УДК 636.083.1:57.04:54-128

HYGIENIC SIGNIFICANCE OF AEROIONIC SPECTRUM OF ATMOSPHERE AND AIR IN CATTLE-BREEDING BUILDINGS

E.P. Dement’ev, E.V. Tsepeleva, A.M. Shtan

In six regions of the Republic of Bashkortostan the authors determined the degree of natural air ionization in connection with climatic features of locality, year’s season and pollution, and also aeroionic spectrum of air in stock buildings. The buildings have lesser significantly content of biologically useful light aeroions and the content of heavy aeroions was 10 times as great as in air of premises territory.

Key words: aeroionic spectrum, casy aeroions, heavy aeroions, microckimate, pigsties.

 

The influence of aeroionization is usually considered in animal husbandry and veterinary mainly in connection with its beneficial effects on animals’ immunity, productivity and health by applying the artificially ionized air (1-4). However, there’s paucity of information about the effects of natural ionization in livestock-breeding buildings (especially at the industrial technology of keeping) subject to bioclimatic features of locality.
Our purpose was to determine the aeroionic spectrum of atmosphere and air in livestock-breeding buildings depending on natural climatic conditions of location in seasonal and diurnal dynamics.
Methods. The study of natural air ionization was carried out in different regions of the Republic of Bashkortostan in 2004-2008. The mobil laboratory was equipped on the basis of UAZ-452-D, with all necessary instruments for weather and microclimate monitoring installed in the interior, and with an autonomous power station AB-2T/230-M1 mounted on caravan. Aeroionic spectrum of atmosphere was studied in the regions: Ufimskij, Karmaskalinskij, Sterlitamakskij, Nurimanovskij, Mechetlinskij and Tatyshlinskij. The natural air ionization was measured indoor in the pig farms "Karlamanski" (Karmaskalinskij reg.) and "Roshinskij” (Sterlitamakskij reg.) (24 thousand and 54 thousand of livestock, resp.), and in cattle buildings of the school-farm of the Bashkirskij State Agrarian University (BashSAU), in the farms "Demen" and "Chapaevskij". Aeroionic spectrum was measured using the full-spectrum counter TGU IT-6914 (Russia), and the small-sized counter MAS-1 (Russia), which detects only the light aeroions, but its easy in use. The characteristics of aeroionic spectrum were determined: the content of light (n ±) and heavy (N ±) aeroions,  coefficient of unipolarity (q), the predominance of heavy aeroions over light ions (K). Key indicators of microclimate were studied by common methods of zoohygiene (1).
The data were processed statistically by the method of N.A. Plohinskij (5) using Statgraphics Plus 3.0 and Excel 5.0 software packages.
Results. The survey of natural air ionization revealed its close connection to the bioclimatic features of locations. The greatest content of light aeroions was observed in the territories of Nurimanovskij and Mechetlinskij regions (2700 and 2500 ions/cm3, respectively), where the most of the area is covered by coniferous and deciduous forests of northern and north-eastern forest-steppe zone. The content of light aeroions was higher by 76,00-62,29%  (P <0.01), and the content of heavy ions was less by 14,60% (P <0.05) than in other studied regions. In the closely located Ufimskij and Karmaskalinskij regions, the natural aeroionic level was medium. Though, the higher content of light ions (by 3.30%) and less - of heavy ions (by 6,60%) was observed in the air of Karmaskalinskij region. In the Sterlitamakskij region (the eastern forest-steppe subzone), the least content of light aeroions and the greatest content of heavy ions were found, apparently, due to air pollution by oil plants.
The most common indicators of purity and biological value of the air are the content of light aeroions and the predominance of heavy aeroions over the light ions. According to our data, in the north-eastern regions these indicators were more beneficial (K= 1,55-1,84) than in central and south-eastern areas (K = 3,20-7,65). The 5-years study of the dynamics of natural air ionization revealed the common trend of its absolute values in all studied regions (Table).

Seasonal dynamics of aeroionization of atmosphere in bioclimatic conditions of the Respublic of Bashkortostan (М±m, 2004-2008)

Characteristic of aeroionization

Winter

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Average
for a year

Light aeroions, ions/cm3:

 

 

 

 

positive (n+)

338,0±
19,0

469,5±
20,2

822,8±
22,4

453,4±
11,6

520,9±
15,9

negative (n-)

346,0±
19,7

449,5±
21,6

679,4±
26,8

417,0±
14,8

473,0±
15,2

total

684,0±
32,4

919,0±
36,8

1502,2±
39,2

870,4±
51,8

993,9±
40,0

coefficient of unipolarity (q)

0,976±
0,015

1,044±
0,009

1,211±
0,011

1,087±
0,006

1,101±
0,002

Heavy aeroions, ions/cm3:

