Evaluation of the bacteriological load in the air of a wetland-type wastewater treatment plant: implications for occupational health
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36829/08ASA.v20i1.1729Keywords:
Agar, bacteria, petri dishes, bioload, culture medium, biological sampling, pathogen, binomial probability, Colony Forming Units (C.F.U.)Abstract
This study evaluated the airborne bacterial load at a wetland-type wastewater treatment plant using vetiver, located in Colonia Aurora II, Zone 13 of Guatemala City, through semi-qualitative passive sampling. The objective was to identify areas with higher airborne microbiological contamination as an indicator of potential risk to operators. Samples were collected using Petri dishes exposed for 30 minutes. Seven sampling points were defined in the screen channel, seven in the vetiver treatment area, and seven in the effluent, based on a binomial probability analysis. The results showed the highest bacterial counts in the secondary treatment area (272 CFU/plate), followed by the screen channel (156 CFU/plate) and the vetiver treatment (134 CFU/plate). A peak value of 318 CFU/plate was recorder in the effluent stage, exceeding the reference threshold. All values exceeded the reference threshold of 29 CFU/plate, indicating high airborne microbiological contamination and a potential risk to exposed personnel, considering the limitations of the method used.
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