Airborne emissions from livestock farms and exposure of nearby residents using an atmospheric dispersion model

To estimate the exposure of local residents to substances emitted by livestock farms, we applied a dispersion model to calculate the air concentrations in the surroundings following from these emissions. At several livestock farms, indoor air measurements were performed to determine emission strengths, while ambient measurements were carried out to compare with model results. Measured substances were particulate matter (PM), endotoxins and micro-organisms. The dispersion model only simulated PM concentrations, which were used as a proxy to determine the dispersion concentrations of endotoxins and micro-organisms. For the living micro-organisms, the process of inactivation has to be taken into account. Here we describe the followed methodology and preliminary results