Impact of air pollution on farm animal’s production and health. Methods for measurement of gaseuous pollutants in indoor air.

Question 1

Airborne particles

Answer 1

• material from organic and inorganic sources incl. minerals, ash, undigested feed, cellular compounds of gut epithelium, grain mites, dried dung, skin, feather dander, collection of microorganisms, their cellular components and metabolic products
• global continuous air pollution control stations are available
• results shows high variability of concentrations in each country/region
• strong and direct connection between small pm conc. of air and incidences of cardiopulmonary diseases and lung cancer
• sedimentation dust and location of their deposition in the resp. tract depends on their size referred as aerodynamic diameter (pm)

Question 2

Airborne aerosols

Answer 2

• materials finely divided and suspended in air or other gaseous environment
• particles: broad range of sizes, from nanometers to hundreds of micrometers
• may be radioactive or not
• their behavior varies in the atmosphere, indoors, and esp. in the lung
• effects on living organisms are determined by exposure-dose-response relationship

Question 3

Emission Reduction

Answer 3

• Determine the current emission rate (PLF–is a potential tool)
• Identifying the main sources of emission
• Establish a protocol incl. action-control-refinement
• Act on main sources (feed, bedding, manure and slurry tanks, floor, lagoon, animals, etc.)
• Continuous improvement on applied technology is needed

Question 4

Work safety relations – Protecting occupational health

Answer 4

• According to several organizations it is stated, that agricultural work, mining, and construction are the 3 most dangerous occupations and have comparable accidental death rates.
• Agricultural workers are at increased risk for a variety of illnesses incl. resp. disorders, dermatologic conditions, and cancer.
• There is a high prevalence of resp. symptoms in farmers. Large surveys have found increases in morning phlegm, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
• “Farmer’s lung”: specific disorder that involves hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Agricultural exposures cause a complex, overlapping group of clinical disorders that include acute bronchitis, chronic bronchitis, asthma, interstitial disease, and acute lung injury
• Main risk sources: organic dust, toxic gases, mites, moldy forages

Question 5

Corporate social responsibility

Answer 5

• Environment-protection, support to reach the targeted low pollution rate
• Prevention of zoonotic diseases and outbreaks
• Contributing in development of predicting models based on veterinary epidemiologic knowledge
• Scientific support of counter bio-terrorisms (e.g. Aerosolasition of B. anthracis)