SGER: Bioaerosol Exposure Hazard Assessment to Emergency Response and Reclamation Personnel

Investigator(s):

Mark Hernandez (PI)

Sponsor:

University of Colorado at Boulder, CO 80309 3034926221

Start Date/Expiration Date

2005-10-01 to 2006-09-30 (amended 2005-09-27)

Awarded Amount to Date:

$30,000

Abstract: 0553213 Hernandez Late breaking research has confirmed that waterborne microorganisms can be aerosolized from recreational water facilities, such as hot tubs and therapy pools even when such waters are relatively quiescent. The partitioning of microorganisms from water to air is enhanced by common appurtenances, which are designed to entrain small air bubbles in high velocity water streams, and from systems, which rapidly propel water through air for emergency response and civil engineering applications: fire-fighting, cooling, aeration, dust abatement, and the bulk movement of water over containment barriers. Hurricane Katrina has, and will continue to require, the propulsion of large quantities of flood-impacted waters through air for these purposes. Given that these flood waters contain waterborne pathogens, and that microorganisms will certainly be aerosolized from the flood waters during emergency response and subsequent clean-up operations, a unique airborne health risk likely exists in this area. While this inhalation based exposure risk is of a different nature than that associated with 9/11 (biological rather than inorganic) much like central Manhattan, the onset and magnitude of this event has likely contributed to seriously deteriorating the air quality over a wide area of an environmental complication which has largely been ignored because of immediate survival priorities. Like the area near ground zero on and after 9/11, poor air quality may induce both acute and chronic health effects. Unlike Manhattan however, the bioaerosol exposure risk in the New Orleans flood zone may in fact increase over time, and pose a significant health threat to firefighting, engineering and other reclamation personnel, particularly near appurtenances that purposely introduce flood water streams into air. In response to this condition, the purpose of this study will be to monitor the identity, distribution and abundance of microorganisms in aerosols created near such appurtenances, and compare their ecology to that in the immediate source water using widely accepted microscopic and genetic methods. Special attention will be paid to identifying and quantifying potential pathogens in these aerosols.

NSF Org:

BES - Division of Bioengineering & Environmental Systems

Award Number:

0553213

Award Instrument:

Standard Grant

Program Manager:

Cynthia J. Ekstein
BES Division of Bioengineering & Environmental Systems
ENG Directorate for Engineering

NSF Program(s):

SPECIAL STUDIES AND ANALYSES

Field Application(s):

Trace Contaminants, Water Pollution

Program Reference Code(s):

SMALL GRANTS-EXPLORATORY RSRCH, 9237
TOXIC SUBSTANCES/SOLID & HAZARDOUS WASTE, 9187
HURRICANE KATRINA, 7582

Program Element Code(s):

1385