Aerosol Hazards in the Laboratory

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Aerosol Hazards
Objectives  Identify major aerosol-producing activities  List the major factors affecting the ability of airborne microbes to cause infection  Describe the limitations of workplace monitoring for aerosols  Describe the effects of the physical environment on aerosol transport and removal
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Episodes of Single-Source, Multiple Laboratory Infections

Disease Probable Source of Infection Centrifugation Culture transfer solid media Spilled tube of infected mouse tissue on floor Intranasal inoculation of mice 20 petri plates dropped 9 lyophilized ampoules dropped Maximum Distance From Source Number Persons Infected 94 13 2

Brucellosis Coccidioidomycosis Coxsackie Virus infection Murine Typhus Tularemia Venezuelan encephalitis

Basement to 3rd floor 2 Building floors 5 feet (estimated)

6 feet (estimated) 70 feet 4th floor stairs to 3rd or 5th

6 5 24

Reitman and Wedum, 1956 World Health Organization National Institutes of Health

What is an Aerosol?
 Particles suspended in a gas  0.5 Q- Q in diameter  In this instance the gas is air

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Particles

Diameters () 0.001 0.1 0.015 0.45 0.3 5 <2.5 15 (most >5) 2.0 50 1 100+ 2 100+ ~20 20 60 10 - 100
National Institutes of Health 5

Approximate Size Ranges of Various Bioaerosols

Smoke Viruses Bacteria Cat Ag-bearing particles Fungal spores Algae cells/clusters Protozoa Dermatophagoides fecal pellets Fern spores Pollen

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Unscrewing Bottle Cap

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Withdrawing Needle from Septum Cap

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Vortex Mixing

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Blowing Out the Last Drop

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Blender Lid Open After Stop

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Aerosols Produced from Laboratory Operations

1010 bacteria/ml culture 10 min Blender, opened at once Sonicator, with bubbling Pipetting, vigorous Dropping culture Splash on centrifuge rotor Drop spill on zonal rotor Blender, opened at 1 minute Pipetting, carefully 106 106 106 3 x 105 105 2 x 104 2 x 104 104
Dimmick et al., 1973

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Aerosol and Surface Recovery from Pipetting Operations of 109/ml B. subtilis

RUN Airborne CFU Settled CFU Hands 35,800 22,000 14,800 9,300 6,900 228,000 52,800 Area 3,700 860 1,700 550 2,100 2,900 1,970

1 2 3 4 5 6 Average

2,040 657 2,050 388 5,110 649 1,820

(average time 3 minutes; 1 ml pipette; ea. 2 ml bulb)

Chatigny et al, 1979

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Aerosols from Animal Cage Cleaning

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Factors Affecting Survival of Aerosolized Organisms

 Environmental temperature, relative humidity  Suspending Medium pH, specific gravity, constituents, e.g., protein  Surface porous vs. non-porous

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Factors Affecting Character of Aerosols

 Energy Input Low Large particles High Small particles  Infectious Units/Particle organisms/unit, volume of original suspension  Persistence particle size
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Estimated Small Particle Aerosol Dose from Pipetting 1010/ml - min

 At 3 feet - 1,200  At 10 feet 50

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Estimated Small Particle Aerosol Dose from Blender 1010/ml 5 min

 At 3 feet - 2,000  At 10 feet 200

Dimmick 1973 et. al. 17 World Health Organization National Institutes of Health

Aerosol Dispersion in a Poorly Ventilated Room

Dimmick 1973 et. al. World Health Organization National Institutes of Health

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Summary
 Aerosols are generated from most laboratory tasks  Aerosols can spread through a building and effect many people  Contamination is often heaviest in work areas and on worker hands

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