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Abstract
This study investigates the application of the Aerosol-to-Liquid Particle Extraction System (ALPXS), which uses wet electrostatic precipitation to collect airborne particles, for multi-element indoor stationary monitoring. Optimum conditions are determined for capturing airborne particles for metal determination by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), for measuring field blanks, and for calculating limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ). Due to the relatively high flow rate (300 L min−1), a sampling duration of 1 hr to 2 hr was adequate to capture airborne particle-bound metals under the investigated experimental conditions. The performance of the ALPXS during a building renovation demonstrated signal-to-noise ratios appropriate for sampling airborne particles in environments with elevated metal concentrations, such as workplace settings. The ALPXS shows promise as a research tool for providing useful information on short-term variations (transient signals) and for trapping particles into aqueous solutions where needed for subsequent characterization. As the ALPXS does not provide size-specific samples, and its efficiency at different flow rates has yet to be quantified, the ALPXS would not replace standard filter-based protocols accepted for regulatory applications (e.g., exposure measurements), but rather would provide additional information if used in conjunction with filter based methods.
Implications
This study investigates the capability of the Aerosol-to-Liquid Particle Extraction System (ALPXS) for stationary sampling of airborne metals in indoor workplace environments, with subsequent analysis by ICP-MS. The high flow rate (300 L/min) permits a short sampling duration (< 2 hr). Results indicated that the ALPXS was capable of monitoring short-term changes in metal emissions during a renovation activity. This portable instrument may prove to be advantageous in occupational settings as a qualitative indicator of elevated concentrations of airborne metals at short time scales.
Acknowledgment
The authors thank Jianjun Niu and Luyza Avramescu of Health Canada and four anonymous reviewers for valuable review comments.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Innocent Jayawardene
Pat E. Rasmussen (Health Canada research scientist) is an adjunct professor at University of Ottawa and works with Innocent Jayawardene (chemist) and Marc Chénier (technologist) in the Exposure and Biomonitoring Division, Healthy Environment and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada.
Pat E. Rasmussen
Pat E. Rasmussen (Health Canada research scientist) is an adjunct professor at University of Ottawa and works with Innocent Jayawardene (chemist) and Marc Chénier (technologist) in the Exposure and Biomonitoring Division, Healthy Environment and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada.
Marc Chenier
Pat E. Rasmussen (Health Canada research scientist) is an adjunct professor at University of Ottawa and works with Innocent Jayawardene (chemist) and Marc Chénier (technologist) in the Exposure and Biomonitoring Division, Healthy Environment and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada.
H. David Gardner
H. David Gardner is a database and statistical analyst at University of Ottawa.