Health Risk Assessment of the Total Number of Air Bacterial Colonies in Different Types of Public Places in Ulanqab City on Employees

Huijie Liu; Wenhui Li; Shuoyan Liu; Yanjiao Wu; Fenglin Zhu

doi:10.54097/ak96xs60

Authors

Huijie Liu
Wenhui Li
Shuoyan Liu
Yanjiao Wu
Fenglin Zhu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/ak96xs60

Keywords:

Public Places, Total Colony Counts, Practitioners, Health Risk Assessment

Abstract

Objective To understand the hygiene contamination status of total colony counts in the air of hotels, shopping malls, and gyms in Ulanqab City and assess their health risks to practitioners in these places. Methods The monitoring data of total colony counts in the air of 54 hotels, 32 shopping malls, and 8 gyms in Ulanqab City from 2021 to 2023 were analyzed to assess the pollution status. The Fisher exact probability method was used to compare the differences in the qualification rates of total colony counts in the air among different places. Use multiple independent sample rank sum tests to analyze the differences in total bacterial count concentrations between different locations. The non-carcinogenic risk assessment of total colony counts in the air of the three types of public places was conducted using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) health risk assessment method. Results A total of 369 air samples was collected, including 168 from hotels, 177 from shopping malls, and 24 from gyms. The overall qualification rate of total colony counts in the air of the three types of places was 96.7%. The qualification rates of total colony counts in the air of hotels, shopping malls, and gyms were 94.0, 98.9, and 100%, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (χ2 = 6.17, P < 0.05). The total bacterial count concentrations M (P₂₅, P₇₅) in the air of hotels, supermarkets, and gyms were 178 (387,710), 161 (294,679), and 368 (676,1353) CFU/m3, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (H = 12.08, P < 0.01). The non-carcinogenic risks of total colony counts in the air of the three types of places to practitioners were all less than or equal to 1. Conclusion The hygiene status of total colony counts in the air of hotels, shopping malls, and gyms in Ulanqab City is good, and the non-carcinogenic risks to practitioners are low.

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