Particulate penetration of porous foam used as a low flow rate respirable dust size classifier

Porous foam has been used as a material for classification of particulate matter into various size fractions. The penetration characteristics of a nominal 90 pores per inch porous foam were studied at various flow rates, face velocities, and foam plug diameters and compared to the aerosol penetration of a 10 mm Dorr Oliver cyclone operated at 1.7 L/min. Poly-dispersed triethanolamine spheres were classified through porous foam plugs and the resulting penetration was determined using an aerodynamic particle sizer. Results showed that for a given plug diameter, as face velocity increased from 26 to 39 cm/sec, the 50 percent cut point decreased from 4.5 to 3.8 microns. Furthermore, as the diameter of the plug increased from 4 to 12 mm, the 50 percent cut points were similar to other plug diameters at equivalent face velocities. The best match to the 1.7 L/min cyclone penetration characteristics occurred at a flow rate of 250 ml/min through a 25 mm by 4 mm diameter section of 90 pore per inch foam. Because of the need to provide short-term or real-time estimates of worker respirable dust exposure, porous foam may be a viable classification media for a low flow rate, disposable respirable dust sampler for use in the coal mining industry.

Mist control at a machining center, Part 1: Mist characterization

At a machining center used to produce transmission parts, aerosol instrumentation was used to quantitatively study mist generation and to evaluate the performance of an air cleaner for controlling the mist. This machining center drilled and tapped holes at rotational speeds of 1000 to 3000 rpm. During most machining operations, the metal-working fluid (MWF) was flooded over the part. To facilitate metal chip removal during some operations, MWF was pumped through the orifices in some tools at a pressure of 800 psi. These machining operations were performed in a nearly complete enclosure that was exhausted to an air cleaner at a flow rate of 1.1 m3/sec (2400 ft3/m). Although the use of high-pressure MWF increased the mist concentration by about 200%, it did not affect the mist size distribution. The observed penetration through the air cleaner appeared to be mostly consistent with the manufacturer's specifications on the air cleaner's filters. During the testing, MWF was observed to accumulate in the bottom of the filter housing and may have been reentrained due to air motion or mechanical vibration.

Critical role of glass fiber length in TNF-alpha production and transcription factor activation in macrophages

Recent studies have demonstrated that dielectrophoresis is an efficient method for the separation of fibers according to fiber length. This method allows the investigation of fiber-cell interactions with fiber samples of the same composition but of different lengths. In the present study, we analyzed the effects of length on the interaction between glass fibers and macrophages by focusing on production of the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in a mouse macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7). The underlying molecular mechanisms controlling TNF-alpha production were investigated at the gene transcription level. The results show that glass fibers induced TNF-alpha production in macrophages and that this induction was associated with activation of the gene promoter. Activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB was responsible for this induced promoter activity. The inhibition of both TNF-alpha production and NF-kappaB activation by N-acetyl-L-cysteine, an antioxidant, indicates that generation of oxidants may contribute to the induction of this cytokine and activation of this transcription factor by glass fibers. Long fibers (17 micrometer) were significantly more potent than short fibers (7 micrometer) in inducing NF-kappaB activation, the gene promoter activity, and the production of TNF-alpha. This fiber length-dependent difference in the stimulatory potency correlated with the fact that macrophages were able to completely engulf short glass fibers, whereas phagocytosis of long glass fibers was incomplete. These results suggest that fiber length plays a critical role in the potential pathogenicity of glass fibers.

Effect of fiber length on glass microfiber cytotoxicity

Fiber length has been implicated as a determinant of fiber toxicity. Fibers of narrowly defined length can be generated by dielectrophoretic classifiers. Since the quantities of fibers produced are very small, we developed a rat alveolar macrophage microculture system to study the toxicity of these samples. The objective of this study was to examine the role of fiber length on the cytotoxicity of Manville code 100 (JM-100) fibers. Rat alveolar macrophages were cultured with 0-500 microg/ml of 5 lengths of JM-100 fibers on 96-well plates. After 18 h, well supernatants were removed and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was measured to assess cell damage. Chemiluminescence (CL), an assessment of macrophage function, was measured by adding lucigenin with or without zymosan, a particulate stimulus, to appropriate wells. For each fiber length the effects were concentration dependent: CL declined and LDH rose with increasing fiber concentration. Comparing the effects of different lengths showed the greatest toxicity from a relatively long fiber sample (mean length = 17 microm). Microscopic examination of the interaction of fibers with macrophages revealed multiple macrophages attached along the length of the long fibers. This suggests that frustrated, or incomplete, phagocytosis may be a factor in the increased toxicity of longer fibers. Overall the results demonstrate that length is an important determinant of toxicity for JM-100 fibers.

Electrostatic effects in asbestos sampling. II: Comparison of theory and experiment

A series of calculations was conducted to estimate the degree and type of electrostatic interactions that might occur with electrically charged asbestos samplers collecting charged particles. Relatively simple theoretical models were constructed assuming only charge-charge electrostatic interactions between a charged particle and a charged sampler. The results of these calculations were compared with some experimental measurements and the agreement between the two allowed some confidence in predicting behavior trends. Under conditions where both the particles and the sampler are charged, the nonconductive sampler exhibits increased particle loss, especially near the filter edge, and increased variability of the particle deposit. The variability of the deposit also tends to be greatest near the filter edge. Under similar conditions, conductive cowled samplers also can be expected to exhibit losses in particle deposit, especially near the filter edge. The variability over the filter surface, however, is less than for the nonconductive cowl. Particle collection onto the sampler filter generally is expected to be greatest for isokinetic, isoaxial sampling conditions. Particle collection on the filter decreases with lower sampling flow rates, lower air velocities near the sampler inlet, and increased turbulence near the inlet.

Electrostatic effects in asbestos sampling. I: Experimental measurements

Electrostatic charge can cause errors during sampling of airborne asbestos fibers and other particles. The change in particle trajectories caused by charge effects during sampling can result in nonuniform deposits on the collecting filter surface and net loss of sample. The degree of these electrostatic effects depends on particle charge, sampler charge, sampler conductivity, and sampling flow rate and direction. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the dependence of sampling efficiency and sample uniformity on these variables. Humidity has been postulated as a primary determinant of particle charge during aerosol generation. Measurements of particle charge and concentration were made as a function of relative humidity with chrysotile fibers generated from a fluidized bed. A strong increase in charge and a decrease in concentration of fibers was noted as the relative humidity was decreased below 15%. The effects of conductive versus nonconductive samplers and sampling flow rate were measured as a function of particle and sampler charge levels. Nonconductive samplers can carry a large and variable charge distribution on their surfaces. This can result in a biased and highly variable particle deposit on the filter when sampling charged particles. Conductive cowls spread any acquired charge over the entire surface and produce a more symmetrical and less biased charged particle deposit. Increasing the sampling flow rate will improve sampling efficiency and decrease deposit variability because the charged particle has less time to interact with the field produced by the sampler. These results suggest that sampling problems caused by electrostatic charge interactions are most likely to occur under low humidity conditions of dust generation, that sampling should be done at as high a flow rate as possible to reduce these effects, and that analysts should select fields toward the center of the filter to minimize bias and variability.