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Annals of Occupational Hygiene Advance Access originally published online on October 15, 2008
Annals of Occupational Hygiene 2008 52(8):707-716; doi:10.1093/annhyg/men067
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society

Temporal Evolution of Nanoparticle Aerosols in Workplace Exposure

M. Seipenbusch*, A. Binder and G. Kasper

Institut für Mechanische Verfahrenstechnik und Mechanik, Universität Karlsruhe, 76128 Karlsruhe, Germany

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +49 (0) 721 608 2416; fax +49 (0) 721 608 6563; e-mail: martin.seipenbusch{at}kit.edu

The evolution in time of a nanoparticle (NP) aerosol released into a simulated workplace environment was investigated for different starting scenarios including (i) NP release into a particle-free atmosphere and (ii) release in presence of a pre-existing background aerosol. In each case, particle number distributions and total number concentrations in a 2 m3 aerosol chamber were monitored over several hours. On the time scale and under the conditions relevant for workplace exposure, collisions between NP within their own size class and, if present, with the background aerosol were identified as the most important mechanism driving the change in particle size and number concentration. A model has been formulated on the basis of well-known aerosol dynamic principles to predict the evolution of NP number concentration for a defined source and a defined environment (a given background aerosol concentration). A dimensionless number is introduced to scale the rate of NP concentration change relative to background aerosol concentration and particle size, which scales inversely with the concentration of free NP in the atmosphere. Beyond the physical change, the emergence of binary agglomerates constitutes a change in chemical composition of the aerosol. It is shown that the NPs are still chemically present in the aerosol after becoming attached to background particles, thus remaining airborne while being invisible in the size distribution.

Keywords: aerosol • coagulation • nanoparticle release • workplace environment

Received June 25, 2008; in final form September 15, 2008


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