Emission and Dispersion of Bioaerosols from Dairy Manure Application Sites: Human Health Risk Assessment

In this study, we report the human health risk of gastrointestinal infection associated with inhalation exposure to airborne zoonotic pathogens emitted following application of dairy cattle manure to land. Inverse dispersion modeling with the USEPA’s AERMOD dispersion model was used to determine bioaerosol emission rates based on edge-of-field bioaerosol and source material samples analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Bioaerosol emissions and transport simulated with AERMOD, previously reported viable manure pathogen contents, relevant exposure pathways, and pathogen-specific dose-response relationships were then used to estimate potential downwind risks with a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) approach. Median 8-h infection risks decreased exponentially with distance from a median of 1:2700 at edge-of-field to 1:13 000 at 100 m and 1:200 000 at 1000 m; peak risks were considerably greater (1:33, 1:170, and 1:2500, respectively). These results indicate that bioaerosols emitted from manure application sites following manure application may present significant public health risks to downwind receptors. Manure management practices should consider improved controls for bioaerosols in order to reduce the risk of disease transmission.