Inter-Comparison of Low-Cost Sensors for Measuring the Mass Concentration of Occupational Aerosols

Details

• Personal Author:
  Halterman A ; Hillman M ; Koehler K ; Park JH ; Peters TM ; Sousan S ; Thomas G
• Description:
  Low-cost sensors are effective for measuring the mass concentration of ambient aerosols and second-hand smoke in homes, but their use at concentrations relevant to occupational settings has not been demonstrated. We measured the concentrations of four aerosols (salt, Arizona road dust, welding fume, and diesel exhaust) with three types of low-cost sensors (a DC1700 from Dylos and two commodity sensors from Sharp), an aerosol photometer, and reference instruments at concentrations up to 6500 µg/m3. Raw output was used to assess sensor precision and develop equations to compute mass concentrations. EPA and NIOSH protocols were used to assess the mass concentrations estimated with low-cost sensors compared to reference instruments. The detection efficiency of the DC1700 ranged from 0.04% at 0.1 µm to 108% at 5 µm, as expected, although misclassification of fine and coarse particles was observed. The raw output of the DC1700 had higher precision (lower coefficient of variation, CV = 7.4%) than that of the two sharp devices (CV = 25% and 17%), a finding attributed to differences in manufacturer calibration. Aerosol type strongly influenced sensor response, indicating the need for on-site calibration to convert sensor output to mass concentration. Once calibrated, however, the mass concentration estimated with low-cost sensors was highly correlated with that of reference instruments (R2=0.99). These results suggest that the DC1700 and Sharp sensors are useful in estimating aerosol mass concentration for aerosols at concentrations relevant to the workplace. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution Chlorine Dust Electrical Equipment And Supplies Environmental Monitoring Occupational Health Particulate Matter Quality Control Safety Welding Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Air Quality Measurement Analytical Instruments Chlorides Costs Diesel Exhaust Dusts Electronic Devices Environmental Monitoring Equipment Reliability Equipment Testing Fumes Measurement Equipment Monitoring Systems Particulates Performance Capability Performance Tests Photometry Quality Standards Sensors Sodium Compounds Welding Fumes Work Environment

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• ISSN:
  0278-6826
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; Maryland ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  462-473
• Volume:
  50
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050610
• Citation:
  Aerosol Sci Technol 2016 May; 50(5):462-473
• Contact Point Address:
  Thomas M. Peters, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, 105 River St., S331 CPHB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
• Email:
  thomas-m-peters@uiowa.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Sodium chloride (CAS RN 7647-14-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing
• Performing Organization:
  Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20140901
• Source Full Name:
  Aerosol Science and Technology
• End Date:
  20180831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:db9610fe89f8b55dd8c403394f03cb3926953ee3a29ee6b20294d7935ed9d82995a48dc94b300c6b0099837efa6e5e34190df61a0d6a8bb8a31b1d2049351b16
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210884/cdc_210884_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 944.19 KB ]