Characteristics of bacterial and fungal aerosols during the autumn haze days in Xi'an, China

In recent years, haze pollution has become one of the most critical environmental issues in Xi'an, China, with particular matter (PM) being one of the top pollutants. As an important fraction of PM, bioaerosols may have adverse effects on air quality and human health. In this study, to better understand the characteristics of such biological aerosols, airborne microbial samples were collected by using an Andersen six-stage sampler in Xi'an from October 8th to 22nd, 2014. The concentration, size distribution and genera of airborne viable bacteria and fungi were comparably investigated during the haze days and non-haze days. Correlations of bioaerosol levels with meteorological parameters and PM concentrations were also examined. The results showed that the daily average concentrations of airborne viable bacteria and fungi during the haze days, 1102.4–1736.5 and 1466.2–1703.9 CFU/m3, respectively, were not only much higher than those during the non-haze days, but also exceeded the recommended permissible limit values. Comparing to size distributions during the non-haze days, slightly different patterns for bacterial aerosols and similar single-peak distribution pattern for fungal aerosols were observed during the haze days. Moreover, more allergic and infectious genera (e.g. Neisseria, Aspergillus, and Paecilomyces) in bioaerosols were identified during the haze days than during non-haze days. The present results reveal that bioaerosols may have more significant effects on public health and urban air quality during the haze days than during non-haze days.