Year-long assessment of airborne endotoxin at a concentrated dairy operation

In this study, we monitored total airborne endotoxins at upwind and downwind sites at a large open-lot dairy each month for a year. At the upwind site, the average airborne concentration was 28.5 endotoxin units (EU) m⁻³, while at the downwind edge of the lot and 200 m from the lot edge, the average concentrations were 169 and 72 EU m⁻³, respectively. At the downwind edge of the lot, there was a significant correlation between the airborne endotoxin concentration and wind speed or air temperature. A comparison between total and inhalable airborne endotoxin concentrations, near the end of the study, revealed no significant differences between the two endotoxin collection methods. Our data suggest that endotoxin exposure can be reduced as one increases their distance from the open-lot dairy.