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Concentration and size distribution of viable bioaerosols during non-haze and haze days in Beijing

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Abstract

Accumulation of airborne particulate matter (PM) has profoundly affected the atmospheric environment of Beijing, China. Although studies on health risks have increased, characterization of specific factors that contribute to increased health risks remains an area of needed exploration. Chemical composition studies on PM can readily be found in the literature but researches on biological composition are still limited. In this study, the concentration and size distribution of viable airborne bacteria and fungi were determined in the atmosphere from May to July 2013 in Beijing, China. Samples were collected during non-haze days and haze days based on the value of air quality index (AQI) PM2.5. Multiple linear regression results indicated that concentrations of viable bioaerosol exhibited a negative correlation with PM2.5 (AQI) ranging from 14 to 452. There was a little difference in size distribution of bioaerosol between non-haze and haze days that all airborne bacteria showed skewed trends toward larger sizes and airborne fungi followed a Gaussian distribution. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed that a fraction of bioaerosol with fine and coarse particles had negative and positive relations with PM2.5 (AQI), respectively. Moreover, the temporal variation of d g (aerodynamic diameter) of bioaerosol with PM2.5 (AQI) fluctuated from 9:00 to 21:00, which suggested that their deposition pattern would vary during a day. The primary research in this study implied that aerodynamic size variation should be considered in assessing the bioaerosol exposure during haze weather.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51308047) and the Special Program for Creative Ability of Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences (Grant No. KJCX2014302) for their financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing Agro-Biotechnology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Banjing, Haidian District, 100097, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Min Gao, Tianlei Qiu, Ruizhi Jia, Meilin Han & Xuming Wang

  2. College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Ruizhi Jia & Yuan Song

  3. Beijing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, 100097, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Min Gao & Xuming Wang

Authors
  1. Min Gao
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  2. Tianlei Qiu
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  3. Ruizhi Jia
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  4. Meilin Han
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  5. Yuan Song
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  6. Xuming Wang
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Correspondence to Xuming Wang.

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Responsible editor: Gerhard Lammel

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Gao, M., Qiu, T., Jia, R. et al. Concentration and size distribution of viable bioaerosols during non-haze and haze days in Beijing. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 4359–4368 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3675-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3675-0

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