Verifying Aerosol Particle Size Distributions from a Drum Sampler Using Fluorimetry and ICP-MS for Elemental Analysis

It is estimated that the average person spends 90% of their time indoors. The quality of indoor air can cause a variety of health effects from long and short term exposure. Therefore, monitoring and identifying harmful particles suspended in the air is critical, especially in environmentally hazardous occupations such as metal working. Instruments have been developed to monitor air quality over time, through use of a series of rotating drums that separate particles by size and with time resolution. This project investigates two main goals: (1) characterization of a rotating drum sampler by investigating particle size separation across drums through fluorimetry and (2) quantification and speciation of elements collected on the drum through inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Fluorescent particles are aerosolized, size selected using a differential mobility analyzer (DMA) and collected by the drum sampler. Air samples were collected from an on campus makerspace that contains metalworking equipment such as CNC routers and welding equipment. Samples were analyzed in the ICP-MS for reading of harmful heavy metals, including zinc, manganese, and cobalt. Preliminary results indicate trace amounts of cobalt and copper present on drum samples.