Aerosol Hazards

in the Laboratory

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Aerosol Hazards
Objectives
 Identify major aerosol-producing activities
 List the major factors affecting the ability of
airborne microbes to cause infection
 Describe the limitations of workplace
monitoring for aerosols
 Describe the effects of the physical
environment on aerosol transport and removal
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 Episodes of Single-Source,
Multiple Laboratory Infections
Disease Probable Source Maximum Distance Number
of Infection From Source Persons
Infected

Brucellosis Centrifugation Basement to 3rd floor 94

Coccidioidomycosis Culture transfer solid media 2 Building floors 13

Coxsackie Virus Spilled tube of infected 5 feet (estimated) 2

infection mouse tissue on floor

Murine Typhus Intranasal inoculation of mice 6 feet (estimated) 6

Tularemia 20 petri plates dropped 70 feet 5

Venezuelan 9 lyophilized ampoules 4th floor stairs to 3rd or 24

encephalitis dropped 5th

Reitman and Wedum, 1956

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What is an Aerosol?
 Particles suspended in a gas
 0.5 m - 20m in diameter
 In this instance the gas is air

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 Particles Diameters (µ)
Approximate Smoke 0.001 – 0.1
Size Ranges of Viruses 0.015 – 0.45
Various Bacteria 0.3 – 5
Bioaerosols Cat Ag-bearing <2.5 – 15
particles (most >5)
Fungal spores 2.0 – 50
Algae cells/clusters 1 – 100+
Protozoa 2 – 100+
Dermatophagoides
~20
fecal pellets
Fern spores 20 – 60
Pollen 10 - 100
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 Unscrewing Bottle Cap

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Withdrawing Needle from Septum Cap

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 Vortex Mixing

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 Blowing Out the Last Drop

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 Blender Lid Open After Stop

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Aerosols Produced from Laboratory Operations
1010 bacteria/ml culture – 10 min

Blender, opened at once 106

Sonicator, with bubbling 106
Pipetting, vigorous 106
Dropping culture 3 x 105
Splash on centrifuge rotor 105
Drop spill on zonal rotor 2 x 104
Blender, opened at 1 minute 2 x 104
Pipetting, carefully 104
Dimmick et al., 1973

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 Aerosol and Surface Recovery from Pipetting
Operations of 109/ml B. subtilis

Settled CFU
RUN Airborne CFU
Hands Area

1 2,040 35,800 3,700

2 657 22,000 860

3 2,050 14,800 1,700

4 388 9,300 550

5 5,110 6,900 2,100

6 649 228,000 2,900

Average 1,820 52,800 1,970

(average time 3 minutes; 1 ml pipette; ea. 2 ml bulb)

Chatigny et al, 1979
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Aerosols from Animal Cage Cleaning

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Factors Affecting Survival of
Aerosolized Organisms

 Environmental – temperature, relative

humidity
 Suspending Medium – pH, specific gravity,
constituents, e.g., protein
 Surface – porous vs. non-porous

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Factors Affecting Character of
Aerosols

 Energy Input
Low – Large particles
High – Small particles
 Infectious Units/Particle –
organisms/unit, volume of original
suspension
 Persistence – particle size

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Estimated Small Particle Aerosol Dose
from Pipetting 1010/ml - min

 At 3 feet - 1,200
 At 10 feet - 50

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Estimated Small Particle Aerosol Dose
from Blender 1010/ml – 5 min

 At 3 feet - 2,000
 At 10 feet - 200

Dimmick 1973 et. al.

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 Aerosol Dispersion in a Poorly
Ventilated Room

Dimmick 1973 et. al. 18

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Summary

 Aerosols are generated from most

laboratory tasks
 Aerosols can spread through a building
and effect many people
 Contamination is often heaviest in work
areas and on worker hands

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