American Association for Aerosol Research - Abstract Submission

AAAR 38th Annual Conference
October 5 - October 9, 2020

Virtual Conference

Abstract View


Development of a Personal Sampler Combined with Adenosine Triphosphate Bioluminescence Assay for the Rapid Measurement of Bioaerosols

LI LIAO, Jeong Hoon Byeon, Jae Hong Park, Purdue University

     Abstract Number: 152
     Working Group: Instrumentation and Methods

Abstract
Bioaerosols are defined as aerosol particles of biological origins (e.g., bacteria, virus, etc.) and associated with adverse health effects including infectious diseases, acute toxic effects, and allergies. To protect people against these biological threats, the first step is measuring the concentration of bioaerosols. To assess the individual exposure to bioaerosols, they are generally collected in the culture media using a personal sampler and then incubated in favorable conditions at least for 24 hours. However, these conventional culture methods are time-consuming and complicated. To overcome these limitations, we suggested an adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence assay to rapidly measure the bioaerosol concentration and developed a personal bioaerosol sampler for combining with ATP bioluminescence assay. The personal sampler consisted of a respirable cyclone (cut-off diameter of 4 μm), a 3-jet impactor (cut-off diameter of 0.5 μm) to collect bioaerosols onto the head of swab used for ATP assay, a swab holder, and a personal sampling pump. The collection efficiency of 3-jet impactor was tested using aerosolized salt particles. The experimental cut-off diameter was 0.44 μm and slightly smaller than the designed size. Since the size of single bacteria is about 1 μm, the PB sampler can theoretically collect most bioaerosols. The performance of the PB sampler was evaluated and compared with a conventional Andersen impactor in the lab and the field. In the lab, concentrations of aerosolized Escherichia coli(E. coli) were measured. The results from the personal sampler were highly correlated to those from the Anderson impactor (R2= 0.85). In the field, bioaerosols in the horse barn were measured. The PB sampler showed better performance than Andersen impactor.