Odor Transport by Particulate Matter in High Density Poultry Houses

MODERN commercial high density poultry houses contain high concentrations of airborne particulate matter. Concentrations as high as 1.16 mg. per cubic foot of air have been reported (Anderson et al., 1966). This concentration is twenty-five times greater than the maximum reported in urban atmospheres (Wolfe et al., 1967). Smith and O’Meara (1965) found that the concentration of particulate matter in a poultry house was related to the bodily activity of the birds; the greater the activity, the greater the concentration of airborne particulates. The particulate matter consists of fecal matter, feed particles, as well as feather and epidermal fragments (Koon et al., 1963; and Smith and O’Meara, 1964). Day and Lebeda (1964) found that particulate matter collected from the atmosphere of a swine confinement building was odoriferous. Gas chromatographic analyses were performed on an extract of the dust. Several very volatile, low molecular weight compounds were found. These were not…