The aim of this study was to determine air pollution with ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, total dust, microorganisms (saprophytic and coliform bacteria, including Escherichia coli) from a pig farm for 50 sows (average daily capacity 532 pigs from different categories). The pollutants were investigated in five points as follows: emissions from production buildings – Point 1 (P ) – building for farrowing sows and Point 2 (P ) – building for fattening pigs; imissions in ambient air- 1 2 Point 3 (P ) – at 2 m, and Point 4 (P ) – at 50 m distance from the buildings under the wind side position, and Point 5 (P ) – at 10 m distance – over the wind side 3 4 5 position of the farm. The levels of the hydrogen sulfide (3.31-7.10 mg.m-3), total dust (0.71-5.11 mg.m-3) and number of cultivable microorganisms (13,0 x 103 – 428,0 x 103/m-3) in the air of the buildings (P and P ) were within the animal hygiene requirements, except the ammonia (3.32-15.82 mg.m-3) which 1 2 concentrations exceeded the norm. The air quality for the staff as a factor of working environment in the buildings covered all requirements. Emissions of NH , 3 H S, total dust and microorganisms from the farm buildings maintain measurable concentrations of these pollutants (imission) at 50 m leeward and at 10 m over 2 wind side of the farm. With increasing the distance from the production buildings contents of NH , H S, dust and microorganisms in the air decreased from 1.4 to 3 2 13.7 times at P and from 1.4 to 16.7 times at P . The air quality around the pig farm did not correspond with the norms at P , and at P , regarding the content of 4 5 4 5 ammonia and total dust. For the content of hydrogen sulfide that finding applies to P and P . Statistical differences (P Ў 0.05 – 0.001) were established at the 3 5 levels of the investigated pollutants of the air between seasons (summer, autumn, winter) in the same point and between different points at the same season.

Animal hygiene and ecological assessment of air pollution in a pig-farm for 50 sows

G. Petkov, G. Kostadinova, R. Stefanova, T. Penev, P. Gercheva