Background Bioaerosols and Aerosols at Two Sites in Northern Australia: Preliminary Measurements

Abstract

The biological aerosol content of the air has been measured at Darwin and RAAF Base Tindal in the Northern Territory of Australia. The number of culturable bacteria and fungal spores together with organic material caught in a spore trap are reported. The total airborne particulate matter in the size range 0.5 to 30 microns was also measured at Tindal in October 1998 and April 1999. The ability of an aerodynamic particle sizer to act as an early warning device for the presence of biological warfare agents in this environment is discussed. It was concluded that such a device could only be successfully used as a trigger in the event of a military release of a biological agent in an environment with a well characterised aerosol background.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 2001
Accession Number
ADB272376

Entities

People

  • Derek Eamus
  • Jim Ho
  • R. I. Tilley

Organizations

  • Defence Science and Technology Group

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerosols
  • Bacteria
  • Biological Aerosols
  • Biological Warfare
  • Department Of Defense
  • Detection
  • Ecology
  • Environment
  • Fungi
  • Instrumentation
  • Materials
  • Measuring Instruments
  • Microorganisms
  • Particle Size
  • Particles
  • Particulate Matter
  • Spores

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Aerosol Science/Aerosol Physics
  • Military/Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technology
  • Seismology