BIOlogical air pollution MOdelling and associations with Lung Disease (BIOMOLD)

关键词：生物气溶胶，堆肥，呼吸系统健康，住院治疗，哮喘，慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）我们呼吸的空气中含有天然存在的生物颗粒的混合物，包括细菌，真菌和花粉。这些统称为生物气溶胶。由于生物气溶胶的体积非常小，它们可能会深入肺部，引发哮喘和呼吸道感染等问题。在工业规模上，堆肥是一种日益流行的管理可生物降解废物的方法。目前，英国大约有270个大型露天堆肥场，而且这个数字还在增加。堆肥过程利用真菌和细菌来分解食物和花园垃圾，从而生产出可用于农业的堆肥。然而，这一过程可能导致包括真菌孢子在内的生物气溶胶大量排放到大气中。虽然场址受到严格管制和管理，以尽量减少对邻近社区的生物气溶胶暴露，但关于这些场址的健康风险的科学研究很少。在这项研究中，我们将使用专门的空气污染建模软件和选定地点周围详细测量的信息，预测2005年至2014年英国所有堆肥地点的每日生物气溶胶排放量。该模型的输出将用于预测邮政编码水平的生物气溶胶的环境浓度。先前对堆肥场所工人的研究表明，对肺部健康的潜在影响，包括哮喘。在堆肥地点附近进行了少量健康研究，发现报告的呼吸道症状发生率较高。这项研究将着眼于环境生物气溶胶浓度与呼吸系统住院（包括哮喘）之间的关系，以检查对肺部健康的潜在严重影响。分析还将审查是否存在季节性影响，因为生物气溶胶排放量较高，其成分在一年中的不同时间可能有所不同。这项拟议的研究涉及来自由医学研究委员会（MRC）和英国公共卫生（PHE）资助的国家环境与健康中心的专门从事环境健康研究的研究人员，以及来自布里斯托尔西英格兰大学的暴露评估专家。在nerc资助的项目“与生物废弃物和集约化农业排放的生物气溶胶相关的炎症因子的检测和表征（EndotoxII (NE/M011658/1)）”中工作。在英国，所有的研究人员都站在生物气溶胶研究的最前沿。这项研究的一个重要部分将是卫生和环境研究人员之间的密切合作，并通过EndotoxII与另一个NERC项目“城市、农业和工业环境中生物气溶胶的快速监测（RAMBIE）”项目建立联系。这两个NERC项目都将于2018年完成。这将有助于从堆肥和集约化农业设施等其他活动开展进一步的生物土壤健康研究。这项研究的结果可能会影响监管机构如何监测堆肥设施以及为保护公众健康而采取的措施。目前，环境局已经采取了预防措施，如生物气溶胶必须低于预先设定的低水平，在堆肥设施的下风250米，或在最近的房屋，学校或办公室（如果接近250米）。这项研究的结果将探讨这种方法的适用性，并可能为未来的监管政策提供建议。

Keywords: Bioaerosol, Compost, Respiratory health, Hospitalisation, Asthma, Chronic Obstructive pulmonary Disease (COPD)The air we breathe contains a mixture of naturally occurring biological particles, including bacteria, fungi and pollen. These are collectively called bioaerosols. As bioaerosols are very small in size, they can potentially travel deep into the lungs and trigger problems such as asthma and respiratory infections. Composting is an increasingly popular way to manage biodegradable waste on an industrial scale. There are currently around 270 large scale composting sites with outdoor processing of waste in England and this number is increasing. The composting process uses fungi and bacteria to breakdown food and garden waste and results in production of compost that can be used in agriculture. However, the process can results in high levels of emissions of bioaerosols including fungal spores into the atmosphere. While sites are closely regulated and managed to minimise exposure to bioaerosols to neighbouring communities, there are few scientific studies available on health risks from such sites.In this study, we will predict daily bioaerosol emissions from all composting sites in England from 2005 to 2014 using specialised air pollution modelling software and information from detailed measurements around selected sites. The output of the model will be used to predict ambient concentrations of bioaerosols at a postcode level. Previous studies of workers at composting sites have suggested potential health impacts on lung health, including asthma. A small number of health studies have been conducted near composting sites and these have found higher rates of reported respiratory symptoms. This study will look at associations between ambient bioaerosol concentrations and respiratory hospital admissions including asthma, to examine potential for serious impacts on lung health. Analyses will also examine whether there are seasonal effects as bioaerosol emissions are higher and their composition may vary at different times of the year. The proposed study involves researchers specialising in environmental health studies from a national Centre for Environment and Health funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and by Public Health England (PHE) and with expertise in exposure assessment from the University of the West of England, Bristol, working on a NERC-funded project called "Detection and characterisation of inflammatory agents associated with bioaerosol emitted from biowaste and intensive agriculture (EndotoxII (NE/M011658/1))". All researchers are at the forefront of research into bioaerosols from composting in the UK.An important part of this study will be a close collaboration between health and the environmental researchers, and, through EndotoxII, establishing links with another NERC project "RApid Monitoring of Bioaerosols in urban, agricultural and Industrial Environments (RAMBIE)" projects. Both NERC projects are due to be completed in 2018. This will help in development of further health studies into bioerosols research, both from composting and from other activities such as intensive agricultural facilities.The results of this study may impact how regulatory bodies monitor composting facilities and the measures put in place to protect public health. At present the Environment Agency have put in place precautionary measures, such that bioaerosols must be below pre-defined low levels by 250m downwind of the composting facility, or by the nearest house, school or office (if closer than 250m). The results of this study will explore the suitability of this approach and may provide recommendations for future regulatory policy.