Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026
06:10
Detection of Viruses from Bioaerosols Using Anion Exchange Resin
Published on: August 22, 2018
Bioaerosol concentrator performance: comparative tests with viable and with solid and liquid nonviable particles
J Kesavan1, J R Bottiger, A R McFarland
1Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, US ARMY ECBC-RT-TA E5951, U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Aberdeen, MD 21010, USA. jana.kesavan@us.army.mil
Journal of Applied Microbiology
|October 10, 2007
Summary
Comparing nonbiological and biological particles for aerosol concentrator testing, this study found particle type significantly impacts larger size efficiency. While nonbiological tests offer a broad range, biological tests remain essential for accurate performance assessment.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Aerosol Science
Background:
- Bioaerosol concentrator systems are crucial for environmental monitoring and health studies.
- Characterizing these systems efficiently is key to reliable data collection.
- Nonbiological particle testing is often a preliminary step before bioaerosol evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the performance of aerosol sampling systems using various particle types and sizes.
- To evaluate the suitability of nonbiological particles for characterizing concentrator performance.
- To provide insights into data quality for different bioaerosol test methodologies.
Main Methods:
- Five different aerosol concentrator systems were tested.
- Performance was evaluated using five types of nonviable and viable laboratory aerosols.
- Particle efficiencies were measured across various sizes, including those less than and greater than 6 micrometers aerodynamic diameter.
Main Results:
- Similar sampling efficiencies were observed for all particle types at sizes below approximately 6 micrometers aerodynamic diameter.
- Significant differences in efficiency were noted between liquid and dry particles for sizes larger than 6 micrometers.
- Aluminium oxide particles offered broad size range testing but lacked reproducibility.
- Polystyrene spheres and oleic acid droplets provided accurate system representation but are not a complete substitute for biological tests.
Conclusions:
- Nonbiological particle testing provides valuable preliminary data but does not fully replicate bioaerosol behavior.
- Accurate characterization of bioaerosol concentrators requires eventual testing with biological particles.
- Some current bioaerosol concentrator devices exhibit poor performance, highlighting the need for improved technology in the 1-10 micrometer aerodynamic diameter range.
