10th International Aerosol Conference September 2 - September 7, 2018 America's Center Convention Complex St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Abstract View
MakerSpaces: An Emerging Indoor Aerosol Exposure Source
Anthony Ramos, Justin Keller, Tim Raymond, DABRINA DUTCHER, Bucknell University
Abstract Number: 1694 Working Group: Indoor Aerosols
Abstract MakerSpaces (or HackerSpaces) are facilities with shared tools designed to allow people and groups to come together with the purpose of fabricating devices and sharing ideas. These facilities have increased in popularity in recent years. They are increasingly common in community spaces such as libraries and schools, ranging from elementary schools to universities. Pre-existing spaces, which were not originally designed to be used as MakerSpaces, are sometimes adapted to be a MakerSpace with little consideration of the ventilation system. Tools in these spaces are quite varied ranging from laser cutters to 3-D printers to soldering irons and sewing machines. Many of these tools are known to produce particles, but there is little information available on their impact on the air quality in these spaces. Three MakerSpaces were monitored at Bucknell University with a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer while tool use was recorded. Each of these facilities is outfitted with different tools and different ventilation system characteristics. Observed particle number concentrations ranged from background level to more than 300,000 particles per cubic centimeter, depending on ventilation rates and tool use. The most significant recommendation stemming from these observations is that MakerSpaces with tools that can be operated remotely (such as 3-D printers and Laser cutters) are not suitable for ventilation systems triggered by occupancy sensors.