You are here:
PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF INDOOR AEROSOLS RESULTING FROM THE USE OF TAP WATER IN PORTABLE HOME HUMIDIFIERS
Citation:
Highsmith, V., R. Hardy, D. Costa, AND M. Germani. PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF INDOOR AEROSOLS RESULTING FROM THE USE OF TAP WATER IN PORTABLE HOME HUMIDIFIERS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-92/187 (NTIS PB92188937).
Description:
An indoor air quality study was conducted in Boise, ID, residences to evaluate the range of aerosol concentrations that result from using tap water in portable home humidifiers and to characterize the physical and chemical properties of the humidifier aerosol. M10 concentrations exceeded 650 ug/m3 and 7000 ug/m3 when an ultrasonic humidifier, charged with tap water containing 303 mg/L of dissolved impurities, was operated under whole-house and single-room conditions, respectively. hen operated at the manufacturer recommended water consumption rates, the impeller units generated less than one-.third the aerosol generated by the ultrasonic humidifier while a steam unit generated no measurable PM10. Microscopic analysis of the ultrasonic and impeller humidifier aerosols confirmed that the resulting particles were predominately submicronspheres with mineral composition reflecting that of the charging water. lements measured In high concentrations were uniformly present as soluble salts in both the fine and coarse particles with small differences observed between the ultrasonic and impeller humidifier-generated aerosols. early 50% of the 39 samples of U.S. commercial bottled waters collected had dissolved mineral concentrations exceeding 10 mg/L while 4 samples exceeded 100 mg/L. he results of this limited-scale study suggest that personal exposures to ultrasonic and impeller humidifier-generated aerosols can be minimized by using water of low impurities.