Emission of Microbial Aerosols from Sewage Treatment Plants That Use Trickling Filters: Effects of Environmental Conditions

Recent interest in sources of environmental pollution, together with developments in the science of aerobiology during the past decade, have provided the technology to investigate trickling filters as a source of microbial aerosol pollution of the atmosphere. A study was undertaken to examine the effects of various environmental conditions upon the emission of Escherichia coli and total bacterial forms from municipal sewage treatment plants. Two typical trickling filter processing plants serving a metropolitan area were selected for the study. An attempt was made to gain information regarding the magnitude of the potential hazard as it might vary with environmental conditions. The majority of particles emitted were found to be