Characterization of airborne dust particles in turkey housing

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Feddes, John J. R.
  • Zuidhof, Martin J.
  • Cook, H.

• A single barn was sampled throughout a turkey growth cycle to investigate the size and distribution of airborne particles and to identify individual dust sources. Fecal material was found to be the main constituent of airborne dust in turkey barns. The aerodynamic properties of airborne dust and fecal material were found to be similar with an Andersen air sampler, and morphological character istics were also similar when studied with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Results of protein analyses of fecal material and dust were also similar. Microscopically, fecal particles were found to be similar in structure to feed, but reduced in size by digestion to particles in the respirable range. Also the particle size distribution for ground fecal material and airborne barn dust were similar. Dust particle concentrations reached a maximum of 44 particles/mL in the respirable range towards the end of the growth cycle and less than 5% of the airborne particles were of non-fecal origin. The SEM was found to be superior to the Light Microscope in positively identifying particles.

• Date created

  1992

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Barns
  • Air-Quality

• Type of Item

  Article (Published)

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3BK1734C

• License

  Attribution 4.0 International