Evaluation of six inhalable aerosol samplers

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health and Safety
• Environmental Monitoring
• Aerosol Science

Background:

• Accurate measurement of inhalable aerosols is crucial for assessing workplace and environmental exposure.
• Area sampling requires samplers that perform consistently under varying environmental conditions.
• Existing samplers may exhibit variable performance influenced by external factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally evaluate the performance of six different inhalable aerosol samplers when used as area samplers.
• To investigate the impact of wind speed, wind orientation, and particle size on sampler efficiency.
• To identify samplers suitable for reliable area sampling in diverse conditions.

Main Methods:

• Six inhalable aerosol samplers were tested: RespiCon, Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), seven-hole, conical, prototype button, and closed-face cassette.
• Monodisperse solid particles (5–68 µm aerodynamic diameter) were used for evaluation.
• Sampler performance and internal particle losses were measured at wind speeds of 0.55 and 1.1 m/sec and orientations of 0, 90, and 180 degrees.

Main Results:

• The RespiCon sampler demonstrated area sampling performance closely aligned with the inhalable convention.
• The IOM, seven-hole, conical, prototype button, and closed-face cassette samplers showed performance dependent on wind speed, direction, and particle size.
• These five samplers may be unsuitable for area sampling when wind speeds exceed 0.5 m/sec.

Conclusions:

• The RespiCon sampler is a reliable option for area sampling of inhalable aerosols.
• Most tested samplers exhibit significant performance variability under different wind conditions, limiting their utility for area sampling.
• Careful consideration of environmental factors like wind is necessary when selecting aerosol samplers for area monitoring.