title: Evaluating the capabilities of aerosol-to-liquid particle extraction system (ALPXS)/ICP-MS for monitoring trace metals in indoor air.
abstract: This study investigates the application of the Aerosol-to-Liquid Particle Extraction System (ALPXS), which uses wet electrostatic precipitation to collect airborne particles, for multi-element indoor stationary monitoring. Optimum conditions are determined for capturing airborne particles for metal determination by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), for measuring field blanks, and for calculating limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ). Due to the relatively high flow rate (300 L min(-1)), a sampling duration of 1 hr to 2 hr was adequate to capture airborne particle-bound metals under the investigated experimental conditions. The performance of the ALPXS during a building renovation demonstrated signal-to-noise ratios appropriate for sampling airborne particles in environments with elevated metal concentrations, such as workplace settings. The ALPXS shows promise as a research tool for providing useful information on short-term variations (transient signals) and for trapping particles into aqueous solutions where needed for subsequent characterization. As the ALPXS does not provide size-specific samples, and its efficiency at different flow rates has yet to be quantified, the ALPXS would not replace standard filter-based protocols accepted for regulatory applications (e.g., exposure measurements), but rather would provide additional information if used in conjunction with filter based methods. Implications: This study investigates the capability of the Aerosol-to-Liquid Particle Extraction System (ALPXS) for stationary sampling of airborne metals in indoor workplace environments, with subsequent analysis by ICP-MS. The high flow rate (300 L/min) permits a short sampling duration (< 2 hr). Results indicated that the ALPXS was capable of monitoring short-term changes in metal emissions during a renovation activity. This portable instrument may prove to be advantageous in occupational settings as a qualitative indicator of elevated concentrations of airborne metals at short time scales.
authors.forename: Innocent
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jayawardene
authors.forename: Pat E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chenier
authors.forename: H David
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Gardner
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D005591:Chemical Fractionation / Q000379:methods*; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry*; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000737:chemistry*; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic / Q000379:methods*; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D008670:Metals; D052638:Particulate Matter; D014131:Trace Elements