Assessment of the microbiological contamination of air in a municipal solid waste treatment company

Abstract

The subject of the study is the analysis of the number of microorganisms forming a microbiological aerosol in a municipal solid waste treatment plant in Krakow. The storage time of mixed municipal solid waste in the plant hall is 6–48 hours and the storage time of the produced alternative fuel is within the range of 12–96 hours. 18 employees work in the three shift system in the sorting facility. The air for research was sampled using a MAS-100 impactor (Merck, Switzerland) in three locations within the plant, four times within a year to assess the effect of meteorological conditions (temperature, humidity and dustiness) on the number of selected groups of microorganisms. It was found that the number of microorganisms changes with seasons and depends on the meteorological conditions as well as the air sampling location. Since the border values of bioaerosol concentration were exceeded, further research is required to assess the changes in the number of microorganisms with potential negative impact on human health.