Evaluation and Comparison of Environmental Contaminants Present in Two Types of Swine Rearing Facilities

It has been reported that pigs weaned and moved into an isolated nursery have greater growth rates measured on an average daily gain, and thymus gland weights than do their counterparts in a conventional nursery. In this study I explored the association of this biological difference with environmental contaminants. Levels of total and respirable dust and endotoxin, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and temperature and percent relative humidity were measured in two types of swine rearing facilities: isolated nursery and nursery within a conventional farm. We found isolated nurseries have significantly (p\u3c0.05) less total and respirable dust and endotoxin and greater growth rates. With few exceptions, our measurements of levels of total and respirable dust and total endotoxin were within published ranges. Levels of respirable endotoxin were higher than published ranges