Exposure to contaminants generated in livestock confinement facilities is a significant problem to agricultural workers and farmers. Use of personal protective equipment is not desirable given the working conditions and characteristics of the worker population. Effective approaches for controlling indoor air quality in livestock confinement buildings would have to include both source and ventilation control measures. This small grants (R03) research proposes to develop and test a local ventilation system that would provide for more effective removal of dust and gaseous contaminants away from the worker's breathing zone. This design will be simple to implement and construct and could make a significant impact in reducing worker exposure to contaminants in livestock confinement buildings. The proposed ventilation design represents a typical approach in local ventilation systems, in which the air flow is directed so that the contaminant is driven away from the worker's breathing zone. This approach has not been adopted in livestock confinement facilities primarily because the focus in livestock building ventilation design is on providing adequate environmental conditions for the housed animals. In the proposed design, outdoor fresh air will be provided through a ventilation duct located above the feed walk. The effectiveness of the proposed design will be compared with that of the more conventional designs through laboratory tests. Performance will be evaluated in terms of dust concentration (inhalable and respirable), air velocity and air temperature within the room.
