Laboratory measurements of oil mist concentrations using filters and an electrostatic precipitator

This study investigated the potential for mineral oil mist to evaporate, during sampling, from filters and electrostatic precipitator substrates used to assess personal exposure. If sample evaporation occurs, reported mist concentrations will underestimate true exposure. Mineral oil used as a machining fluid is not normally considered volatile; however, when dispersed as mist its aggregate surface area is so high that significant evaporation can occur. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Method 5026 specifies that oil mist concentrations should be determined by collecting mist on filters of mixed cellulose esters (MCE) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Collected mist droplets remain dispersed on the filter surface and in contact with passing air while sampling continues, conditions that can lead to sample evaporation. Less evaporation should occur for samples taken with an electrostatic precipitator, where mist droplets are separated from the airflow by electrostatic force and coalesce on the precipitator wall to form a film with relatively low surface area. Collection of mineral oil mist was investigated using a precipitator designed for personal sampling and using either an MCE or a PVC filter. The amounts of oil mist collected using the precipitator were significantly higher than the amounts collected using the filters, p < 0.001. Further tests in which clean air passed through mist-loaded precipitators and filters showed that the precipitator retained substantially more collected mist than both filters, p < 0.001, and further suggested that the MCE filter retained more mist than the PVC filter, p = 0.059. Differences in sample collection and retention between the precipitator and the filters were particularly pronounced at mist loadings below 1 mg.