ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Assessment of Microbial Air Quality
within Facilities of Waste Transfer Stations
and Disposal Sites of Lahore, Pakistan
More details
Hide details
1
Environmental Health and Wildlife, Department of Zoology, University of the Punjab, 54590, Lahore, Pakistan
2
School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL, United Kingdom
3
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab, 54590, Lahore, Pakistan
Submission date: 2020-05-25
Final revision date: 2020-09-24
Acceptance date: 2021-01-25
Online publication date: 2021-09-10
Publication date: 2021-12-02
Corresponding author
Zulfiqar Ali
Environmental Health and Wildlife, Department of zoology, University of the Punjab, 54590, lahore, Pakistan
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2021;30(6):5567-5576
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Bioaerosol emissions from waste management operations and facilities are a potential hazard
for human and environmental health. This study was aimed to assess the concentration as well as
identification of bacteria and fungi, their seasonal variation and association with meteorological
measurements at solid waste management (SWM) sites. A total of 16 air samples were collected
between October 2017 to March 2018 in wet and dry seasons by using Portable Dust Sampler. Samples
were analyzed both by culture and molecular methods. The total culturable bacterial and fungal
population ranged from 4.7 × 104 to 7.4 × 105 CFU/m3 and 0.2 × 102 to 2.8 × 103 CFU/m3 respectively
in wet season and from 7.5 × 104 to 6.8 × 105 CFU/m3 and 0.1 × 102 to 1.6 × 103 CFU/m3 in dry season.
Isolated bacterial and fungal strains were processed for molecular identification by using 16S and 18S
rRNA. The sequenced bacterial and fungal species were Bacillus (B. cereus, B. subtilis, B. altitudinis,
B. amyloliquefaciens, B. flexus), Pseudomonas stutzeri, Staphylococcus sciuri, Ochrobacterum
intermedium, Acinetobacter indicus, Mycobacterium esteraromaticum, Rothia endophytica and
Aspergillus (A. oryzae, A. niger, A. terreus), Penicillium (P. oxalicum, P. camemberti), Cochliobolus
sp., Fusarium sp. respectively. These results have shown that all fungal and 95% of bacterial species
were pathogenic. One way ANOVA showed a significant difference in the bacterial concentration with
p-value (0.054) at 0.1 level of significance while, no significant difference in fungal concentration with
p-value (0.409) was observed among four sampling sites. These results could allow to define that there is
a need to develop and implement proportionate risk-based regulations to ensure sustainable solid waste
management alongside public and environmental health protection.