Evaluation of six inhalable aerosol samplers

Six inhalable aerosol samplers were evaluated experimentally as area samplers using monodisperse solid particles with aerodynamic diameters ranging from 5 to 68 microm. Sampler performance and inside particle loss at two test wind speeds (0.55 and 1.1 m/sec) and three wind orientations (0, 90, and 180 degrees) were investigated. The six inhalable aerosol samplers tested were a RespiCon, an Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), a seven-hole, a conical inhalable sampler, a prototype button sampler, and a closed-face 37-mm cassette. The area sampling performance of the RespiCon sampler matched the inhalable convention fairly well. The sampling performances of the other five samplers depended on wind speed, wind direction, and particle size, and they may not be appropriate for area sampling if the wind speeds are greater than 0.5 m/sec.