Hygroscopic Growth of Assorted Indoor Aerosols

Abstract
The hygroscopic growth of particles produced from four different kinds of oils during deep frying, from sausages during grilling, and from burning wood in a stove was studied using a Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer. The size distributions and the soluble fractions of the particles were also measured. The median diameters of the particles from the oils were in the range of 168–200 nm and those from the sausages and the wood in the range of 55–80 nm. The median diameter and the geometric standard deviation of the particles from wood depended on wood burning with or without a flame. The soluble fractions of the particles from the oils were between 8% and 22%, and those from wood between 70% and 92%. The soluble fraction for particles from the sausages was 46%. The particles of the oil and sausage smokes did not grow and those of the wood smoke showed a significant growth.