thesis. Further field investigations undertaken on a pig farm advanced understanding of the UVAPS performance in the real-life environmental settings. The research also provided a new insight on the particle size distribution and the effect of on-farm-activities on aerosol load inside the SCBs, for both biological and non-biological aerosols. This study has proved that the UVAPS is a powerful tool for investigation of viable bioaerosols in the environment. However, this method is limited to detection of active metabolising bacteria that excludes dormant bacterial spores. In addition, the method is very sensitive to physiological state of bacteria and to the effect of adverse environmental conditions on metabolic activity of airborne bacteria, which may decrease the amount of the intrinsic fluorophores in the cells below sensitivity level iv of the monitor. Possible limitations of this technology include also the lack of selectivity and thus interferences from the non-microbial organic components of airborne particles. In addition, the sensitivity of the method is insufficient for monitoring viable bacteria in the environments with relatively low concentrations of bioaerosols. In order to increase sensitivity of the method, it would be desirable to concentrate the bioaerosols into a smaller volume with the aim of high-volume virtual impactors (aerosol concentrators) prior to the monitoring. Therefore, in the indoor environments where an application of the concentrator is not feasible, the utilisation of the UVAPS may be problematic. Due to the intrinsic limitations, the method is not recommended for the direct measurements of viable bioaerosols and should be used in conjunction with the conventional biosamplers for obtaining more realistic insights into the microbial air quality. Nevertheless, the UVAPS has been found to be an adequate method for the investigation of the dynamics of biological aerosols in real-time. Overall, this thesis contributes to the advancing of the understanding of the method and may assist in developing new, more advanced technologies for the real-time monitoring of viable bioaerosols, as well as in developing sampling strategies for the application of the method to various bioaerosol studies.

Orientador: Irenilza de Alencar Nääs / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-21T11:14:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cordeiro_AlexandraFerreiradaSilva_M.pdf: 2367138 bytes, checksum: 6f75c3d8e468c0ebd6f7bceda2a2889b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: Entre os desafios da suinocultura no atual mercado competitivo destaca-se a rastreabilidade do produto que garante entre muitos pontos a questão do bem estar animal. O objetivo dessa pesquisa é estimar o gasto energético da vocalização de leitões em situação de dor e identificar suínos e sua condição de estresse pela sua vocalização. A primeira hipótese é que é possível estimar a energia gasta na vocalização. A segunda é que é possível identificar suínos pela sua vocalização e a terceira é que é possível identificar o estado de bem- estar ou estresse de suínos pela sua vocalização. Para tanto foram realizados três experimentos em granja comercial da cidade de Holambra- SP. No primeiro experimento foi analisada a vocalização de dois grupos de leitões durante a castração, um grupo com anestesia local e outro sem anestesia. A energia emitida no sinal vocal foi processada no software Matlab®. No segundo foi realizado a gravação da vocalização dos animais durante a caudectomia, marcação e castração. No terceiro experimento foi realizada a gravação da vocalização de leitões nas fases de maternidade, creche, crescimento e terminação em diferentes situações de estresse: sem estresse e com estresse térmico, fome, sede e dor. Para análises dos sinais de sons foi utilizado o software Praat®. Foi possível estimar a energia gasta na vocalização dos suínos e identificar condições de estresse pela sua vocalização. Porém, não foi possível identificar os animais pela sua vocalização / Abstract: Among the challenges in today's competitive market hog stands out for the product traceability, that ensures many points between the issue of animal welfare. The objective of this research is to estimate the energy expenditure of the vocalization of piglets in a situation of pain and identify pigs and their stress condition for their vocalization. The first hypothesis is that it is possible to estimate the energy expended in vocalization. The second is that pigs can be identified by their vocalizations, and the third is that it is possible to identify the state of well-being or stress of pigs by their vocalization. For this purpose, two experiments were conducted in commercial farm, in the city of Holambra-SP. In the first experiment, we analyzed the vocalizations of two groups of piglets during castration, one group with local anesthesia and the other without anesthesia. The energy emitted in the voice signal was obtained in Matlab ®. In the second experiment we analyzed the vocalizations of piglets during caudectomia, marking and castration. In the third experiment, it was performed recording of the vocalization of piglets in the stages of farrowing, nursery, growing and finishing in different situations of stress: no stress and thermal stress, hunger, thirst and pain. The software Praat® was used for analyzing of sound signals. It was possible to estimate the energy expended in the vocalization of pigs, and identify the stress conditions by using their vocalization as input variable. However, it was not possible to identify animals by their vocalization / Mestrado / Construções Rurais e Ambiencia / Doutora em Engenharia Agrícola