Occupational Exposure Monitoring of Airborne Respiratory Viruses in Outpatient Medical Clinics

Details

• Personal Author:
  Clugston JR ; Fan ZH ; Jansen MD ; Lednicky JA ; Messcher RL ; Moquin TL ; Nannu Shankar S ; Shirkhani A ; Vass WB ; Walser MP ; Washeem M ; Wu C-Y ; Yang Y ; Zhang Y ; Clugston JR ; Fan ZH ; Jansen MD ; Lednicky JA ; Messcher RL ; Moquin TL ; Nannu Shankar S ; Shirkhani A ; Vass WB ; Walser MP ; Washeem M ; Wu C-Y ; Yang Y ; Zhang Y
• Description:
  Exposure to airborne respiratory viruses can be a health hazard in occupational settings. In this study, air sampling was conducted from January to March 2023 in two outpatient medical clinics-one primary care clinic and one clinic dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory illnesses-for the purpose of assessing airborne respiratory virus presence. Work involved the operation of a BioSpot-VIVASTM as a stationary air sampler and deployment of NIOSH BC-251 bioaerosol samplers as either stationary devices or personal air samplers worn by staff members. Results were correlated with deidentified clinical data from patient testing. Samples from seven days were analyzed for SARS-CoV-2, influenza A H1N1 and H3N2 viruses, and influenza B Victoria- and Yamagata-lineage viruses, with an overall 17.5% (17/97) positivity rate. Airborne viruses predominated in particles of aerodynamic diameters from 1-4 µm and were recovered in similar quantities from both clinics. BC-251 samplers (17.4%, 15/86) and VIVAS (18.2%, 2/11) collected detectable viruses at similar rates, but more numerous BC-251 samplers provided greater insight into virus presence across clinical spaces and job categories. 60% of samples from reception areas contained detectable virus, and exposure to significantly more virus (p = 0.0028) occurred at reception desks as compared to the "mobile" job categories of medical providers and nurses. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the impacts of hazard mitigation controls tailored to reducing respiratory virus exposure and highlights the need for continued diligence toward exposure risk mitigation in outpatient medical clinics. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Environmental Monitoring Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Health Personnel Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Viral Diseases
• Keywords:
  Air Sampling Bioaerosols COVID-19 Health Care Facilities Health Care Workers Occupational Exposure Risk Assessment Viral Infections
• ISSN:
  0278-6826
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article ; Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Atlanta Region [OSHA] ; Birmingham Region [OSHA] ; Chicago Region [OSHA] ; Florida ; Georgia ; Ohio
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health ; Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America ; North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070256
• Citation:
  Aerosol Sci Technol 2024 Oct; :[Epup ahead of print]
• Contact Point Address:
  Chang-Yu Wu, Department of Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146
• Email:
  cxw964@miami.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  University of Florida
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20210901
• Source Full Name:
  Aerosol Science and Technology
• End Date:
  20230831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7bb9dd450260205ced1a59d03017e3c1b0cb67f9f4894839d817f8b86a91c6721d4ccacc6387d2276e35ab5e6d10159e809974e570156c8dfde134f328dd6817
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208504/cdc_208504_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.26 MB ]