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Characterizing particle resuspension from mattresses: chamber study
Author(s) -
Boor B. E.,
Spilak M. P.,
Corsi R. L.,
Novoselac A.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
indoor air
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.387
H-Index - 99
eISSN - 1600-0668
pISSN - 0905-6947
DOI - 10.1111/ina.12148
Subject(s) - particle (ecology) , particle size , inhalation exposure , environmental science , ventilation (architecture) , inhalation , environmental chamber , chemistry , particle number , environmental chemistry , zoology , meteorology , ecology , medicine , biology , anesthesia , physics , volume (thermodynamics) , quantum mechanics
People spend approximately one‐third of their lives sleeping, where they can be exposed to a myriad of particle‐bound biological agents and chemical pollutants that originate within mattresses and bedding, including allergens, fungal spores, bacteria, and particle‐phase semi‐volatile organic compounds. Full‐scale particle resuspension experiments were conducted in an environmental chamber, where volunteers performed a prescribed movement routine on an artificially seeded mattress. Human movements in bed, such as rolling from the prone to supine position, were found to resuspend settled particles, leading to elevations in airborne particle concentrations. Resuspension rates were estimated for the size fractions of 1–2 μ m, 2–3 μ m, 3–5 μ m, 5–10 μ m, and 10–20 μ m, and were in the range of 10 −3 to 10 1 h −1 . Particle size had the most significant impact on the resuspension rate, whereas dust loading, volunteer body mass, and ventilation rate had a much smaller impact. Resuspension increased with the intensity of a movement, as characterized by surface vibrations, and decreased with repeated movement routines. Inhalation exposure was characterized with the intake fraction metric. Intake fractions increased as the particle size and ventilation rate decreased and ranged from 10 2 to 10 4 inhaled particles per million resuspended, demonstrating that a significant fraction of released particles can be inhaled by sleeping occupants.