(in German)

Inhalation exposure to nanoparticles needs to be assessed in view of the protection of workers' health. Human exposure should generally be measured in the breathing zone, i.e. within a 30 cm hemisphere around mouth and nose. Personal nanospecific instruments that allow for a highly time resolved exposure measurement have been available for a few years only. In the work presented here, the currently available instruments have been subject of an intensive study of their accuracy, comparability and field applicability. The study revealed that an accuracy of ±30% or better can be expected when measuring the lung deposited surface area concentration and mean particle size with these instruments. Measurements of the number concentration are less accurate and deviations of ±50% not uncommon. The monitors have proven to be robust and reliable in field measurements and no systematic differences were found depending on the positioning of the instruments on the body. However, strong underreporting of the airborne concentrations were found in some cases when using silicone sampling tubes.

The complete article can be purchased in German at the website of the Journal "Gefahrstoffe - Reinhaltung der Luft", 75(2015) Issue 11/12, pp. 469-478: "Accuracy, comparability and field applicability of personal monitors for the assessment of exposure to nanoparticles" (charges may apply).