Rationale and Recommendations for Particle Size-Selective Sampling in the Workplace

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Abstract
Because many aerosol hazards depend upon particle size, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists established an Air Sampling Procedures Committee to “recommend size-selective aerosol sampling procedures which will permit reliable collection of aerosol fractions which can be expected to be available for deposition in the various major subregions of the human respiratory tract.” After reviewing available data on regional deposition of inhaled particles and on the collection efficiencies of sampling instruments, the committee recommends use of three particulate mass fractions for workplace sampling: inspirable particulate mass (IPM), for materials which may be hazardous anywhere in the respiratory tract; thoracic particulate mass (TPM), for materials which may be hazardous anywhere within the lung airways and the gas exchange region; and respirable particulate mass (RPM), for materials which may be hazardous in the gas exchange region of the lung. The mass fractions are defined by simple equations with surrounding tolerance bands to allow practical applications. The role of these fractions in establishing new particle size-selective threshold limit values (PSS-TLVs) depends on assessing information on the toxicology, physicochemistry, and industrial exposure characteristics of chemical agents. Phalen, R. F.; Hinds, W. C.; John, W.; Lioy, P. J.; Lippmann, M.; McCawley, M. A.; Rabbe, O. G.; Soderholm, S. C.; Stuart, B. O. Rationale and recommendations for particle-size selective sampling in the workplace.

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