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Project Code [2015-CCRP-S-2]

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Project title

On-line bioaerosol sensing at a green waste management site in Ireland.

Primary Funding Agency

Irish Research Council

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

Environmental Protection Agency

Lead Organisation

University College Cork (UCC)

Lead Applicant

Patrick Feeney

Project Abstract

Pollen, spores and bacteria are often called bioaerosols and float everywhere in our atmosphere. They range in size from about 1/100th to about the size of a human hair and so can readily enter our respiratory tracks when we breathe in. This can have variable but serious health effects ranging from hay fever to a disease called Farmers� Lung. Despite these consequences, traditional methods for monitoring bioaerosols are quite crude and involve laborious counting of individual pollen and spores which are collected using a sticky surface and results can take several days to be confirmed.In this study a field campaign will be carried out at a green waste/composting site in Co. Cork using a new technique for monitoring bioaerosols called WIBS (Waveband IntegratedBioaerosol Sensor) which gives counting results in seconds rather than days. The location has been selected because very large quantities of bioaerosol spores are released in the composting process and some can have severe occupational health effects on the workers and also on the local population.

Grant Approved

�24,000.00

Research Hub

Climate Change

Research Theme

Air science

Start Date

01/10/2015

Initial Projected Completion Date

30/09/2016