Across-Shift Changes in Viable Nasal Bacteria among Waste-Incineration Plant Workers—A Pilot Study

Marcin Cyprowski, Anna Ławniczek-Wałczyk, Agata Stobnicka-Kupiec, Małgorzata Gołofit-Szymczak and Rafał L. Górny
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Marcin Cyprowski: Biohazard Laboratory, Department of Chemical, Aerosol and Biological Hazards, Central Institute for Labour Protection—National Research Institute, 16 Czerniakowska Street, 00-701 Warsaw, Poland
Anna Ławniczek-Wałczyk: Biohazard Laboratory, Department of Chemical, Aerosol and Biological Hazards, Central Institute for Labour Protection—National Research Institute, 16 Czerniakowska Street, 00-701 Warsaw, Poland
Agata Stobnicka-Kupiec: Biohazard Laboratory, Department of Chemical, Aerosol and Biological Hazards, Central Institute for Labour Protection—National Research Institute, 16 Czerniakowska Street, 00-701 Warsaw, Poland
Małgorzata Gołofit-Szymczak: Biohazard Laboratory, Department of Chemical, Aerosol and Biological Hazards, Central Institute for Labour Protection—National Research Institute, 16 Czerniakowska Street, 00-701 Warsaw, Poland
Rafał L. Górny: Biohazard Laboratory, Department of Chemical, Aerosol and Biological Hazards, Central Institute for Labour Protection—National Research Institute, 16 Czerniakowska Street, 00-701 Warsaw, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-12

Abstract: The aim of this pilot study was to assess the time-related changes in viable nasal bacteria concentrations among waste-incineration plant (WIP) workers compared to a group of office building (OB) workers outside the plant. In total, 20 volunteers participated in the study, including 14 WIP and 6 OB workers. WIP workers were divided into two sub-groups: supervisory staff (SVS) and maintenance and repair workers (MRW). Nasal swabs were collected before and after the morning work shift. Airborne bacteria were sampled with a six-stage impactor to assess the bioaerosol size distribution. The analysis showed that a significant, almost three-fold increase in nasal bacterial concentration was found only among WIP workers, and this referred mainly to anaerobic species. The load of anaerobic bacteria at the beginning of work was 12,988 CFU/mL, and after work shift 36,979 CFU/mL ( p < 0.01). Significant increases in microbial concentrations was found only in the MRW subgroup, among non-smoking workers only. The results showed increased bacterial concentration in WIP nasal samples for as many as 12 bacterial species, including, e.g., Streptococcus constellatus , Peptostreptococcus spp., E. coli , and P. mirabilis . These preliminary data confirmed that the nasal swab method was helpful for assessment of the workers’ real-time exposure to airborne bacteria.

Keywords: waste-incineration plant workers; nasal swabs; bacterial aerosols; size distribution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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