Taekhee Lee

Performance of High Flow Rate Samplers for Respirable Particle Collection

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial hygienists (ACGIH) lowered the threshold limit value (TLV) for respirable crystalline silica (RCS) exposure from 0.05 to 0.025 mg m−3 in 2006. For a working environment with an airborne dust concentration near this lowered TLV, the sample collected with current standard respirable aerosol samplers might not provide enough RCS for quantitative analysis. Adopting high flow rate sampling devices for respirable dust containing silica may provide a sufficient amount of RCS to be above the limit of quantification even for samples collected for less than full shift. The performances of three high flow rate respirable samplers (CIP10-R, GK2.69, and FSP10) have been evaluated in this study. Eleven different sizes of monodisperse aerosols of ammonium fluorescein were generated with a vibrating orifice aerosol generator in a calm air chamber in order to determine the sampling efficiency of each sampler. Aluminum oxide particles generated by a fluidized bed aerosol generator were used to test (i) the uniformity of a modified calm air chamber, (ii) the effect of loading on the sampling efficiency, and (iii) the performance of dust collection compared to lower flow rate cyclones in common use in the USA (10-mm nylon and Higgins–Dewell cyclones). The coefficient of variation for eight simultaneous samples in the modified calm air chamber ranged from 1.9 to 6.1% for triplicate measures of three different aerosols. The 50% cutoff size (50dae) of the high flow rate samplers operated at the flow rates recommended by manufacturers were determined as 4.7, 4.1, and 4.8 μm for CIP10-R, GK2.69, and FSP10, respectively. The mass concentration ratio of the high flow rate samplers to the low flow rate cyclones decreased with decreasing mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) and high flow rate samplers collected more dust than low flow rate samplers by a range of 2–11 times based on gravimetric analysis. Dust loading inside the high flow rate samplers does not appear to affect the particle separation in either FSP10 or GK2.69. The high flow rate samplers overestimated compared to the International Standards Organization/Comité Européen de Normalisation/ACGIH respirable convention [up to 40% at large MMAD (27.5 μm)] and could provide overestimated exposure data with the current flow rates. However, both cyclones appeared to be able to provide relatively unbiased assessments of RCS when their flow rates were adjusted.

Wood Dust Sampling: Field Evaluation of Personal Samplers When Large Particles Are Present

Recent recommendations for wood dust sampling include sampling according to the inhalable convention of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 7708 (1995) Air quality—particle size fraction definitions for health-related sampling. However, a specific sampling device is not mandated, and while several samplers have laboratory performance approaching theoretical for an ‘inhalable’ sampler, the best choice of sampler for wood dust is not clear. A side-by-side field study was considered the most practical test of samplers as laboratory performance tests consider overall performance based on a wider range of particle sizes than are commonly encountered in the wood products industry. Seven companies in the wood products industry of the Southeast USA (MS, KY, AL, and WV) participated in this study. The products included hardwood flooring, engineered hardwood flooring, door skins, shutter blinds, kitchen cabinets, plywood, and veneer. The samplers selected were 37-mm closed-face cassette with ACCU-CAP™, Button, CIP10-I, GSP, and Institute of Occupational Medicine. Approximately 30 of each possible pairwise combination of samplers were collected as personal sample sets. Paired samplers of the same type were used to calculate environmental variance that was then used to determine the number of pairs of samples necessary to detect any difference at a specified level of confidence. Total valid sample number was 888 (444 valid pairs). The mass concentration of wood dust ranged from 0.02 to 195 mg m−3. Geometric mean (geometric standard deviation) and arithmetic mean (standard deviation) of wood dust were 0.98 mg m−3 (3.06) and 2.12 mg m−3 (7.74), respectively. One percent of the samples exceeded 15 mg m−3, 6% exceeded 5 mg m−3, and 48% exceeded 1 mg m−3. The number of collected pairs is generally appropriate to detect a 35% difference when outliers (negative mass loadings) are removed. Statistical evaluation of the nonsimilar sampler pair results produced a finding of no significant difference between any pairing of sampler type. A practical consideration for sampling in the USA is that the ACCU-CAP™ is similar to the sampler currently used by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for purposes of demonstrating compliance with its permissible exposure limit for wood dust, which is the same as for Particles Not Otherwise Regulated, also known as inert dust or nuisance dust (Method PV2121).

