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Investigation of Seasonal Changes in the Density and Diversity Pattern of Fungal Populations in the Air Around Processing Facilities of the Composting Plant



Abbasi F1 ; Samaei MR1 ; Jalili M2 ; Khodadadi H3 ; Karimi A4
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
  2. 2. Environmental Science and Technology Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
  3. 3. Department of Parasitology and Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
  4. 4. Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Source: Iranian Journal of Health and Environment Published:2021

Abstract

Background and Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of seasonal variation on the diversity of fungal airborne species in the composting process. Materials and Methods: Samples were taken based on the 0800 NIOSH method at a height of 1.5 m above the ground during the waste separation, turning of windrow and stabilization of compost. Air samples were collected in two various seasons; summer (108 samples) and winter (108 samples) at the composting plant in Shiraz. The culture media consisted of Sabouraud Dextrose Agar with chloramphenicol for the selective isolation of fungi, which was further incubated at 37 and 45°C. The results were analyzed by a t-test method using MATLAB 2018. Results: The highest mesophilic fungi density was related to the segregation process of composting. The variation of fungi observed was higher during summer throughout separation and stabilization process (p < 0.05). The predominant species were found to be Aspergillus flavus (4449.8 CFU/m3) (p < 0.05) and Paecilomyces (1850.9 CFU/m3) (p < 0.05), respectively. Furthermore, the highest varieties of fungal species in the turning of windrow mass were observed during winter (p < 0.05) and the predominant species was yeast (420.6 CFU/m3). At all stages of composting, the varieties of thermophilic fungal species were higher during summer with the large number of Aspergillus fumigatus, Mucoral, and Paecilomyces. Conclusion: The density and diversity of mesophilic fungi during summer was higher than winter. The concentration of Aspergillus, was beyond the guidelines set by the EPA, ACGIH, NIOSH and EU. Thus, the use of self-protection is essential. © 2021 Iranian Association of Environmental Health, and Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
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