Aerosol generation and identification for model studies of particle-lung interactions

This article discusses the idea and set-up of a laboratory system for generating reproducible concentrated occupational aerosols containing metal compounds. A dust representative for 2 metal-machining workstations (an electric grinder and an electric disc cutter) was released from a fluidized-bed generator, and then sampled and compared in respect to concentration, particle size distribution, particle morphology and the content of metal elements (Fe, Al, Cu, Mn, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, Mg). The results indicate the presence of a significant number of irregularly-shaped respirable particles. Those particles contained mainly Fe and Al, and their composition was shown to depend on particle size. The proposed system of aerosol generation and collection can be used in studies of interactions between airborne particles and a model lung surfactant.