Quartz Measurement in Coal Dust with High-Flow Rate Samplers: Laboratory Study

A laboratory study was performed to measure quartz in coal dust using high-flow rate samplers (CIP10-R, GK2.69 cyclone, and FSP10 cyclone) and low-flow rate samplers [10-mm nylon and Higgins-Dewell type (BGI4L) cyclones] and to determine whether an increased mass collection from high-flow rate samplers would affect the subsequent quartz measurement by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analytical procedures. Two different sizes of coal dusts, mass median aerodynamic diameter 4.48 μm (Coal Dust A) and 2.33 μm (Coal Dust B), were aerosolized in a calm air chamber. The mass of coal dust collected by the samplers was measured gravimetrically, while the mass of quartz collected by the samplers was determined by FTIR (NIOSH Manual of Analytical Method 7603) and XRD (NIOSH Manual of Analytical Method 7500) after one of two different indirect preparations. Comparisons between high-flow rate samplers and low-flow rate samplers were made by calculating mass concentration ratios of coal dusts, net mass ratios of coal dusts, and quartz net mass. Mass concentrations of coal dust from the FSP10 cyclone were significantly higher than those from other samplers and mass concentrations of coal dust from 10-mm nylon cyclone were significantly lower than those from other samplers, while the CIP10-R, GK2.69, and BGI4L samplers did not show significant difference in the comparison of mass concentration of coal dusts. The BGI4L cyclone showed larger mass concentration of ∼9% compared to the 10-mm nylon cyclone. All cyclones provided dust mass concentrations that can be used in complying with the International Standard Organization standard for the determination of respirable dust concentration. The amount of coal dust collected from the high-flow rate samplers was found to be higher with a factor of 2-8 compared to the low-flow rate samplers but not in direct proportion of increased flow rates. The high-flow rate samplers collected more quartz compared to low-flow rate samplers in the range of 2-10. There was no significant difference between the per cent (%) quartz in coal dust between the FTIR and XRD analyses. The findings of this study indicated that the increased mass of quartz collected with high-flow rate samplers would provide precise analytical results (i.e. significantly above the limit of detection and/or limit of quantification) compared to the mass collected with low-flow rate samplers, especially in environments with low concentrations of quartz or where short sampling times are desired.

Air sampling filtration media: Collection efficiency for respirable size-selective sampling.

ABSTRACT The collection efficiencies of commonly used membrane air sampling filters in the ultrafine particle size range were investigated. Mixed cellulose ester (MCE; 0.45, 0.8, 1.2, and 5 μm pore sizes), polycarbonate (0.4, 0.8, 2, and 5 μm pore sizes), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE; 0.45, 1, 2, and 5 μm pore sizes), polyvinyl chloride (PVC; 0.8 and 5 μm pore sizes), and silver membrane (0.45, 0.8, 1.2, and 5 μm pore sizes) filters were exposed to polydisperse sodium chloride (NaCl) particles in the size range of 10–400 nm. Test aerosols were nebulized and introduced into a calm air chamber through a diffusion dryer and aerosol neutralizer. The testing filters (37 mm diameter) were mounted in a conductive polypropylene filter-holder (cassette) within a metal testing tube. The experiments were conducted at flow rates between 1.7 and 11.2 l min−1. The particle size distributions of NaCl challenge aerosol were measured upstream and downstream of the test filters by a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). Three different filters of each type with at least three repetitions for each pore size were tested. In general, the collection efficiency varied with airflow, pore size, and sampling duration. In addition, both collection efficiency and pressure drop increased with decreased pore size and increased sampling flow rate, but they differed among filter types and manufacturer. The present study confirmed that the MCE, PTFE, and PVC filters have a relatively high collection efficiency for challenge particles much smaller than their nominal pore size and are considerably more efficient than polycarbonate and silver membrane filters, especially at larger nominal pore sizes.

Collection Efficiencies of High Flow Rate Personal Respirable Samplers When Measuring Arizona Road Dust and Analysis of Quartz by X-ray Diffraction

Prolonged exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) causes silicosis and is also considered a cause of cancer. To meet emerging needs for precise measurements of RCS, from shorter sampling periods (<4h) and lower air concentrations, collaborative work was done to assess the differences between personal respirable samplers at higher flow rates. The performance of FSP10, GK2.69, and CIP 10 R samplers were compared with that of the Safety In Mines Personal Dust Sampler (SIMPEDS) sampler as a reference, which is commonly used in the UK for the measurement of RCS. In addition, the performance of the FSP10 and GK 2.69 samplers were compared; at the nominal flow rates recommended by the manufacturers of 10 and 4.2 l · min−1 and with flow rates proposed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of 11.2 and 4.4 l · min−1. Samplers were exposed to aerosols of ultrafine and medium grades of Arizona road dust (ARD) generated in a calm air chamber. All analyses for RCS in this study were performed at the Health and Safety Laboratory. The difference in flow rates for the GK2.69 is small and does not result in a substantial difference in collection efficiency for the dusts tested, while the performance of the FSP10 at 11.2 l · min−1 was more comparable with samples from the SIMPEDS. Conversely, the GK2.69 collected proportionately more crystalline silica in the respirable dust than other samplers, which then produced RCS results most comparable with the SIMPEDS. The CIP 10 R collected less ultrafine ARD than other samplers, as might be expected based on earlier performance evaluations. The higher flow rate for the FSP10 should be an added advantage for task-specific sampling or when measuring air concentrations less than current occupational exposure limits.

