Specialised VERA experts with different approaches met in Berlin to share their latest results.
One year after the very first workshop on bioaerosols, the VERA working group for bioaerosols met again in Berlin on Thursday, 17 May 2018. The one-day workshop provided an opportunity to share the latest results on studies performed in Germany and the Netherlands as well as to discuss the holistic literature research carried out by Marcus Clauss. The participants consisted of experts from an environmental (emission) background as well as those with a focus on aspects of occupational and residential health (immission).
Due to the different aspects of emissions and immissions, measurement methods also vary to some extent. So far, there is not a great deal of regulation that needs be complied with in the countries in this regard, even though such an issue is of high political importance. There are still several open questions about the correct measurement methods of bioaerosols in order to compare the performance of a technology, which is the aim of VERA. This also relates to the selection of correct test parameters. In this sense, should the bacteria count, the total cell count, or rather endotoxins be investigated? Several VDI guidelines exist for emission measurements of bacteria in bioaerosols. However, to date, a dose-response relationship has only been proven for endotoxins.
According to the group, it is still too early to integrate bioaerosol measurements into a VERA test protocol. More research, especially field studies on emissions, is required, in addition to aiming for more extensive exchange between experts.