China Luxury Horse Equipment Stable Box Front Portable Panels Stall with bamboo wood

China Luxury Horse Equipment Stable Box Front Portable Panels Stall with bamboo wood

Factors of Air Quality

In the barn, airborne dust is composed of particulates from various sources, including soil, mold, bacteria, insects and mite fragments, hair, manure and plant material, to name a few. Dusts and molds can be recognized by the naked eye and by smell, but most airborne particulates, even aerosolized molds, are microscopic (less than 10 microns) and cannot be seen. Dust particles are classified based upon size and expected penetration into the human airways:

•Total dust

•Inhalable dust

•Thoracic dust

•Respirable dust

•Fine particles

•Ultrafine particles

Total dust represents all dust particles and is mostly composed of dust that can be physically cleaned from barns. Thoracic dust is a slightly smaller particle size than total dust, able to reach only the upper portion of a human’s airways. Respirable dust can reach the deepest airways and is so small in diameter that it often is not trapped by natural clearance mechanisms, such as mucus. This particle is of particular interest because it is thought to be important in the common lower airway diseases in horses. Ultrafine dust has yet to be thoroughly researched, but is so small it is thought to be able to slip into the bloodstream and lead to problems elsewhere in the body. While these size classifications are based upon the ability of particles to reach each portion of the human airway, we apply these conventions to evaluation of equine environs. Combinations of total, inhalable, thoracic and respirable dust are most often measured when studying horse facilities. Examples of contributors to increased dust levels are hay, bedding and unnecessary clutter that “collects dust.” Mold spores can accumulate in hay, grain and old tack and equipment left lying around the barn. Even the best quality hay contributes to mold and dust levels. Additionally, secretions containing bacteria and viral particles originating from a sick horse can contaminate tack and equipment in the barn, and often be transferred from horse to horse by shared common items and tools, such as feed buckets, halters and brushes. In addition to dust, horses frequently are exposed to airborne ammonia. How can ammonia be identified? Ammonia monitors and tests are available to determine levels in a particular stall or area of the barn, but most horse owners recognize ammonia by smell. Horse farms have a classic odor — a mixture of manure, hay and grain — but ammonia has a distinct smell. When cleaning a horse stall, it is common to strip wet bedding down to the floor. Often there will be a noticeable difference in the smell, and the odor can sting nostrils and make the eyes watery. Ammonia originating from decomposed urine in bedding can be an irritant to the respiratory tract, and levels of ammonia typically increase closer to the floor of the stable. Horses that are lying down, and ponies and foals whose breathing zone is closer to the ground, can have significantly higher exposures to ammonia.

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