Size Distributions of 0.5 to 20 μm Aerodynamic Diameter Lead-Containing Particles from Aerosol Sampler Walls and Filters

The study presented here investigates the number weighted particle size distributions of aerosols generated in the laboratory from lead oxide and lead sulfide dusts and sampled by Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) and closed face cassette (CFC) samplers as determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The wall deposits and filter deposits from each sampler were characterized separately. A Mann-Whitney statistical analysis revealed that differences in the number weighted distributions of particles captured by the filter and the wall were not significant over the size range (up to 20 μm aerodynamic equivalent diameter) present in these laboratory-generated aerosols. Furthermore, for these samples it was not possible to distinguish an absolute difference between the IOM and CFC filter catches. By comparing direct measurements of aerodynamic equivalent diameter (AED) made by an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS) to AEDs calculated from SEM images, empirical shape factors for lead oxide and lead sulfide were determined. To validate this approach APS and SEM measurements of the AED of 2 μm and 6 μm physical diameter monodisperse glass and polystyrene microspheres were made. Using the shape factors of spheres and the known densities of these materials, it was found that the SEM determinations of AED agreed with the APS results. To demonstrate the reliability of the redeposition method of sample preparation, lead sulfide and lead oxide aerosols were briefly sampled by IOM samplers such that sufficient particles were collected for SEM examination directly on the filter but not so many that particles were likely to touch or overlap. Half of each filter was analyzed in the SEM directly; the other half was ultrasonically removed and re-deposited for analysis by SEM. There were no statistically significant differences in their number weighted size distributions, demonstrating that the sample treatment process does not change the size distribution of these particular aerosols.

Comparison of Filter and Wall Deposits From Samplers Used to Collect Airborne Lead-Containing Dusts at Field Sites

Pairs of Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) and 37 mm closed face cassette samplers (CFC) were deployed where occupational exposures to lead-containing dusts were known to occur. Discrete particle analyses of wall and filter deposits were performed by Scanning Electron Microscopy—Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (SEM-EDX). From the elemental composition and projected area diameter of each particle a density, volume, and mass were calculated, and a mass-weighted size distribution for each filter and corresponding wall deposit determined. Comparison of pairs of wall and filter mass-weighted size distributions by Mann–Whitney statistical analysis shows that in only 3 of 72 examples from either sampler were the distributions significantly different that suggests that the mechanisms of particle deposition on the sampler walls for particles in this size range (0.5 μm through 20 μm) do not differ for the different samplers. Furthermore, in only 4 of 33 sampler pairs did the IOM and CFC results differ. Although these results originate from several distinct processes characterized by different chemical and physical dust generation mechanisms, they suggest that in these environments the measurement of “total dust” by the CFC and inhalable dust by the IOM will be very similar when both samplers are processed the same way with respect to the including or excluding wall deposits with the filter catch. However, these results may not be applicable to environments where larger particles exist.

Quartz in Coal Dust Deposited on Internal Surface of Respirable Size Selective Samplers

The objective of the present study is to quantify quartz mass in coal dust deposited on the internal cassette surface of respirable size-selective samplers. Coal dust was collected with four different respirable size-selective samplers (10 mm Dorr-Oliver nylon [Sensidyne, St. Petersburg, Fla.], SKC Aluminum [SKC Inc., Eighty Four, Pa.], BGI4L [BGI USA Inc., Waltham, Mass.], and GK2.69 cyclones [BGI USA Inc.]) with two different cassette types (polystyrene and static-dissipative polypropylene cassettes). The coal dust was aerosolized in a calm air chamber by using a fluidized bed aerosol generator without neutralization under the assumption that the procedure is similar to field sampling conditions. The mass of coal dust was measured gravimetrically and quartz mass was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Manual of Analytical Methods, Method 7603. The mass fractions of the total quartz sample on the internal cassette surface are significantly different between polystyrene and static-dissipative cassettes for all cyclones (p < 0.05). No consistent relationship between quartz mass on cassette internal surface and coal dust filter mass was observed. The BGI4L cyclone showed a higher (but not significantly) and the GK2.69 cyclone showed a significantly lower (p < 0.05) internal surface deposit quartz mass fraction for polystyrene cassettes compared to other cyclones. This study confirms previous observations that the interior surface deposits in polystyrene cassettes attached to cyclone pre-selectors can be a substantial part of the sample, and therefore need to be included in any analysis for accurate exposure assessment. On the other hand, the research presented here supports the position that the internal surface deposits in static-dissipative cassettes used with size-selective cyclones are negligible and that it is only necessary to analyze the filter catch.

