The total number of dust particles and the portion of the respirable dust fraction in the air of a swine fattening building

Abstract

In swine fattening units, where animals are densely confined, dust from the animals, their skin, hair, feces and urine and their feed, especially during agitation and emptying, can rise to harmful levels both for workers and pigs. Dust level is the highest in winter, although it increases whenever pigs are fed, handled, or moved. At least one third of dust particles are within the respirable size range and can affect lung tissues, large and small airways. Considering all problems that occur with dust in swine confinement buildings, the aim of the study was determination of the portion of respirable dust fraction in the total number of dust particles throughout the fattening period. The experiment was carried out on one pig farm near Belgrade in 1999 and 2000 during the winter months. The results obtained by the conimetric method point to the large amount of respirable dust particles (greater than 70%) in all dust samples taken from the air at all vertical levels above the floor (20, 50 and 170 cm) in the full fattening pig unit (180 pigs).

U vazduhu objekata za tov svinja čestice prašine potiču od samih životinja, ćelija njihove kože, dlake, sasušenih ćelija fecesa i urina, hrane za životinje i drugog usitnjenog materijala. Njihov broj se povećava za vreme uznemiravanja životinja ili pražnjenja objekata i može dostići nivo opasan kako za zdravstveno stanje samih životinja, tako i za zdravstveni status radnika. Količina prašine u vazduhu tovilišta se naročito povećava u toku zimskih meseci kada su objekti zatvoreni. Najmanje jedna trećina ukupnog broja čestica prašine pripada respirabilnoj frakciji koja penetrira plućna tkiva i sve disajne puteve. Uzimajući u obzir sve probleme u vezi sa prašinom u vazduhu tovilišta, cilj rada je bilo ispitivanje udela respirabilne frakcije čestica prašine u objektu za tov svinja kapaciteta 180 tovljenika. Eksperiment je obavljen na farmi svinja u blizini Beograda u toku zimskih meseci 1999. i 2000. godine. Rezultati dobijeni konimetrijskom metodom ukazuju na veliki udeo respirabilnih čestica prašine u svim uzorcima vazduha uzetih sa visine od 20, 50 I 170 cm iznad poda, kao i u svim fazama tova u objektu punog smeštajnog kapaciteta.