PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION AND HUMAN RESPIRATORY DEPOSITION OF TRACE METALS IN INDOOR WORK ENVIRONMENTS

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Abstract
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 subjcct exhaled into one impactor through an air ballast arrangement, and the other impactor simultaneously sampled the surrounding air. Partide 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 inmeax 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 elmnts as a function of particle size in the inhaled and exhaled aerosol. However, for respiratory deposition efficiency alone in all runs averagcd together, no systematic differences between the different elements are demonstrated at the 99 % confidence level.

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