Dustiness and bio-aerosol exposure in sorting recyclable paper

In Denmark recycling of household waste is a growing industry and recycled paper is the major source for the Danish pulp production. Paper for recycling may come from various sources including households and industry. The paper is collected separately, but the segregation process may not always be efficient and the paper may be high in microbial content. For workers sorting recyclable paper, data are few on personal exposure to bio-aerosols and a comparative study, therefore, was carried out to establish base-line information. Workers sorting clean paper (items of mail) were included for comparison. The data obtained were compared with data from the literature on exposure of waste collectors to bio- aerosols. The potential of recyclable paper to emit dust (dustiness) and micro-organisms was characterized in the laboratory using a rotating drum dustiness tester and mixed household waste was included for comparison. The study indicated that workers sorting recyclable paper were exposed to high levels of bio...