Development of a personal aerosol sampler for monitoring the particle-vapour fractionation of SVOCs in workplaces

Abstract

Semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), partitioned between particulates and vapours of an aerosol, require special attention. The toxicological effects caused by the inhalation of such aerosols may depend on the concentration and in which phase the organic compounds are found. A personal denuder-gas–particle separation aerosol sampler was developed to provide information about the partitioning of aerosols from organic compounds. The sampler was tested in a series of controlled laboratory experiments, which confirmed the capability and accuracy of the sampler to measure gas–particle mixtures. An average difference of 14.8 ± 4.8% was found between sampler and reference laboratory instruments. The obtained results showed that our sampler enables a more accurate measurement of the SVOC aerosols’ gas–particle fractionation, compared with that of conventional samplers.