Evaluation of Pump Pulsation in Respirable Size-Selective Sampling: Part II. Changes in Sampling Efficiency

This second, and concluding, part of this study evaluated changes in sampling efficiency of respirable size-selective samplers due to air pulsations generated by the selected personal sampling pumps characterized in Part I (Lee E, Lee L, Möhlmann C et al. Evaluation of pump pulsation in respirable size-selective sampling: Part I. Pulsation measurements. Ann Occup Hyg 2013). Nine particle sizes of monodisperse ammonium fluorescein (from 1 to 9 μm mass median aerodynamic diameter) were generated individually by a vibrating orifice aerosol generator from dilute solutions of fluorescein in aqueous ammonia and then injected into an environmental chamber. To collect these particles, 10-mm nylon cyclones, also known as Dorr-Oliver (DO) cyclones, were used with five medium volumetric flow rate pumps. Those were the Apex IS, HFS513, GilAir5, Elite5, and Basic5 pumps, which were found in Part I to generate pulsations of 5% (the lowest), 25%, 30%, 56%, and 70% (the highest), respectively. GK2.69 cyclones were used with the Legacy [pump pulsation (PP) = 15%] and Elite12 (PP = 41%) pumps for collection at high flows. The DO cyclone was also used to evaluate changes in sampling efficiency due to pulse shape. The HFS513 pump, which generates a more complex pulse shape, was compared to a single sine wave fluctuation generated by a piston. The luminescent intensity of the fluorescein extracted from each sample was measured with a luminescence spectrometer. Sampling efficiencies were obtained by dividing the intensity of the fluorescein extracted from the filter placed in a cyclone with the intensity obtained from the filter used with a sharp-edged reference sampler. Then, sampling efficiency curves were generated using a sigmoid function with three parameters and each sampling efficiency curve was compared to that of the reference cyclone by constructing bias maps. In general, no change in sampling efficiency (bias under ±10%) was observed until pulsations exceeded 25% for the DO cyclone. However, for three models of pumps producing 30%, 56%, and 70% pulsations, substantial changes were confirmed. The GK2.69 cyclone showed a similar pattern to that of the DO cyclone, i.e. no change in sampling efficiency for the Legacy producing 15% pulsation and a substantial change for the Elite12 producing 41% pulsation. Pulse shape did not cause any change in sampling efficiency when compared to the single sine wave. The findings suggest that 25% pulsation at the inlet of the cyclone as measured by this test can be acceptable for the respirable particle collection. If this test is used in place of that currently in European standards (EN 1232-1997 and EN 12919-1999) or is used in any International Organization for Standardization standard, then a 25% pulsation criterion could be adopted. This work suggests that a 10% criterion as currently specified in the European standards for testing may be overly restrictive and not able to be met by many pumps on the market. Further work is recommended to determine which criterion would be applicable to this test if it is to be retained in its current form.

Quantitative Mid-Infrared Diffuse Reflection of Occupational Wood Dust Exposures

Occupational exposure to airborne wood dust has been implicated in the development of several symptoms and diseases, including nasal carcinoma. However, the assessment of occupational wood dust exposure is usually performed by gravimetric analysis, which is non-specific. In this study, a mid-infrared (mid-IR) diffuse reflection method was adapted for direct on-filter determination of wood dust mass. The cup from the diffuse reflection unit was replaced with a horizontal translational stage and a filter with wood dust was set thereon. Diffuse reflection (DR) spectra were collected from filters with six different diameters in order to average the signal from the most filter surface. Two absorption bands around 1595 and 1510 cm−1, attributed to lignin, were monitored for quantitative analysis. Calibration curves were constructed for standard extrathoracic red oak and yellow pine (aerodynamic particle diameters between 10 and 100 (μm). Calibration of DR intensity versus known wood dust mass on the filter using the Kubelka-Munk function showed a nonlinear dependence for mass of less than 10 mg of wood dust. The experimental data and small-thickness samples indicate that Kubelka-Munk conditions are not obeyed. Alternatively, the pseudo-absorption function log(1/R), for which R is the relative reflectance, while still giving nonlinear dependence against mass, is closer to a linear dependence and has been preferred by other researchers. Therefore, we consider the use of the log(1/R) function for mid-infrared DR analysis of neat, small-thickness wood dust samples. Furthermore, we suggest the use of a silver metal membrane filter for direct on-filter analysis of wood dust rather than the glass fiber filters that have been used previously.