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Prairie Swine Centre is an affiliate of the University of Saskatchewan
Prairie Swine Centre is grateful for the assistance of the George Morris Centre in developing the economics portion of Pork Insight.
Financial support for the Enterprise Model Project and Pork Insight has been provided by:
AIRBORNE DUST, ENDOTOXIN AND DNA DOWNWIND FROM SWINE BARNS
Posted in: Air Filtration, Pork Insight Articles by admin on July 6, 2017
Total dust (Figure I; P<O.OO I) and endotoxin (Figure 2; P<O.OOt) concentrations declined significantly at a distance from the bam. Comparison of mean ranks indicated that at both study sites there was no significant difference between the dust and endotoxin concentrations 600m downwind compared to
2400m upwind but the concentrations at the outlet were significantly higher than the upwind and downwind locations. Location did not have a significant effect on DNA concentrations (P=0.0733; Figure 3) around the swine barns. Season did not have an impact on total dust (P=0.3496), endotoxin (P=0.3982) or DNA (P=0.8117) concentrations downwind from swine barns. The results support the hypothesis that the concentration of total dust and endotoxin 600m downwind
from the barns is not statistically different from the “fresh air” upwind from the barn. However, neither distance from the barn nor season had a statistical impact on DNA. Microorganisms are ubiquitous, therefore more detailed research is required to attribute the endotoxin and DNA found in the air downwind from the barns to the swine operation. The data shows that contaminants expelled from the two Saskatchewan swine barns, are diluted to that of background levels 600m downwind from the bam. It may be suggested that airborne contaminants downwind from swine operations are not necessarily a direct result of the swine facility itself, especially in agriculturally active areas. In addition, many
environmental factors may have an impact on the distribution of the airborne contaminants. For the purposes of this study it was assumed that the activity within the barn was consistent and would not have an impact on the output of contaminants from the barn, however the activities within the barn could in fact have an impact on the types of contaminants and the amount of contaminants exiting the barn.
AIRBORNE DUST, ENDOTOXIN AND DNA DOWNWIND FROM SWINE