Particulate Matter Emissions from a High-rise Layer House in Iowa

Particulate matter (PM) in animal feeding operations is a concern for the occupants and the surrounding community. Baseline measurements of the concentration and emission rate of PM are the first step toward assessing the environmental impact of animal feeding operation and evaluating the effectiveness of dust control strategies. This study presents the results of the PM measurement at a high-rise layer house in central Iowa. The average PM10 emission rate over the 9-month measurement period was 21.6 (±10 S.D.) mg/bird/day. Comparing with the emission rates reported literature, the mean and range of PM10 emission from high-rise layer hen barns using cage systems were 33.5 and 19-48 mg/bird/day. The average PM2.5 emission rate over the measurement period was 2 (± 1.5 S.D.) mg/bird/day, which is less than literature values of 3.52-14.2 mg/bird/day.