AT-78-04-2 (RP-97) -- Collection and Characterization of Airborne Particulate Matter in Buildings PDF

Increasing concern for the environment in working and living areas has accentuated the need for adequate removal of particulate matter from the air supplied to these areas, for detailed information on the nature of these particulates, and for development of methods for particulate measurements specific to these applications. Information concerning the chemical and physical nature of particulate matter carried by indoor and intake air handling and cleaning equipment is critical to the design of air cleaning systems and is necessary for the formulation of suitably representative test dusts used in laboratory evaluations of such systems. Both laboratory and field evaluations of air cleaning equipment require that adequate sampling and analysis techniques be available. It is necessary, then, that efficient methods be developed and evaluated which allow convenient assessment of the important characteristics of airborne particulate matter found in indoor and intake air.

The objective of this study was to provide analyses and evaluations of techniques suitable for providing an objective description (including amounts and physical characteristics) of the particulate content of indoor air and intake air for air-handling systems in both single-family dwellings and general office buildings. Further, as a demonstration of technique suitability, samples of particulates from representative air-handling systems were collected during each of the four seasons of the year and analyzed for specific particle characteristics.