Computer Controlled Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Inhalation Exposure System

Details

• Personal Author:
  Chen B ; Frazer D ; McKinney W
• Description:
  Inhalation exposure systems are necessary tools for determining the dose-response relationship of inhaled toxicants under a variety of exposure conditions. The objective of this project was to develop an automated computer controlled system to expose small laboratory animals to precise concentrations of airborne multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). An aerosol generator was developed which was capable of suspending a respirable fraction of multi-walled carbon nanotubes from bulk material. The output of the generator was used to expose small laboratory animals to constant aerosol concentrations up to 12 mg/m(3). Particle distribution and morphology of the MWCNT aerosol delivered to the exposure chamber were measured and compared to samples previously taken from air inside a facility that produces MWCNT. The comparison showed the MWCNT generator was producing particles similar in size and shape to those found in a work environment. The inhalation exposure system combined air flow controllers, particle monitors, data acquisition devices, and custom software with automatic feedback control to achieve constant and repeatable exposure chamber temperature, relative humidity, pressure, aerosol concentration, and particle size distribution. The automatic control algorithm was capable of maintaining the mean aerosol concentration to within 0.1 mg/m(3) of the selected target value, and it could reach 95% of the target value in less than 10 minutes during the start-up of an inhalation exposure. One of the major advantages of this system was that once the exposure parameters were selected, a minimum amount of operator intervention was required over the exposure period. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Environmental Monitoring Hazardous Substances Laboratories Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory System Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Software Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Aerosol-particles Aerosol-sampling Author Keywords: Carbon Nanotube Computer-models Computer-software Computer Control Exposure-assessment Exposure-chambers Exposure-levels Exposure-methods Exposure System Feedback Control Inhalation-studies Inhalation Exposure Laboratory-animals Laboratory-testing Particle-aerodynamics Particle Distribution Particle Generation Particulate-sampling-methods Particulates Risk-factors Statistical-analysis Toxic-materials Toxic-vapors Toxins Work-environment Workplace-studies

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• ISSN:
  0895-8378
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  21
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20036399
• Citation:
  Inhal Toxicol 2009 Oct; 21(12):1053-1061
• Contact Point Address:
  Walter McKinney, CDC, NIOSH, 1095 Willowdale Rd, Morgantown, WV 26505
• Email:
  wdm9@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing ; Construction
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Inhalation Toxicology
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:db85bd743a5e947326a472aaa21c1b23107654a1f6090110f036d73bdc1b6512b477e3ba755c33e686d2c86ed8eef9a2425e63232cbf1a22bd6142598f6fc952
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/187850/cdc_187850_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.45 MB ]