ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Influence of Water Treatment Plant on
Microbiological Composition of Air Bioaerosol.
B. Breza-Boruta, Z. Paluszak
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Department of Microbiology, University of Technology and Life Sciences, ul. Bernardynska 6,
85-029 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2007;16(5):663-670
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Microbiological research of bioaerosols was carried out at the Municipal Sewage Treatment Plant in
Toruń. The concentration of selected bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes in the atmospheric air was estimated
in the vicinity of sand catchers, aeration chambers and maturing compost piles, as well as 100 m beyond
the treatment plant. It was found that the air at the test stands showed different degrees of microbiological
pollution. The largest bioaerosol emission sources were the sand catcher and the maturing compost storage
facility. The total number of bacteria and fungi amounted to a maximum of 104 CFU m-3 and of actinomycetes
– 103 CFU m-3. The bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas (fluorescent subgroup) occurred at all the
stands throughout the study except December. The number of Escherichia coli and bacteria of the genera
Enterococcus and Salmonella remained at the very low level of about 101CFU m-3, and of all these bacteria
only fecal streptococci D-type were isolated at stand 4 (beyond the treatment plant).
On the basis of the research carried out and the results obtained at the control stand one may conclude
that the test facility does not pose a hazard in respect of the tested bacteria emission.