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1. How does the air quality of the pig
barns affect the pigs?
In modern society, the productivity and efficiency of
pigs have greatly improved, but the gas and odor from
rearing pigs still exists and has become a serious
problem with social impact in many countries. Pig
facilities are inherently associated with air
pollutants and gas emissions such as ammonia (NH3),
hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon dioxide (CO2). These
gases often negatively impact air quality, animal
health, and quality of life in and around these
facilities.

2. Swine production has undergone rapid transformation
from family owned operation to a large scale industrial
enterprise. Since increasing number of pigs are reared
on a large scale in confined buildings, some of the
swine barn workers may be employed to work eight hours
per day. Swine barn workers suffer from higher
incidences of impaired air flow and lung inflammation,
which is attributed to high intensity and interrupted
exposures to pig barn air. The air in these barns
contains gases, dust, microbes and endotoxin with
endotoxin being the major suspect as the cause of lung
dysfunction. This review attempts to describe the
current state of knowledge of incidences and mechanisms

3. of pulmonary dysfunction following exposure to the barn
air.
Among these gases, ammonia is one of the most widely
recognized because of both its prevalence and
distinctive effects on animal well-being and pork
production but also for its impact on the environment.
Ammonia emission is a natural process produced by the
anaerobic decomposition of animal waste; however,
chronic exposure can lead to health problems and could
subsequently affect animal performance, especially in
a confined environment. Research published by Koerkamp
et al. (1998) suggested that emissions of NH3 from sows
and wean and finishing pigs ranged from 22 to 1,298
mg/h/animal. Additionally, environmental ammonia
ranged from 5 to 30 ppm in swine confinements. While
highly variable, concentrations over 20 ppm of NH3 can
adversely impact the health of both workers and
animals.
Where does ammonia come from?
Ammonia is released from the urea present in urine
through the activity of waste-degrading microbes. Urea
is formed by the kidneys and is utilized by the body

4. to excrete nitrogen, which is essential for normal
health.
Several management factors can contribute to poor
indoor air quality and, subsequently, higher
concentrations of ammonia, including damp bedding,
lack of ventilation and nutritional factors, like
overfeeding protein.
How does ammonia affect pigs?
Ammonia is a toxic gas that, when present in high
concentrations, can easily become a chronic problem in
the barn. Other documented effects associated with
ammonia include tail-biting and respiratory diseases
in pigs, but it can also lead to severe problems in human
caretakers and can be detrimental for the environment.
Research conducted by Andreasin et al. (1994)
suggested that even minimal exposure to ammonia can be
harmful. For example, swine exposed to 50 ppm of ammonia
for 20 minutes a day on just four occasions experienced
reduced performance and decreased live bodyweight gain
(between 37 and 90 kg) (Fig. 1) In addition, ammonia

5. can seriously affect respiratory health and delay
puberty, even at the low level of 20 ppm (Malayer et
al. 1980).
How does ammonia contribute to pollution?
Ammonia is the major alkaline component of the Earth’s
atmosphere and can be found in water, soil and air.
Ammonia impacts the environment through several
different mechanisms, including by influencing air
quality, odor, eutrophication, acidification and
direct toxicity and also via indirect effects.
Ammonia pollution has a major impact on biodiversity,
with nitrogen accumulation affecting the diversity and
composition of plant species within affected habitats.
Additionally, atmospheric nitrogen deposition has
induced adverse effects in forest systems and
eutrophication in several estuarine and coastal
ecosystems.
How to reduce ammonia emissions in pig barns
A holistic approach is needed to improve indoor air
quality in swine barns, from checking ventilation to

6. providing the proper equipment to implementing
nutritional strategies and manure management. Here are
three areas to focus on for improving ventilation and
reducing poor indoor air quality:
1.Determine that all fans are in working order. Clean
fan blades and louvers and ensure that the fan
motor and thermostat are in the proper condition.
2.Check that the curtains close securely, that
debris and/or equipment are cleaned up and put away
before snowfall, and that the propane tanks are
examined for leaks.
3.Check air inlets and temperatures and test the
supplemental heat sources inside of your
buildings.

7. Additionally, many pork producers and animal Feed
Additive operations also utilize nutritional
strategies and technologies in their feed, such as
reducing the amount of crude protein or including Yucca
schidigera (YS) plant extract in the diet, which can
be used as an additive to consistently reduce adverse
gas and odor emissions and decrease ammonia
concentrations. Peer-reviewed data has shown that YS
can reduce aerial ammonia levels by up to 50%.
The data from animal and human studies show that barn
air can induce lung dysfunction. Recent data from

8. animal studies and from in vitro studies have started
to elucidate mechanisms of lung dysfunction induced
following exposure to the barn air. However, many
questions remain unanswered. One of the central
questions relates to precise and relative
contributions of various toxic molecules in the barn
air to lung dysfunction. The endotoxin is the foremost
toxic agent in the barn air. The role of endotoxin in
barn air induced lung dysfunction can be assessed
through the use of mice that lack a functional Toll-like
receptor-4. Second logical experiment is the physical
and biochemical characterization of the dust particles
in the barn air. Specifically, we need to know if the
barn air contains dust particles which are less then
100 nm in size because particles of this size are
believed to provoke a vigorous cardiopulmonary
response。