Key Laboratory of Aerosol Chemistry & Physics, State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology (SKLLQG), Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Xi'an 710061, PR China; Xi'an Institute for Innovative Earth Environment Research, Xi'an 710061, PR China.
JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, PR China.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2024 Nov 15;287:117294. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.117294. Epub 2024 Nov 6.
The potential health risks posed by bioaerosols containing pathogens originating from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have gaining intensive attention. This study designated sampling locations within a WWTP situated in Xi'an, a major city in northwest China. The airborne bacterial concentration, taxonomic composition, and the associated health risks were analyzed in the aeration tanks with bottom microporous aeration system. The Anaerobic-Anoxic-Oxic (AAO) tank emitted significantly higher culturable bacteria (1.58×10 CFU m in spring, 6.69×10 CFU m in winter) compared to Double-ditch (DE) oxidation ditch and aerated grit chamber (AGC) chamber, aligning with 16S rDNA quantification results. The bacterial concentrations are higher in spring than that in winter, with the AAO tank posing the highest exposure risk during the spring season. The dominant genera in the air samples include Cutibacterium, Lawsonella, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, and Aeromonas. Among the identified genus, 139 bacterial genera were identified as potential human pathogens like Neisseria, Moraxella, Haemophilus, Escherichia-Shigella and Streptococcus. These pathogens further elevate exposure risks from WWTP bioaerosols. This study provides relevant information on the seasonal health risk variations tied to bioaerosol emissions from diverse aeration tanks with bottom microporous aeration system in the mega city of northwest China, emphasizing the imperative to enhance the management and control measures for bioaerosols originating from the AAO tank.
含有源自废水处理厂（WWTP）的病原体的生物气溶胶对健康构成的潜在风险引起了人们的高度关注。本研究在位于中国西北部主要城市西安的一个 WWTP 内指定了采样地点。在采用底部微孔曝气系统的曝气池中分析了空气传播细菌的浓度、分类组成和相关健康风险。与双沟（DE）氧化沟和曝气砾石室（AGC）相比，厌氧-缺氧-好氧（AAO）池在春季释放出明显更高的可培养细菌（1.58×10 CFU m ，冬季为 6.69×10 CFU m ），这与 16S rDNA 定量结果一致。春季的细菌浓度高于冬季，AAO 池在春季的暴露风险最高。空气样本中的优势属包括 Cutibacterium、Lawsonella、Acinetobacter、Pseudomonas 和 Aeromonas。在所鉴定的属中，有 139 个细菌属被鉴定为潜在的人类病原体，如 Neisseria、Moraxella、Haemophilus、Escherichia-Shigella 和 Streptococcus。这些病原体进一步增加了 WWTP 生物气溶胶的暴露风险。本研究提供了有关中国西北部特大城市不同底部微孔曝气系统曝气池生物气溶胶排放的季节性健康风险变化的相关信息，强调了必须加强对 AAO 池产生的生物气溶胶的管理和控制措施。
