A New Miniature Respirable Sampler for In-mask Sampling: Part 1-Particle Size Selection Performance

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health and Safety
• Industrial Hygiene
• Environmental Monitoring

Background:

• Worker exposure to hazardous substances is a significant concern, particularly when using respiratory protective equipment (RPE).
• Accurate measurement of respirable particles is crucial for assessing exposure risks.
• Existing methods for measuring protection factors can be cumbersome.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a miniature respirable sampler for assessing worker exposure inside RPE.
• To evaluate the sampler's collection efficiency and performance under various conditions.
• To compare the miniature sampler's performance with established methods.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of a miniature sampler (5.4g, 13mm) to fit within RPE.
• Testing of sampling efficiency against the respirable convention at a flow rate of 1 L/min.
• Evaluation of performance in high humidity (95%) and comparison with the Safety In Mines Personal Dust Sampler (SIMPEDS).

Main Results:

• The miniature sampler achieved a close match with the respirable convention (d50 = 4.08 µm at 1 L/min).
• High humidity sampling showed a slight shift in the penetration curve (d50 = 3.81 µm).
• Mass concentrations of respirable dust and crystalline silica were comparable to SIMPEDS at 0.8 L/min.

Conclusions:

• The developed miniature sampler demonstrates effective collection of respirable particles.
• Its performance is comparable to established methods like SIMPEDS.
• The sampler is a promising tool for assessing worker exposure within RPE.