Time course of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha increase in serum following inhalation of swine dust.

Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 1996 | No Comments

The presence and time course of changes in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum were studied to evaluate possible mechanisms by which inhalation of pig dust induces general symptoms. A group of 14 previously unexposed humans weighed pigs for 3 h. The average dust concentration in the air was 22.4 +/- 4.7 mg/m3 and endotoxin 1.2 +/- 0.4 A

Decision Support (DSS) for Manure Systems Management

Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments

The scope of decision support system (DSS) for manure management systems is presented with the limits and the capacities of DSS that work on personal computers. Plain spreadsheets with data stored in templates or in database programs provide information and different results that still have to be analyzed in order to find the appropriate solution to a particular situation. As for expert systems, the system asks for limited inputs and the treatment of that information along with information included in the system will be analyzed and a choice of solutions is generally made by the computer program. A more sophisticated program will present more choices and the solutions presented are more synthesized. For manure management, the following aspects should be addressed: – labor for manure collection and handling; – odour from storage and spreading; – nutrients efficiency and losses sources; – a all stages, environmental aspects; – costs of those steps on and off the farm. The desired technical features that have to be considered and included in a manure DSS and also the programming features that should be included in a DSS are presented. Different DSS from Canada, the U.S. and Europe are presented and their characteristics, features and also shortcomings are also discussed.
General information is given on the way DSS work and also on the way they can be used and integrated in decision making. A good review of the software and DSS available is also made.

Surface Water Quality Impacts Following Winter Application of Hog Manure in the Interlake Region, Manitoba, Canada, 1996

Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments

One major impediment for the development of intensive hog operations are potential impacts of ground water contamination or surface runoff in manure applied fields. Surface water samples were collected from 15 and 22 different sites in the Icelandic and Fisher River waterbeds in the interlkae region of Manitoba. Water samples were collected from target and control fields, ditches receiving runoff from fields and from the Icelandic and Fisher rivers. Nutrient concentrations were statisically different (and higher) in snow meltwater from fields with hog manure application than for fields with no manure application. Ammonia Nitrogen and phosphorus were statistically higher where the runoff entered the rivers, indicating the surrounding runoff did provide sufficient contributions to cause a increase in river concentrations.

EMISSIONS OF MALODOROUS COMPOUNDS AND GREENHOUSE GASES FROM COMPOSTING SWINE FECES

Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments

Emissions of harmful gases, malodorous compounds
and greenhouse gases emitted during composting of
swine feces under continuous aeration were studied
using a laboratory-scale composting apparatus. Concentrations
of ammonia and sulfur compounds in the
exhaust gas rose remarkably after starting and at every
turning, and their changes reflected the odor concentrations
calculated from sensory tests. Volatile fatty
acids, in high concentrations at the start, were rapidly
reduced within several hours from starting and did not
rise again. Methane emission was observed within only
1 day from starting. Nitrous oxide repeatedly rose and
fell after every turning, as did ammonia. From the
viewpoint of nitrogen loss during composting, however,
the total amount of nitrous oxide emission seemed
quite small compared with that of ammonia.

Exposure to bacteria in swine-house dust and acute inflammatory reactions in humans.

Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments

Inhalation of swine house dust may cause an acute airway inflammatory condition (organic dust toxic syndrome). Thirty-eight healthy subjects were exposed to swine dust while weighing swine for 3 h. We studied the correlation between acute health effects and the inhaled bacterial exposure markers peptidoglycan (the main constituent of the cell walls of gram positive bacteria, but also present in lesser amounts in gram negative bacteria) and lipopolysaccharides (LPS; present only in gram negative bacteria). LPS activity in airborne dust was measured with the Limulus amebocyte lysate assay (LPSLAL), and the total LPS was estimated from 3 hydroxy fatty acids, which were measured with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC MS) (LPSGC MS). Peptidoglycan was estimated from muramic acid measured with GC MS. The median (25th to 75th percentile) concentration of inhalable dust was 21 (16 to 25) mg/m(3). LPSLAL was 1.2 (0.9 to 1.4) ug/m(3); LPSGC MS was 3.9 (2.5 to 4.9) ug/m(3); and the peptidoglycan concentration in airborne dust was 6.5 (2.7 to 13) ug/m(3). All exposure markers correlated significantly with an increase in serum interleukin-6. LPSLAL showed the highest correlation (r2 = 0.29) and total inhaled dust the lowest (r2 = 0.09). LPSLAL also correlated with symptoms and with an increase in bronchial responsiveness and decrease in vital capacity (VC). Peptidoglycan, but not LPSLAL, correlated with an increase in the blood granulocyte concentration and in body temperature. The results suggest that several microbial agents in inhaled swine-house dust may contribute to acute systemic health effects.

