title: Particle Size Distribution in Aluminum Manufacturing Facilities.
abstract: As part of exposure assessment for an ongoing epidemiologic study of heart disease and fine particle exposures in aluminum industry, area particle samples were collected in production facilities to assess instrument reliability and particle size distribution at different process areas. Personal modular impactors (PMI) and Minimicro-orifice uniform deposition impactors (MiniMOUDI) were used. The coefficient of variation (CV) of co-located samples was used to evaluate the reproducibility of the samplers. PM2.5measured by PMI was compared to PM2.5calculated from MiniMOUDI data. Mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) and concentrations of sub-micrometer (PM1.0) and quasi-ultrafine (PM0.56)particles were evaluated to characterize particle size distribution. Most of CVs were less than 30%. The slope of the linear regression of PMI_PM2.5versus MiniMOUDI_PM2.5was 1.03 mg/m3per mg/m3(± 0.05), with correlation coefficient of 0.97 (± 0.01). Particle size distribution varied substantively in smelters, whereas it was less variable in fabrication units with significantly smaller MMADs (arithmetic mean of MMADs: 2.59 μm in smelters vs. 1.31 μm in fabrication units, p = 0.001). Although the total particle concentration was more than two times higher in the smelters than in the fabrication units, the fraction of PM10which was PM1.0or PM0.56was significantly lower in the smelters than in the fabrication units (p < 0.001). Consequently, the concentrations of sub-micrometer and quasi-ultrafine particles were similar in these two types of facilities. It would appear, studies evaluating ultrafine particle exposure in aluminum industry should focus on not only the smelters, but also the fabrication facilities.
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Sa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Noth
authors.affiliation: Alcoa, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dixon-Ernst
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Ellen A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Eisen
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Mark R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Cullen
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: S Katharine
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Hammond
keywords: aluminum; fabrication; particle size distribution; smelter