Transcript Document 7847470
(IAQ)
Introduction
A collective group of fine solid particles, aerosols, mist, smoke, dust, fibers and fumes are called Respirable particles Particles in the size range of less than 10 m remain in air for a longer time and are of particular interest These particulates are hazardous to human health: They can penetrate into the Respiratory system Can become carriers to toxic substances Particulates that are smaller than 5 m can enter into the lungs
Introduction
Particulates less than 0.5
m can carry harmful toxin pollutants like radon, alpha particles and chemicals The particulate size influences the sedimentation, impaction and diffusion of the particulate matter Due to Impaction property, the particulate settle at the bends (for particles less than 0.5
m) of respiratory tract
Factors effecting deposition of the particulates in the respiratory tract
Size of the particulate Density of the particulate Shape of the particulate Breathing pattern Mean volumetric flow rate Morphology of the respiratory tract
Health Effects
Many studies revealed that ETS has adverse health effects, which was backed even by the tobacco industry (1989 symposium) Smoking is the major cause of lung cancer both in men and women ETS smoke consisting of side-stream smoke (SS) and exhaled mainstream smoke (MS) is a major component of Indoor air pollutants Fibers with different chemical compositions can induce tumors Asbestos and other manmade fibers are carcinogenic
Health standards of Fibers
Asbestos can also lead to lung cancer Fibers with diameter less than 1 m and length greater than 5-10 m are particularly dangerous Ambient air quality standard for outdoor air is 75 mg/m³ for long-term exposure and 260 mg/m³ for short-term exposure on 24hr average For particulate less than diameter of 10 m the standards are: 55 mg/m³ for long-term periods 150 mg/m³ for short-term periods
Sources of Respirable Particles
The major sources of respirable particles are from outdoors, tobacco smoke, wood burning and other sources Unfiltered air carrying pollutants from industries, power plants and automobile exhausts Humans are major contributors of the indoor pollutants Relatively highly populated house has numerous pollutants Cigars, cigarettes and pipes are major sources of ETS The ETS contains nicotine, respirable particles, poly cyclic aromatics, CO, acrolein, NOx and number of other chemicals
Asbestos (a generic term) varieties
Actinolite Amosite Anthophyllite Crocidolite Tremolite Chrysotile or white asbestos (accounts for 90% of fibers found)
Analysis of Fibers and its sources
Analysis of fibers is usually by: Scanning electron method (SEM) Transmission electron method (TEM) Indoor concentration is high at peak activities like high foot traffic Sources of indoor fibers in air include carpets, curtains and insulation Fibers of size between 5 – 200 m are particularly of great interest due to their toxicity
Sources of Respirable Particles
Other sources of respirable particles are: Gas fired appliances Automotive airbags Dust from laser printers Industrial processes Laser cutting of steel and welding are the major sources of particulates
Respirables Particle characteristics and samplers
The aerosol particles are measured by mean of an aerosol sampler The filters are based on the following characteristics: Collection efficiency Pressure drop through filter Background contamination Compatibility to analytical methods
Respirable Particles and measuring methods
Size of the particulate also helps in the selection of suitable removal equipment ETS smoke is measured using are samplers and personal monitors Fibrous particles can be detected by the intensity of scattered He – Ne laser light for particles with length 2 – 200 m Concentration of and above 0.0001 – 30 fibers/ cm³
Characteristics of Direct-reading Particle Monitors
Instrume nt Analytical Me thod
Aerosol photometer Light scattered at a Integrating nephelometer
Effe ctive Particle Type of Me asure me nt Size Range (micro me te r) Portable
Indirect measure of < 1.0 - 10.0
Yes fixed angle aerosol mass or dust Light scattered integrated Visual range; indirect over a wide angle (8 - 170 degrees) measure of respirable particles 0.1 - 1.0
No Yes Light Scattering optical counters Active scattering Light scattered at a fixed angle Light scattered of output Particle number distribution Particle number aerosol spectrometer of a He - Ne laser at a fixed angel distribution Condensation nuclei Condensation of nuclei counter Condensation nuclei by adiabatic expansion concentration 0.3 - 10.0 in upto 10 size ranges 0.08 - 4.5 in upto 48 size ranges 0.0025 - 1.0
No Yes Electrical aerosol analyser Respirable dust mass monitor Aerosol mass monitor and optical detection Electrostatic particle mobility analyzer Beta - attenuation Piezoelectric crystal Particle number distribution Cylone followed by an indirect measure of mass Particle mass concentration 0.0032 - 1 in 10 ranges < 10 0.01 - 10.0 No Yes Yes
Mechanical Ventilation
This type of ventilation is divided to two types: Fabric / cake filtration Fibrous filtration Cake filtration is used for high particulate concentration and large volume of gas Fibrous filters are used for low particulate concentration and low flow rates Extended surface area filters are more efficient than the panel filters for particles of micron ranges
Panel filters
Panel filters are most frequently used mechanical filters for removing particles from air Filters are classified according to the removal efficiencies as: Low efficiency filters – metal filters Polyester and glass pads have efficiency of 10% Medium efficiency filters – (20 – 50) % High efficiency filters - commonly used in hospitals, office buildings and highly protected indoors
Mechanical filters and Electronic Air Cleaning
Other types include High efficiency particle air (HEPA) have efficiency (99.99% - 99.9999%) Ultra low particulate / penetration air (ULPA) Using electrostatic technologies can increase efficiency of the filters Electrostatic precipitator is the most efficient and widely used, as it removes up to 99% for particles less than 1 m in size Fine particles like ETS smoke can be removed by using both electrostatic field and ion generator together
Absorption
Absorption devices
Wet collectors Spray towers Cyclone scrubbers Impingement scrubbers Venturi scrubbers Sieve plate towers (successful in removing particles from effluent gases) Liquid desiccants such as lithium chloride and triethylene glycol are commonly used for dehumidification
Adsorption
Adsorption
Activated carbon Impregnated alumina bed with electronic air cleaners (for tobacco smoke)