Establishment of Aerosol Sampling Protocols Using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Passive Air Sampler (PAS)

Details

• Personal Author:
  Grinshpun S ; Virkutyte J
• Description:
  Aerosol exposure assessment is important for the overall assessment of health risks to various work populations, including health care workers (HCW). Inhalation or skin contact with aerosols generated during cleaning procedures in health care environments, particularly from disinfectants and cleaning agents have been linked to a variety of health effects. While studies have been conducted to address exposure of HCWs to airborne particulate hazards, there is a need for developing a reliable sampling protocol, which would adequately account for the environmental factors and the workplace specifics of health care settings. A new protocol utilizing the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the passive air sampler (PAS) will be developed in the proposed pilot study. A sampling setup will include an SEM stub with Formvar sticky carbon for passive sampling of aerosol particles. It will be placed in a temperature and humidity controlled chamber. Saline, one of the most widely used solutions in the health care settings will be aerosolized in the chamber and collected by the PAC. The samples will be analyzed by environmental SEM under low-vac conditions for the particle distribution, their size and shape and composition. To confirm that the sampling protocol is adequate, the control samples with 0.1 M NaCl concentrations dispersed on the stubs will be analyzed on environmental SEM for particle distribution, size, shape and composition and compared to the aerosolized sample. Upon validation of the new protocol, it will be used for a grant application on the field assessment of exposure of HCWs to chemical and biological aerosol hazards. The proposed effort combining a novel approach (using SEM stubs as PAS with a proven particle morphology determination (SEM/EDS), will lead to the development of aerosol sampling protocol for HCWs. It will be further utilized for field exposure assessment of HCWs in hospitals and home health care environments. The overall goal of this project is to develop reliable aerosol sampling protocol that is transferrable to other aerosols relevant to the health care by focusing on the use of SEM stubs as PAS and environmental SEM. Hypothesis: PAS and experimental setup provides adequate data to develop reliable aerosol sampling protocol. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Environmental Monitoring Health Personnel Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Aerosol Particles Air Sampling Techniques Health Care Workers Scanning Electron Microscopy
• Publisher:
  University of Cincinnati
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054936
• Citation:
  18th Annual Pilot Research Project Symposium, University of Cincinnati Education and Research Center, October 5-6, 2017, Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati, OH: University of Cincinnati, 2017 Oct; :1
• Email:
  virkutyte.jurate@gmail.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  18th Annual Pilot Research Project Symposium, University of Cincinnati Education and Research Center, October 5-6, 2017, Cincinnati, Ohio
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4e99dc9ae4ac817fe0e5f35f5b2f21c08b549c66ac1b14d0a6fe09e894819e6d2687074ceaf090cee2c980f9c003852d14f92b39ad0ef526a8d75dfbe7fce560
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217343/cdc_217343_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 124.57 KB ]