title: Comparability of portable nanoparticle exposure monitors.
abstract: Five different portable instrument types to monitor exposure to nanoparticles were subject to an intensive intercomparison measurement campaign. Four of them were based on electrical diffusion charging to determine the number concentration or lung deposited surface area (LDSA) concentration of airborne particles. Three out of these four also determined the mean particle size. The fifth instrument type was a handheld condensation particle counter (CPC). The instruments were challenged with three different log-normally distributed test aerosols with modal diameters between 30 and 180 nm, varying in particle concentration and morphology. The CPCs showed the highest comparability with deviations on the order of only ±5%, independent of the particle sizes, but with a strictly limited upper number concentration. The diffusion charger-based instruments showed comparability on the order of ±30% for number concentration, LDSA concentration, and mean particle size, when the specified particle size range of the instruments matched the size range of the aerosol particles, whereas significant deviations were found when a large amount of particles exceeded the upper or lower detection limit. In one case the reported number concentration was even increased by a factor of 6.9 when the modal diameter of the test aerosol exceeded the specified upper limit of the instrument. A general dependence of the measurement accuracy of all devices on particle morphology was not detected.
authors: Institute of Energy and Environmental Technology, 47229 Duisburg, Germany.
authors: Christof
authors: C
authors: Asbach
authors: Heinz
authors: H
authors: Kaminski
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: von Barany
authors: Thomas A J
authors: TA
authors: Kuhlbusch
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Monz
authors: Nico
authors: N
authors: Dziurowitz
authors: Johannes
authors: J
authors: Pelzer
authors: Katja
authors: K
authors: Vossen
authors: Knut
authors: K
authors: Berlin
authors: Silvio
authors: S
authors: Dietrich
authors: Uwe
authors: U
authors: Götz
authors: Heinz-Jürgen
authors: HJ
authors: Kiesling
authors: Rudolf
authors: R
authors: Schierl
authors: Dirk
authors: D
authors: Dahmann
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000032:analysis; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis*; D002138:Calibration; D003652:Decanoic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D057230:Limit of Detection; D008168:Lung / Q000502:physiology; D008422:Materials Testing / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008954:Models, Biological; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000032:analysis*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis; D010316:Particle Size; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000032:analysis; D053260:Soot / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D003652:Decanoic Acids; D053260:Soot; D012965:Sodium Chloride; C037634:di-2-ethylhexyl sebacate