title: Determination of the size of airborne flour particles.
abstract: Air sampling was done in a UK bakery and a flour mill with an eight-stage cascade impactor to determine the size of airborne flour particles. The concentration of captured material was determined by a competitive inhibition radioimmunoassay. Comparison of the different sites revealed that 8.79% and 52.14% of the particles in the bakery dough-brake and roll-production areas had a diameter < or = 6.0 microns, respectively, and 19.7% of the particles in the flour mill packing area were of this size. We conclude that in dusty areas up to 20% of the airborne flour particles are of a diameter likely to allow them to be deposited in the bronchial airways and alveoli.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Royal Brompton National Heart and Lung Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Sandiford
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Nieuwenhuijsen
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Tee
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D001939:Bread; D003296:Cooking; D004391:Dust; D005433:Flour; D005511:Food Handling; D006801:Humans; D010316:Particle Size; D010940:Plant Proteins
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D004391:Dust; D010940:Plant Proteins