 

 

 

 

positive (N+)

9142,6±
188,0

5804,5±
186,0

3126,0±
189,0

8843,3±
298,0

6729,1±
111,0

negative (N-)

9227,3±
134,0

5577,3±
198,0

2783,3±
98,0

8406,6±
202,0

6498,6±
133,0

total

18 369,9±
436,0

11 381,8±
412,0

5909,3±
212,0

17 249,9±
520,0

13 227,7±
220,0

coefficient of unipolarity (q)

0,990±0,005

1,040±0,008

1,123±0,006

1,051±0,004

1,035±0,006

Predominance of heavy aeroions over light ions (К)

26,85±3,90

13,38±3,20

3,93±1,86

19,80±4,10

13,30±3,20

The greatest content of light aeroions and light negative ions was detected in summer (coefficient of unipolarity - 1,211), and the least - in winter (greatly reliable differences - P <0,001). The beginning of solar hot weather in spring promoted the gradual increase in the content of light aeroions (by 25.57%, P <0.01) and decrease in the content of heavy ions (by 61.39%, P <0.01) compared with winter period. When air temperature and humidity were gradually decreasing in autumn, the content of light (especially negative) aeroions reduced (coefficient of unipolarity - 1,087), and the content of heavy aeroions increased in 2,9 times higher than in summer. The peak of predominance of heavy aeroions over light ions was detected in autumn-winter period (K = 19,80-26,85).
Aeroionization spectrum was changing according to the dynamics of main meteorological parameters. The graphical analysis has revealed the high degree of identity for the curves of air temperature and the content of light aeroions (r = +0,9). The content of light aeroions and air humidity were negatively correlated (r = -1,0).
The content of heavy aeroions was significantly determined by meteorological factors as well, but the trend was different than in light aeroions: the content of heavy aeroins (mainly - heavy ions) was increasing with the raise of air humidity (significant correlation -  r = +0,5). A small negative correlation (r = -0,3) was observed between the content of heavy aeroions and air temperature and atmospheric pressure.
According to our data,  aeroionic spectrum in large pig farms was significantly different from the natural level. As a rule, the content of light (n ±)  aeroions was poor (50-100 ions/cm3), and the content of heavy (N ±) ions was great (30 000-100 000 ions/cm3), whereas the natural levels in studied locations averaged 1,060 ions/cm3 and more than 12 000 ions/cm3, respectively, for a year, and in  summer - up to 1500 ions/cm3 and not more than 6000 ions/cm3. The farm technology provides non-herding keeping of pigs, while the found significant difference in aeroionization indicates the problem of normalization of the indoor aeroionic composition in industrial farms. The similar dynamic of aeroionic spectrum was established in the industrial buildings for young cattle:  the content of light negative aeroions was in 5.3 times less, and heavy ions - in 2,0 times higher than in the outdoor air. The common patterns of dynamics of aeroionization in livestock-breeding buildings and in  atmospheric air were observed:  the content of light positive and negative aeroions in the atmospheric air and in premises was higher in the morning, with the consequent reliable decrease by 2 p.m in the content of positive aeroions by 26,53% (P <0,05) and by 29.41% ( P <0,05) - for negative aeroions. The most beneficial aeroionic spectrum with the highest content of light negative aeroions was observed during the hours when microclimate of premises corresponded the basic hygiene requirements.
So, natural air ionization depends on bioclimatic characteristics of location, season of a year and air pollution. The air in livestock buildings, especially in pig farms, has the poor content of biologically useful light airoions  with significant (in several times) excess of heavy airoions, which indicates the need in artificial aeroionization.

REFERENCES

1. Volkov G.K., Aeroionizatsiya v zhivotnovodstve i veterinarii (Aeroionization in Animal Husbandry and Veterinary), Moscow, 1969.
2. Dement’yev E.P., Kazadayev V.A., Kuznetsov A.A. e.a., Hygienic Basis for the Use of Physical and Biological Stimulants in Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, in Sovremennyje problemy intensifikatsii proizvodstva v APK (Festschrift: The Current Problems of Intensification of AIC Production), Moscow, 2005, pp. 104-107.
3. Mozjzherin V.I., Teoriya i praktika primeneniya aeroionizatsii v zhivotnovodstve i veterinarii (Theory and Practice of Applying the Aeroionization in Animal Husbandry and Veterinary), Ufa, 2000.
4. Chizhevskij A.L., Aeroionifikatsiya v narodnom khozyajstve (Aeroionization in National Economy), Moscow, 1960.
5. Plokhinskii N.A., Biometriya (Biometry), Novosibirsk,1961.

 

Bashkortostan State Agrarian University,
Ufa 450001, Russia
e-mail: elena_tsepeleva@mail.ru

Received May 14, 2008