Performance evaluation of disposable inhalable aerosol sampler at a copper electrorefinery

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health and Safety
• Environmental Monitoring
• Industrial Hygiene

Background:

• Traditional inhalable particle samplers can be costly.
• A new, cost-effective disposable inhalable aerosol sampler (DIAS) has been developed.
• Evaluating new sampling technologies is crucial for accurate exposure assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of the disposable inhalable aerosol sampler (DIAS) against the established IOM sampler.
• To compare copper exposure measurements collected by DIAS and IOM samplers in an electrorefinery.
• To assess the reliability and potential biases of the DIAS for occupational exposure monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Forty-eight pairs of DIAS prototypes and IOM samplers were used for personal and area sampling.
• Copper exposure measurements were collected at an electrorefinery facility.
• Statistical analyses, including geometric mean ratios and concordance correlation coefficients, were performed.

Main Results:

• The geometric mean ratio of DIAS/IOM was 1.1 for personal and 1.6 for area sampling.
• Significant disagreements were found between DIAS and IOM samplers, attributed to precision issues.
• DIAS yielded higher mean concentrations than IOM for area exposures (p < 0.05), but results were comparable for personal exposures (p = 0.49).

Conclusions:

• The DIAS shows potential for cost-effective inhalable aerosol sampling but requires further validation.
• Performance differences between DIAS and IOM samplers were observed, particularly for area measurements.
• Particle migration during sample transport was noted for both samplers, highlighting potential error sources.