Monitoring of urban particulate using an electret-based passive sampler

Site sampling trials have been carried out in the urban environment in order to assess the usefulness of a passive sampling device, originally developed for personal monitoring of airborne dust levels in industry. The sampling element is a small disc of electret material (polymer carrying a permanent electric charge) within a metal frame weighing approximately 15 g. The sampler is designed to capture particles by electrostatic attraction, in which case the capture rate depends on their electrical mobility but is independent of the rate at which air flows past the device. Passive samplers, along with miniaturized cascade impactors, have been exposed to urban particulate for periods of up to 28 days in locations with significantly different levels of airborne pollution. The cascade impactor data enabled good estimates to be made of PM10 and PM2.5 levels, and data from the passive sampler correlated with the total dust sampled by the impactor and with both the size fractions, that with the PM10 being better. Too few data have yet been obtained for its accuracy to be established, but it is unlikely that it will approach that of pumped samplers. It has been shown to be potentially useful for multiple, simultaneous site sampling and for monitoring personal environmental exposure situations in which dispensing with a power source is particularly useful. Being small, the sampler is easy to hide or camouflage, and because it is cheap, its loss or damage is not a serious matter.