Proceedings

Currently there is renewed concern about the risk of bioaerosols and other airborne hazards from treating wastes and using organic resources. Airborne transmission of disease and other health effects (e.g. allergic response) have been researched in several subject areas over many years. There is a significant ambient concentration of some of the factors of concern from activities unrelated to organic resources. The Sustainable Organic Resources Partnership decided there was a need to share information and debate the subject not least in relation to the other sources of exposure in order to put the matter into context.

This paper will summarise the conference organised to review what is known about the subject and debate where there might still be knowledge gaps. The conference was an opportunity to debate the subject with, speakers pre-eminent in the topic.

KEYWORDS Airborne, bacteria, bioaerosols, endotoxins, fungi, glucans, health, liability, odour, risk assessment, risk-perception, virus