Significance and Use 5.1 Bacteria and fungi present in municipal
solid wastes (as well as in other forms of waste) may become
airborne as dusts during waste processing. Several
investigations to determine the health significance of these
microbiological aerosols have been hindered by the lack of
standardized procedures for sampling airborne bacteria and fungi
in an industrial environment and by the absence of standards for
assessing their health significance. Because it is difficult to
correlate airborne levels of bacteria and fungi with
epidemiological data, this standard is designed to permit the
formation of a data base to aid in the assessment of the health
significance of airborne microorganisms. It is intended that the
use of this practice will improve sampling precision and thereby
facilitate comparisons between sampling results. 1.1 This
practice covers sampling of airborne microorganisms at municipal
solid-waste processing facilities, hereafter referred to as
facilities. Investigators should consult