N and C Transformations During Long Term Storage of Manure

Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments

This publication is a review of the information available on stored manure . Manure under storage will undergo composition changes particularly for its carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio. For liquid manure, a higher C/N ratio will reduce N losses under the form of ammonia. Nitrous oxide gas (NOx) emissions also occur. Changes in the manure composition will happen and seasonal variations play a role in the process as for low temperature, the anaerobic bacteria slow their activity.

Restoration fo Productivity to a Desurfaced Soil with Livestock Manure, Crop Residue and Fertilizer Amendments

Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments

Constructed wetlands to treat wastewater from dairy and swine operations: a review

Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments

Bacterial and fungal flora of dust deposits in a pig building.

Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments

Objectives -The purpose of the study was to investigate the bacterial and fungal flora of dust deposits in a newly built pig grower finisher building. Viable bacterial counts and microbial species found in a barn which had never housed pigs were compared with those in a barn housing 144 pigs.

Methods -The quantitative streak plate method was used to measure viable bacterial counts on nutrient agar or sheep blood agar. Viable bacterial counts of the dust deposits were expressed as the number of colony forming units (CFUs)/mg of dust. Gram positive cocci and Gram negative bacilli were identified by an automated system. Identifications with a confidence interval > 90% were accepted at the species level. Fungi were identified to the genus level with slide culture preparations on cereal agar.

Results -The lowest viable bacterial count (4.8 x 10(4)/mg of dust) was found in the barn with no pigs. In the barn with pigs the highest viable bacterial count (2.1 x 10(4)/mg of dust) was in dust from the top of a partition close to gig activity. Six species of bacteria or fungi were found in dust from the room with no pigs, whereas 22 different microorganisms were detected in dust from the room with pigs. With the exception of Enterobacter agglomerans no other species of the family Enterobacteriaceae was found in dust deposits in this new pig building. Twelve species of Gram positive bacteria were found in the room housing pigs.

Conclusions -The pig is not only a source but also a disperser of airborne bacteria in pig buildings. Speciation of the microbial flora in dust from the pig building suggests that many of the microorganisms were either of human or environmental origin. Nevertheless as some of these microorganisms are known opportunistic pathogens or allergens and because of the documented increased incidence of chronic respiratory symptoms in pig workers, precautions to reduce inhalation of microbial or dust particles by pig workers seem prudent.

On-Farm Socio-economics of Manure Management

Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments

The cost of manure management and environmental protection are difficult to assess and when considering profit maximizing farms, there are no advantages in investing in costly practices to reduce the impact of manure on the environment. Environmental regulations are also considered as measures that reduce the companies’ competitive advantages and could eventually costs jobs. In assessing new ways or technologies that could help solving the environmental impact of manure tools have to be developed and used to make thorough investigations of the situation and final economical analysis that could lead to choices of management practices or techniques. All the steps of manure management have to be investigated from production , handling and processing through manure utilization and all the on-farm costs and benefits have to be considered. Different methods of analysis or tools have to be developed and used in order to help in the choice of manure management practices and those methods are: cost/benefit analysis, mathematical programming and expert systems. Work has to be done to all cost estimates related to different manure management practices usual ones as well a newly developed ones. All this information has to be put together in user-friendly tools in order to help the producers in their manure system choices.

This publication present different analysis methods that have been developed in some areas such as dairy farming and also livestock in general. In order to keep accurate tools, there is an important need for data updates for those analysis systems or computer aids.