Exposure of 25 waste collectors to bacteria, fungal spores, endotoxins, β(1–3)-glucans and inhalable dust
| Agents | Exposure level | ||
| Arithmetic mean | Median | Range | |
| Total bacteria# 106·m−3 | 1.20 | 0.80 | 0.06–3.80 |
| Rod-shaped 106·m−3 | 0.010 | 0.004 | 0–0.10 |
| Spherical 106·m−3 | 1.10 | 0.80 | 0.06–3.70 |
| Actinomycetes spores 106·m−3 | 0.03 | 0 | 0–0.40 |
| Fungal spores 106·m−3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0–2.0 |
| Inhalable dust mg·m−3 | 0.55 | 0.37 | 0.10–2.10 |
| Endotoxins EU·m−3 | 31 | 13 | 7–180 |
| β(1–3)-glucans ng·m−3 | 59 | 52 | 5–220 |
Data are presented as measures of the individual median exposures from Monday to Thursday
#: total bacteria, the sum of spherical and rod-shaped bacteria estimated by fluorescence microscopy, and actinomycetes spores estimated by scanning electron microscopy