Thomas B Johansson
Professor emeritus
Particle Size Distribution and Human Respiratory Deposition of Trace Metals in Indoor Work Environments
Author
Summary, in English
Respiratory response to inhalation of fine particles has been investigated for the aerosol generated by welding. Particles were sampled using a pair of 5-stage cascade impactors operating at 1 l./min flow rate. The subject exhaled into one impactor through an air ballast arrangement, and the other impactor simultaneously sampled the surrounding air. Particle size fractions were analyzed for principal elemental constituents from sulphur to lead using proton induced X-ray emission, PIXE. The results indicated a complex respiratory response, including both increase in particle size due to exposure to high humidity in the respiratory tract and deposition of particles during inhalation. The response was found to be different for the element group Mn, Cr, Fe, Ni compared to the group K, Ca, Ti by observing the associations among the elements as a function of particle size in the inhaled and exhaled aerosol. However, for respiratory deposition efficiency alone in all runs averaged together, no systematic differences between the different elements are demonstrated at the 99 % confidence level.
Department/s
- Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology
- The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
Publishing year
1976
Language
English
Pages
225-238
Publication/Series
Annals of Occupational Hygiene
Volume
19
Issue
3-4
Full text
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Topic
- Environmental Health and Occupational Health
Keywords
- lung deposition
- welding aerosols
- particle size distribution
- elemental composition
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1475-3162