New detector tackles tiny particles
8 Sep 2015
Air Monitors has launched in the UK what it describes as the world’s smallest nanoparticle detector for portable air sampling in the workplace.
Traditional methods for measuring airborne particulate matter examine particle mass per unit air volume, usually with an upper size limit of x microns.
However, from a human health perspective, the particles that commonly slip through the net are those that penetrate deep into the lungs, said Air Monitors.
Nitrogen oxide, (NOx) and the ultra-small particulate matter (PM) commonly associated with diesel fuel emissions have recently been linked to declining respiratory and cardiovascular health.
Based on a novel non-contact electrical detection principle, the Swiss-made Naneos Partector measures lung deposited surface area (LDSA), and provides sampling and LDSA measurements over a wide range of particle sizes, Air Monitors said.
Although it was designed for workplace sampling, it can be used in any indoor or outdoor setting, said Air Monitors.
With a weight of 445 grams, the Partector is battery powered, and has a colour display for live readings and a high concentration alarm, with data stored on a removable SD card.
A second version provides a sample port for collecting nanoparticles onto standard Transmission Electron Microscopic (TEM) grids for later analysis.
For inhalation toxicology studies, an OEM version allows for an external pump and real-time data to control nanoparticle exposure, Air Monitors said.
