Real-time Monitoring of Suspended Particulate Matter in Indoor Air: Validation and Application of a Light-scattering Sensor

Abstract Since the 1950s, awareness of the impact of air pollution on human health has been growing. Of the many recognized air pollutants, suspended particulate matter has received the most attention, as both PM2.5 and PM10 can affect humans upon inhalation. Consequently, PM monitoring is critical...

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Main Authors: Anna Susz, Pascal Pratte, Catherine Goujon-Ginglinger
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2020-07-01
Series:Aerosol and Air Quality Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2019.11.0604
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author Anna Susz
Pascal Pratte
Catherine Goujon-Ginglinger
author_facet Anna Susz
Pascal Pratte
Catherine Goujon-Ginglinger
author_sort Anna Susz
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Since the 1950s, awareness of the impact of air pollution on human health has been growing. Of the many recognized air pollutants, suspended particulate matter has received the most attention, as both PM2.5 and PM10 can affect humans upon inhalation. Consequently, PM monitoring is critical to linking indoor pollution and exposure, and a validated measuring instrument is essential. Portable monitors, which track temporal changes in the aerosol mass concentration in real time, are a faster alternative to offline gravimetric techniques, which provide only averaged values. Hence, this study evaluated the performance of the DustTrak DRX aerosol monitor in assessing indoor air quality and validated its ability to measure complex aerosols. Three DustTrak units were used to measure different aerosols, e.g., ambient air, polystyrene latex (PSL) spheres, and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), and the results were compared to those obtained with the standard gravimetric method. Notably, the bias of the DustTrak relative to the gravimetric method for ETS measurements ranged from 2% to 15% when a photometric calibration factor (PCF) of 0.38 was applied. Additionally, the working range of the tested units was established, and the limits of detection and quantification were found to be 5 and 15 µg m−3, respectively. Finally, in order to serve as an alternative to the gravimetric method, these instruments must be accredited for PM measurement in accordance with standards such as ISO 17025.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1680-8584
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language English
publishDate 2020-07-01
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series Aerosol and Air Quality Research
spelling doaj-art-2f26c3d32b134c3893c40bdc081530db2025-02-09T12:19:10ZengSpringerAerosol and Air Quality Research1680-85842071-14092020-07-0120112384239510.4209/aaqr.2019.11.0604Real-time Monitoring of Suspended Particulate Matter in Indoor Air: Validation and Application of a Light-scattering SensorAnna Susz0Pascal Pratte1Catherine Goujon-Ginglinger2Philip Morris Products S.A.Philip Morris Products S.A.Philip Morris Products S.A.Abstract Since the 1950s, awareness of the impact of air pollution on human health has been growing. Of the many recognized air pollutants, suspended particulate matter has received the most attention, as both PM2.5 and PM10 can affect humans upon inhalation. Consequently, PM monitoring is critical to linking indoor pollution and exposure, and a validated measuring instrument is essential. Portable monitors, which track temporal changes in the aerosol mass concentration in real time, are a faster alternative to offline gravimetric techniques, which provide only averaged values. Hence, this study evaluated the performance of the DustTrak DRX aerosol monitor in assessing indoor air quality and validated its ability to measure complex aerosols. Three DustTrak units were used to measure different aerosols, e.g., ambient air, polystyrene latex (PSL) spheres, and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), and the results were compared to those obtained with the standard gravimetric method. Notably, the bias of the DustTrak relative to the gravimetric method for ETS measurements ranged from 2% to 15% when a photometric calibration factor (PCF) of 0.38 was applied. Additionally, the working range of the tested units was established, and the limits of detection and quantification were found to be 5 and 15 µg m−3, respectively. Finally, in order to serve as an alternative to the gravimetric method, these instruments must be accredited for PM measurement in accordance with standards such as ISO 17025.https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2019.11.0604DustTrak DRXPM2.5PM10Suspended particulate matterEnvironmental tobacco smoke (ETS)
spellingShingle Anna Susz
Pascal Pratte
Catherine Goujon-Ginglinger
Real-time Monitoring of Suspended Particulate Matter in Indoor Air: Validation and Application of a Light-scattering Sensor
Aerosol and Air Quality Research
DustTrak DRX
PM2.5
PM10
Suspended particulate matter
Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)
title Real-time Monitoring of Suspended Particulate Matter in Indoor Air: Validation and Application of a Light-scattering Sensor
title_full Real-time Monitoring of Suspended Particulate Matter in Indoor Air: Validation and Application of a Light-scattering Sensor
title_fullStr Real-time Monitoring of Suspended Particulate Matter in Indoor Air: Validation and Application of a Light-scattering Sensor
title_full_unstemmed Real-time Monitoring of Suspended Particulate Matter in Indoor Air: Validation and Application of a Light-scattering Sensor
title_short Real-time Monitoring of Suspended Particulate Matter in Indoor Air: Validation and Application of a Light-scattering Sensor
title_sort real time monitoring of suspended particulate matter in indoor air validation and application of a light scattering sensor
topic DustTrak DRX
PM2.5
PM10
Suspended particulate matter
Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)
url https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2019.11.0604
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AT pascalpratte realtimemonitoringofsuspendedparticulatematterinindoorairvalidationandapplicationofalightscatteringsensor
AT catherinegoujonginglinger realtimemonitoringofsuspendedparticulatematterinindoorairvalidationandapplicationofalightscatteringsensor