Contributions from Broiler Chicken Farms to Worker Ammonia Exposure

Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Convention Center 

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are the number one source of ammonia emissions in the Southeastern U.S. Inadequate estimates of emissions from various types of CAFOs leads to underestimates of worker and community exposures. In this study, the role of litter pile contributions to total emissions from broiler chicken farms was assessed. Using a modelling approach, this study assessed the relative contributions of litter pile emissions to resulting ammonia concentrations in Robeson County, NC. These missing emissions from national estimates were found to contribute significantly to resulting concentrations, increasing frequency of worker exposure to concentrations above short-term limits.

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W. Vizuete, UNC Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.  

Environmental protection and monitoring

Exposure Assessment

Indoor air quality