Effect of relative humidity on impactor sampling among four airborne viruses

Details

• Personal Author:
  Abin M ; Appert J ; Chander Y ; Ge S ; Goyal S ; Kuehn T ; Raynor P ; Zuo Z
• Description:
  Objective: People in a wide spectrum of occupations are exposed to viruses present in the air. This research investigated the influence of humidity on the viability of live virus aerosols and the particle sizes test viruses were associated with. Methods: Four viruses - bacteriophage MS2, human adenovirus, transmissible gastroenteritis virus of pigs, and avian influenza virus - were aerosolized separately into an apparatus from suspensions using a nebulizer. The relative humidity in the apparatus was conditioned to 15, 50, and 85% at room temperature. An 8-stage Andersen impactor with aluminum plates was used to sample the test aerosols. Collected material was eluted from each impaction surface, and the amounts of live virus present were determined using standard virology techniques. By comparing the amount of live virus collected versus the concentration in the nebulizer suspension against the recovery of a fluorescent dye versus its concentration in the suspension, the relative recovery (R) of live virus was measured, with R=1 equivalent to 100% recovery. Results: Relative recovery varied widely by virus, ranging from a minimum R=0.02 to a maximum of R=1. On average, MS2 aerosols yielded the highest values of R and avian influenza virus had the lowest relative recovery. All test viruses were affected by relative humidity. Compared to other conditions, MS2 recovery was highest at 50% relative humidity although transmissible gastroenteritis virus recovery was lowest. Recovery of human adenovirus was highest at 85% relative humidity (p=0.0002). Versus 15 and 50% relative humidity (R=0.02 to R=0.06), recovery of live avian influenza virus was markedly higher at 85% relative humidity (R=0.59, p<0.0001). Relative humidity affected the particle sizes that live human adenovirus could be recovered from. Conclusions: Relative humidity affects the viability of live virus aerosols during sizeselective sampling, but the effects may vary widely between different viruses. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Air Pollutants, Occupational Humidity Occupational Health Particulate Matter Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Viral Diseases Workplace
• Keywords:
  Aerosol-particles Airborne-particles Exposure-levels Particulates Risk-factors Sampling Viral-diseases Viral-infections Work-environment Workers
• Publisher:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Minnesota ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  52
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20046489
• Citation:
  AIHce 2012: American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, June 16-21, 2012, Indianapolis, Indiana. Falls Church, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2012 Jun; :52
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Performing Organization:
  University of Minnesota, Schools of Veterinary Medicine, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20080901
• Source Full Name:
  AIHce 2012: American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, June 16-21, 2012, Indianapolis, Indiana
• End Date:
  20120831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ab9f1e0c4ea838760c16248d0dc329ae20e9d71d15bcde44d140cae184cb5d907ce9b28030e3a3cd404257becde8214666eed924c3f477e4ff62f5505023c78c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/201537/cdc_201537_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 194.91 KB ]