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DEVELOPMENT OF A METHOD FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF THE BIOLOGICAL COMPONENT OF INDOOR/OUTDOOR PM
Citation:
Myers, E. A., K. K. Foarde, D. Ensor, AND M Y. Menetrez*. DEVELOPMENT OF A METHOD FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF THE BIOLOGICAL COMPONENT OF INDOOR/OUTDOOR PM. Presented at Engineering Solutions to IAQ Problems, Raleigh, NC, 7/17-19/2000.
Description:
The paper describes the initital development of sampling methods and analysis techniques for quantifying and identifying the various biological components of indoor and outdoor particulate matter (PM). Both indoor and outdoor biological PM (BioPM) need to be measured to determine the amount orignating from indoor sources and the quantity entering from the outdoors. A variety of collection substrates and filters were evaluated to assess their influenece on the sampling and analysis techniques. Through these preliminary analyses, we were able to assess some of the difficulties presented in sampling methods and analysis techniques that may be used for measuring indoor and outdoor BioPM. BioPM potentially plays two distinct and important roles in influencing the adverse health effects that have been associated with exposure to PM with aerodynamic diameters <2.5 micrometers (PM2.5): (1) as a constituent of PM -- the fraction of PM2.5 that is BioPM has not been well characterized; and (2) probably more significant, as an agent to exacerbate adverse health effects in sensitive individuals--e.g., inhalation of entdotoxins has been shown to increase non-specific bronchcial reactivity in asthmatics. A problem in determining the importance of reducing BioPM exposure has been a lack of methods that will allow us to assess the fraction of PM2.5 that is BioPM.