DIN CEN/TS 16115-2:2017-03

Airborne particles of biological origin are referred to as bioaerosols. Natural and anthropogenic sources of bioaerosols are widespread in the environment. Anthropogenic sources can be, for example, agriculture, construction activities or waste treatment. The purpose of the measurement plan described here is to determine the average plant and/or source-related range of microbial air pollutants. As it has not yet been possible to define limit values on the basis of dose-response relationships, the average range should be used as a criterion for assessing the environmental impact of a plant. The scale of work for the plume measurements described is necessary to obtain statistically representative data about the impact range of the plant and/or source, taking into account the great variety of influencing factors. In principle, it is possible to reduce the amount of measurement required. However, this would result in increased measurement uncertainty. Plant-related measurements of bioaerosol concentrations in ambient air may be required in a number of regulatory situations. Examples of typical measurement objectives and indicative application scenarios are presented in the document. This method specifies the simultaneous measurement of background and downwind air quality to reduce the risk of invalid comparisons resulting from changing background air concentrations. Another important principle of this method is the requirement for repeated measures to take into account day to day and seasonal variations in the processes governing bioaerosol emissions and dispersion. The objective is to analyse a given measurement problem and derive the associated requirements for organization, the measurement method, the sampling strategy, the evaluation of the measured data, quality assurance and reporting.