Development and set-up of a portable device to monitor airway exhalation and deposition of particulate matter

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess and monitor airway exhalation and deposition of particulate matter (PM). After standardizing inspiratory/expiratory flow and volumes, a novel device was tested on a group of 20 volunteers and in a field study on workers exposed to cristobalite. Both male and female subjects showed a higher percentage of deposition in the 0.5 μm channel than in the 0.3 μm channel on a laser particle counter, but it was higher in the males because of their higher exhaled lung volumes. The device was tested on a wider range of particles (0.3–0.5–1.0–2.5 μm) in the cristobalite productive division. The device has low intrasubject variability and good reproducibility, with geometric mean of %CV < 5%. Such a measure can be used to assess individual susceptibility to PM, making repeated measures in different environments, and examining the persistence of particles in the airways after a period in polluted environments.

Keywords::

• Particulate matter
• airway deposition
• particle exhalation
• susceptibility
• vital capacity

Acknowledgements

The study was supported by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (Strategic Program of Ricerca Finalizzata PMS/40/06, RFPS-2006-4-335269). We would thank Dr Marina Corti and Petra Gergelova for their contribution to subject enrolment.

Declaration of interest: The device described in this paper has a patent pending in Italy (no. RM2008A000525) submitted by A.M. and M.G. on behalf of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (ISPESL).